Cobham December/January 2017/18

Regional Industry Review

DEC/JAN 2017/18

MAN VS

CROC We take a hair-raising ride with Outback Wrangler Matt Wright

Culture of pearls

A celebration of Broome’s fascinating pearling past

Cycle of your life

The best biking events around the country AUTO REVIEW • ENTERTAINMENT • ART & CULTURE • MINING & INDUSTRY • EDUCATION

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contents

6

02 Welcome 03 Info/route map

LIFESTYLE

05 Editor's letter

01 ENTERTAINMENT

0 6 Culture of pearls

03 WHAT'S ON

Join us on a fascinating exploration of Broome's pearling culture.

05 CULTURE CLUB 10 TRAVEL NEWS 13 A TASTE OF ORANGE This country town is producing world-class cuisine.

DESTINATION 18 DANGEROUS TERRITORY Brave the crocodile-infested world of Outback Wrangler, Matt Wright.

23 CYCLE OF YOUR LIFE The best biking events around Australia.

30 INDIGENOUS SPECIAL The first 500-piece didgeridoo orchestra; the history of the Gwion Gwion paintings; the Elcho Island weavers making their mark in high-end design.

INDUSTRY 45 AUTO REVIEW The history of Triumph motorbikes.

51 ENERGISING THE FUTURE Is lithium mining's saviour?

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59 RURAL INSURANCE Are you adequately covered?

67 WOMEN IN MINING Making their mark.

73 EDUCATION SPECIAL Schools and universities.

1

Hello and welcome aboard As another busy and exciting year comes to a close, there have been many achievements in our business over the last 12 months.

Our new mobile check-in app will soon be available for you to download from the App Store. The Cobham Check-in App streamlines the check-in and boarding process making it easier and faster than ever before.

Look out for the app in the New Year!

As this will be our final edition of Outthere inflight magazine, I would like to thank you all for reading the magazine over the years.

Finally, with Christmas just around the corner, I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy festive season with family and friends.

Thank you for flying with Cobham; we love having you aboard.

Dean Brennan General Manager, Regional Services

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BARROW ISLAND

MEEKATHARRA KARARA

PERTH

PLUTONIC JUNDEE WILUNA

A U S T R A L I A BRISBANE

DARLOT MURRIN MURRIN GRANNY SMITH

PROMINENT HILL

PORT AUGUSTA

SYDNEY

ADELAIDE PASSENGER FREIGHT

MELBOURNE

HOBART

Our fleet

3 x BAe 146 (passengers) I 4 x BAe 146 (freighters) 2 x Avro RJ85 I 3 x Avro RJ100 I 1 x Embraer 190

British Aerospace 146 (w) Length: 26.16m–30.99m I Wingspan: 26.21m I Height: 8.59m Cruise speed: 770km/h at 8,534m I Empty weight: 23,779–26,434kg Passenger capacity: 71–99 seats I Freight capacity: 10,300kg

Avro RJ85 Length: 29m I Wingspan: 26m I Height: 8.61m Cruise speed: 801km/h I Empty weight: 23,900kg

Avro RJ100 Length: 30.99m I Wingspan: 26.34m I Height: 8.59m Cruise speed: 780km/h I Empty weight: 26,393kg

Embraer 190 Length: 36m I Wingspan: 29m I Height: 10.5m Cruise speed: 833km/h I Empty weight: 29,000kg Passenger capacity: 104 I Freight capacity: 3,500kg

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Get in ! touch EDITOR Zoe Meunier zoe.meunier@edge.agency ART DIRECTOR Guy Pendlebury ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS EDITOR Jiyan Dessens SUB-EDITOR Merran White CONTRIBUTORS Darren Baguley, Tom Davies, Deborah Dickson-Smith, Jiyan Dessens, Roderick Eime, David Gilchrist, Jane Hodges, Huw Kingston, Berwyn Lewis PRINTER SOS Print & Media ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Hunt Phone: 02 8962 2600 scott.hunt@edge.agency NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Peter Anderson Phone: 02 8962 2600 peter.anderson@edge.agency WA & NT ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Kylee Dixon Phone: 0421 022 004 kylee.dixon@edge.agency Nicole Prioste Phone: 0410 618 331 nicole.prioste@edge.agency MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

Read and share Outthere online at issuu.com/edgeinflight

Outthere is published by Edge Level 4, 10–14 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone: +61 2 8962 2600 edgecustom.com.au Outthere is published by Business Essentials (Australasia) Pty Limited (ABN 22 062 493 869), trading as Edge, under license to MGI Publishing Pty Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the Publisher. Information provided was believed to be correct at the time of publication. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. Outthere cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the magazine, they will not be returned. Some images used in Outthere are from Thinkstock and Getty Images.

Editor's letter

W

elcome to the December/January issue of Outthere – we hope you're enjoying the festive season!

Inside the magazine, we explore the fascinating history of Broome's pearling culture, which has culminated in the annual Shinju Matsuri festival, a lavish, week-long festival that celebrates this history, racial harmony and the area's indigenous culture.

Australia's first people are also represented in our Indigenous special this issue. We look back in history to examine the fascinating Gwion Gwion rock art of the Kimberley; we explore how the Elcho Island weavers are making their mark in the world of high-end homewares; and delight in one man's dream to create Australia's first 500-strong didgeridoo orchestra.

If cycling's your thing, don't miss our guide to the most exciting biking events all over Australia – what a fantastic way to explore the country!

It's been a pleasure showcasing the incredible diversity and beauty of every corner of our marvellous country.

Enjoy getting Outthere!

Zoe Meunier, Editor

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culture

A CULTURE

OF PEARLS

Every year, Broome celebrates its own very special place in Australian history and culture with the ‘Festival of the Pearl’.

WORDS: Roderick Eime

t began like the pre-rumblings of an overripe volcano. Knives and forks suddenly froze, conversation muted and all eyes, wide as saucers, swung toward the source.

With the setting sun washing the sky with golden and crimson hues, Western Australian native and Opera Australia tenor Paul O’Neill built up to the famous climax of 6

Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”, immortalised by the likes of Pavarotti. And, boy, did he nail it.

We sat there for a second, stunned, before our legs catapulted us vertically.

“Bravo!” came the cry from 450 diners, whose baked barramundi and small talk was instantly rendered insignificant by that one magnificent moment. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

But I’m by no means downplaying the food – equally deserving of praise were celebrity chef, Darren Robertson and his team of culinary craftsmen, who’d toiled for days preparing this exceptional feast, laid out on two 225-seat trestle tables along Broome’s iconic Cable Beach.

The evening before, against a similar sky (there’s something about sunsets in Broome), we’d walked the couple of hundred metres

culture

The Shinju Matsuri festival takes place every year in Broome

The pearling industry has a rich history in Australia.

to the water’s edge, chasing the receding tide, with our floating lanterns and poignant messages. That was another tingling moment, as I quickly scrawled a message to a much-loved and recently departed colleague and watched as the little tea-candle-lit shrine floated off toward the horizon.

The two events described above are just a part of the immersive Shinju Matsuri festival, which takes place every year in Broome. What began almost 50 years ago as a humble community event to celebrate the rich cultural diversity and industries scraped out of the sand and mud of Roebuck Bay has grown into a weeklong festival that incorporates visual art, cinema, music, oral history and gastronomy.

A celebration of pearling history, Indigenous culture and racial harmony Broome is like no other town you will see in Australia. It’s a curious amalgam of Asian, Aboriginal and European cultures brought together over more than a century. This is the traditional land of the Yawuru people and their culture, art and ancient heritage are celebrated throughout the region, typically through their magnificent art, sought after by serious collectors from all over the world.

The relatively modern history of this outpost is defined by the quest for the Pinctada maxima, the most valuable of all the pearl-producing oysters. Initially, the harvest was for oysters’ ‘mother of pearl’ shell for use in buttons and ornamental accoutrements, but it was soon discovered that the waters were ideal for cultivation of pearl-producing oysters at locations such as Cygnet Bay, where pearl farming has taken place for more than 60 years.

Today, visitors can stroll the length of Dampier Terrace, from the ‘rustic’ Roebuck Bay Hotel to Streeter’s Jetty and the revitalised Chinatown precinct, ogling a seemingly endless array of spectacular pearl jewellery at boutiques including Cygnet Bay Pearls, Willie Creek and – just off the main strip – Paspaley.

During the Shinju Matsuri Festival, Dampier Terrace is closed for the massive Pearl Harvest Party and is filled with music, artisan stalls, food trucks and colourful parades.

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culture

The cruise option If you ask me, it’s a shame to come all the way to Broome or the Kimberley and not take a cruise. So cruise I did. The waters off the coast of Australia’s rugged North West region are quickly gaining a reputation around the world as one of the last ‘true wilderness’ cruises outside of the polar regions.

In previous years I’d sailed aboard the salubrious True North and her smaller cousin, Great Escape, on weeklong itineraries between Broome and the Mitchell Plateau, stopping to fish and frolic in the rivers, estuaries and freshwater pools along the way.

This time I sampled one of the newest boutique cruisers in the region, the 10-berth Kimberley Pearl.

When I say ‘new’, let me qualify that. The little ship first hit the water in 1976 as a pearl lugger for the big Kailis farm and, after a couple of subsequent roles, is now fully refitted as a luxury charter vessel for 10 lucky guests.

Four crew are all we need: two guides and general deckhands (Chris and Josh), a chef (Ty bro) and a skipper/engineer (Captain Rodney).

We visit the key sites at Raft Point, Montgomery Reef, Talbot Bay (and the Horizontal Falls) and take several short hikes to freshwater pools for sublime and refreshing swims.

But the Pearl’s strength is as a private vessel for groups, clubs and big families. Most customers, manager Paul Wettington tells me, are blokes wanting to do some serious fishing in between a bit of sightseeing. But there’s plenty else to do as well.

“The regular departures run to a loosely set schedule,” says Paul, “but the whole thing is flexible. If everyone wants to go fishing, we drop everything and go fishing! It’s that simple.”

One of the bonuses with your Kimberley Pearl cruise is an included air transfer with Broome Air Services, which will deliver you to a convenient embarkation point, such as Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, one of the Kimberley’s oldest, near the tip of the Dampier Peninsula.

Here, guests can tour a working pearl farm and learn about the intricate processes of culturing these exquisite marine gems as well as enjoying a scenic flight over the stark, yet beautiful landscape.

"If everyone wants to go fishing, we drop everything and go fishing! It’s that simple"

s ome ell c t and p s s ry ugu ing he d As t end, A are fish e of n m r a i e t o b t this es tem Sep hs – at stuari fish t e f n o e mo ar, th ozens ly ye ith d i al c e w esp teem ecies, endar y sp e leg di. th ramun bar

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INFO GUIDE

Shinju Matsuri Festival 2018

25 August–2 September

2018shinjumatsuri.com.au Land tours: Kimberley Wild Single and multi-day options kimberleywild.com Kimberley Pearl Charters 7, 10, 12 and 14-night cruises kimberleypearl.com.au Broome Air Services (BAS) Flightseeing and charters flybas.com.au Cygnet Bay Pearls Ready-made and custom pearl jewellery cygnetbaypearlfarm.com.au The writer visited Broome as a guest of the Shinju Matsuri Festival and sailed as a guest of Kimberley Pearl Charters

lifestyle

Entertainment

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The latest and greatest things to hear, see and read...

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Nuzzel

Neil Young: Hitchhiker

st picaff k

We’re stepping back in time this month, courtesy of Neil Young opening his archive for Hitchhiker, a previously unreleased studio album. Available on vinyl, CD and digitally, the 10-track acoustic solo album was recorded in Malibu, California at Indigo Studio in 1976. Young’s long-time studio collaborator, David Briggs, produced the original session and the resultant performances are truly breathtaking and passionate. Out now.

Kim Churchill: Weight_Falls Looking for something more contemporary? Australian songsmith Kim Churchill is back this year with Weight_Falls. Characterised by chopped-up drum samples, unusual harmonies and moments of disarming lyrical honesty, Churchill worked with ARIA-winning producer Ian Pritchett in a garage in Western Sydney to produce this kaleidoscopic collection that’s bound to take both fans and critics by surprise. Out now.

Sweet Country

Crime/Thriller/Western M Cannes Film Festival Caméra d’Or-winning writer and director Warwick Thornton’s new film has already won accolades all over the world. Set and shot in the magnificent MacDonnell Ranges around Alice Springs in the heart of the Australian Outback, it tells the 1920s tale of an Aboriginal stockman tried for murder, but it’s justice itself that’s really being put on trial. With convincing performances from Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Hamilton Morris and Natassia GoreyFurber, you’ll be drawn into this rich, vital masterpiece. Opens 25 January.

read A fascinating insight into life in Australia’s first decades. With the knack of a true storyteller, Seal conveys the story of our country’s ignominious beginnings by bringing to life the brutal Australian convict transportation system with stories of notorious criminals, colourful characters, harsh punishments and unexpected triumphs. Out now.

Facing the Flame Jackie French, Harper Collins $29.99

Perfectly encapsulating exactly what it means to live in country Australia, the latest instalment in the sweeping Matilda Saga is a heartbreaking and powerful story of courage, community and a deep love for the land. As a bushfire unlike any other thunders towards Gibber’s Creek, a series of Aussie characters battle it while facing their own demons. Out now.

Weather Underground

App Store, free Google Play, free Tuning into the TV or radio just to get a weather update is now a thing of the past, but when it comes to an online weather report, Weather Underground is among the best of the best, powered by a network of 180,000-plus government and privately owned weather stations from all over the globe.

Download the app and you’ll receive hyper-local reports, wherever you are in the world.

watch

Great Convict Stories Graham Seal, Allen & Unwin $29.99

App Store, free Play, free Like to stay up-to-date with the current news cycles? Then this app is tailor-made for you.

Voted one of the best new apps of 2016, Nuzzel is a free-for-all of downloadable news content for your chosen device, offering an endless library of news items from top-tier sources for busy professionals. Users can personalise their feeds and curate daily newsletters to stay informed 24-7.

Wednesdays with Bob Derek Reilly, Pan Macmillan $29.99

Over the past year, Australia’s longestserving Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke, welcomed writer Derek Rielly into his home for animated conversation and indecently fine cigars.

On a sun-soaked balcony, the irreverent young writer and the charismatic old master talk life, death, love, religion, politics, sport, fatherhood, marriage and everything in between. Out now.

Binaural Beats Generator

App Store, free Google Play, free If there’s a negative side to travelling, it’s undoubtedly jet lag. Luckily there’s an app for that! Binaural beats are repetitive sounds that the developers claim help to induce a relaxed state of mind, enabling you to generate your own binaural beats and isochronic tones to help you with sleep, relaxation, creativity and focus.

Worth a whirl next time you’re pacing the halls at three am!

1

Sensations of Kangaroo Island New luxury food & wine tours

Tours commence September 2017

Packages include return flights, transfers, accommodation, activities & all dining experiences.

See it. Feel it. Taste it. Hear it. Embrace it.

Spend three days indulging your every sense.

Embrace the luxury coastal accommodation staying at LifeTime Private Retreats and combine gourmet delights with award-winning local wines and spirits, all in some of Kangaroo Island’s most inspiring locations.

3 Day Sensations of Spring and Summer Tours from $2,644pp* from Adelaide. Includes: • Indulgent dining experiences include dinner in a rustic shearing shed, breakfast in a beachside taverna and brunch in the fairytale setting of the 150 year-old Enchanted Fig Tree (summer only), hosted by catering specialists Hannaford & Sachs • Exclusive vineyard and winery tour with private barrel room tastings at The Islander Estate Vineyard • Join local chef Tony Nolan, of Latitude 36, for lunch in his farm kitchen for a home-cooked feast, local island produce cooking tips and some ‘island-life’ stories • Visit KI Spirits Distillery, Island Pure Sheep Dairy, Island Beehive, Emu Bay, Stokes Bay and much more *Conditions apply. Return flights from Adelaide only. Price valid to 31 March 2018. Selected departures throughout spring and summer.

Autumn and Winter itineraries will differ. Minimum numbers apply. See website for details. ABN 69 007 122 367.

Call +61 8 8553 0386 Email kireservations@kiodysseys.com.au Visit kangarooislandodysseys.com.au

lifestyle

What’s On

Our top pick of events coming up around the country...

DECEMBER

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O T T ED NO ISS M BE

28 DECEMBER–3 JANUARY

The Taste of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS

Enjoy the sweet taste of summer at Tasmania’s most popular and enduring foodie festival. Taking place on Hobart’s spectacular waterfront by the banks of the beautiful Derwent River, over seven days and nights you can thrill all your senses, as over 70 stallholders tempt with locally produced seafood, cheeses, berries, cool-climate wines, boutique beers and ciders, and plenty more. It may be this festival’s 29th year, but a fresh look means even return visitors will feel they’re experiencing it for the first time. thetasteoftasmania.com.au

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

9 December

27 December–1 January

10–14 January

27–29 January

Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival, Manjimup, WA

Woodford Folk Festival, Woodford, QLD

Parkes Elvis Festival, Parkes, NSW

Crush Festival, Adelaide Hills, SA

Held in the heart of one of WA’s most diverse growing regions, this festival pays homage to one of Australia’s favourite stone fruits: the cherry. Along with cooking demonstrations, tastings, masterclasses and farmers’ markets, the pinnacle is the Cherry Soiree, a longtable dinner set among the area’s many cherry trees. cherryfestival.com.au

This year’s Woodford Folk Festival is billed to be even bigger and better than ever. Showcasing more than 400 acts across 35 venues over six sensational days, this year’s program is an explosion of genre-crossing performances in everything from music and dance to circus, comedy and cultural expression.

Each year fans travel from near and far for five days of non-stop Elvis Presley entertainment and Elvis-themed events – and 2018, celebrating 50 years since the ’68 Comeback Special, is going to be king-sized! Fans will be treated to performances by international award-winning Elvis tribute artist Ben Thompson, and loads more fun.

woodfordfolkfestival.com

parkeselvisfestival.com.au

It’s an exuberant celebration of life in the idyllic Adelaide Hills – add this worldclass wine-and-food weekend to your bucket list. Treat yourself to a culinary odyssey through more than 40 of the region’s best wineries and cellar doors; play it cool at Rosé & Croquet on the Lawns; or indulge your inner gourmand at Petaluma’s three-course sit-down dinner. crushfestival.com.au

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other events

JANUARY

27

13 January Port Arlington Mussel Festival, Port Arlington, VIC Indulge in Port Arlington’s famous mussels in all forms, all day. portmusselfestival.com

JANUARY

10

2 December L’Étape Australia by le Tour de France, Snowy Mountains, NSW Ride for your life under professional Tour de France conditions on 160km of sealed roads. letapeaustralia.com

look

ahead

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3–4 February Noosa Summer Swim, Noosa Heads, QLD Join swimmers of all abilities and ages at Noosa Heads. worldseriesswims. com.au/noosa-summer-swim

16–18 February Riverboats Music Festival, Echuca–Moama, VIC–NSW Enjoy a rockin’ weekend of Oz musical talent in the twin towns of Echuca– Moama. riverboatsmusic.com.au

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Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Mudgee, Wagga Wagga

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lifestyle

CULTURE

club

Got a thing for theatre? Love live music? Enjoy great galleries?

Read on for what’s happening this month...

17 DECEMBER

CAROLS IN THE DOMAIN, NSW Nothing says Christmas like Sydney’s annual Carols in the Domain event. It’s the biggest Christmas concert in Australia, after all, and this year promises to be another star-studded affair. Whether you watch it live on a picnic blanket or at home on the comfort of your own couch, the festive atmosphere will get you into the Christmas spirit quicker than you can say, “Ho, ho, ho!”. carolsinthedomain.com

9 DECEMBER

DARWIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: MASTER SERIES 3 ‘JOHN WILLIAMS’, NT

It’s John Williams’ beloved cinematic compositions like you’ve never heard them before: scores from cult classics like Jaws and the Harry Potter and Star Wars films performed live by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to scenes from the films, simultaneously projected onto the big screen. It’s an homage to Williams – one of the most successful film composers of all time – in celebration of his 85th birthday. dso.org.au/event/master-series-iii

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lifestyle

19–28 JANUARY TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL, NSW Australia’s largest music festival and one of the world’s top 10: with more than 2,800 shows across 120 venues, this is one giant hoedown. Don’t miss the Golden Guitar Awards, where fans get to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in country music and see all of their favourite artists perform in one huge show. tcmf.com.au

12–22 JANUARY

MOFO 2018, TAS “MOFO asks you to surrender to music, sound, sight and space,” says the spiel from curator Brian Ritchie of Violent Femmes fame. And as the festival is jam-packed with sweet tunes and spectacular art, losing yourself in the crowd is much easier than you’d think. For the first time this year, The Museum of Old and New Art’s MOFO will kick off in Launceston before heading back to Hobart, its spiritual home. mofo.net.au

26 JANUARY–25 FEBRUARY

Fringe World Festival, WA Get set for 31 days of ‘Perthect’ entertainment with the upcoming Fringe World Festival! Slated to be bigger, bolder and brassier than ever, this year’s event is a summer smorgasbord of entertainment curated to keep the good vibes going well into autumn, with musicals, theatre, cabaret, dance, circus, live music and tasty treats for people of all ages, plus loads more.

fringeworld.com.au

21 JANUARY–18 MARCH PRISCILLA – QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE MUSICAL Get set for sequins, feathers and fabulousness this January, as everyone’s favourite big pink bus hits Melbourne for the Priscilla – Queen of the Desert 10th anniversary celebration tour! Based on the iconic film, this hit musical has more glitter than ever, and features a dazzling array of more than 500 award-winning costumes and a non-stop parade of dance-floor classics. priscillathemusical.com.au

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lifestyle

Tony Albert, Kieran Lawson and David Collins, Warakurna Superhero #1, 2017, C-type print, 100 x 150 cm. Image courtesy of the artists, Sullivan+Strumpf and Warakurna Artists.

Artwork from Tarnathi – By Betty Kuntiwa Pumani, Pitjantjatjara/ Yankunytjatjara people, South Australia, born 1963, Perentie Bore, South Australia, Antara, 2017, Mimili, South Australia, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 300 x 200cm; courtesy the artist and Mimili Maku Arts. Photo: Saul Steed.

 TARNANTHI, Art Gallery of South

Australia, South Australia Until 28 January A celebration of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, TARNANTHI showcases the work of individuals from across the country, providing a platform from which they can share important stories and shed new light on their practice. Displaying the work of more than 1,000 artists at the Art Gallery of South Australia and 20-plus partner venues, TARNANTHI is an homage to the ongoing sharing of cultural knowledge. tarnanthi.com.au  50 Greatest Photographs of

National Geographic, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania 20 January–15 April 2018 On international tour, this extraordinary exhibition of photos from National Geographic reveals hidden worlds, secret stories and some of the most amazing places on the planet through the most compelling imagery published in the magazine’s near-130-year history – from Steve McCurry’s unforgettable Afghan girl to Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols’ iconic photograph of Jane Goodall and a chimpanzee and Thomas Abercrombie’s neverbefore-seen view of Mecca. burniearts.net

 In Cahoots: Artists collaborate across

From 50 Great Photographs exhibition: With 10,000 watts of light and a pair of new submersibles, the Titanic comes to life two and a half miles down. Photo by Emory Kristof.

Country, Fremantle Arts Centre, WA Until 28 January A major new creative project, this exhibit sees artists from six Aboriginal art centres partner with leading independent artists from around the country to produce significant new collaborative works through a series of artist residencies. Led by Aboriginal art centres at every stage, the exhibition explores the exciting and challenging nature of collaboration between art centres and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists. fac.org.au/in-cahoots

FLINT EASTWOOD

Tickets and tour dates available online now.

The Curtin, Melbourne, VIC 5 January

ALT-J

TOUR

Nationwide 5–10 December

THE XX Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD 17 January

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s w e TRAVEL n

lifestyle

World’s 50 best bars 2017

Bars in Melbourne and Sydney have been named in the World’s 50 Best Bars for 2017. Melbourne bar Black Pearl, voted 22, was also recognised as this year’s Legend of the List and Best Bar in Australasia, while Sydney bar The Baxter Inn came in at 45 on the prestigious list. The top spot was awarded to the American Bar at The Savoy in London, also voted Best Bar in Europe. For the full list, head to worlds50bestbars.com The Black Pearl crew.

Koala tour World’s Most Innovative Melbourne wildlife-tour operator Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours recently won the Seatrade Cruise Award for World’s Most Innovative Shore Excursion for its ‘Koala Clancy Foundation Tour & Book’ experience. While the book helps educate the public, proceeds from the tour fees go towards koala research in Victoria’s You Yangs region. Each tour fee also includes a donation towards planting trees to establish future koala habitat. Already, the project is making a difference: after 10 years of decline, 2016 was the first year in which koala numbers in the You Yangs increased.

For more, go to echidnawalkabout.com.au/about/conservation

Glamping, Tassie style If you like the idea of glamping in a luxury African safari tent in a truffle orchard on the banks of the Derwent River and watching wild platypus swimming at your feet, then newly-opened Truffle Lodge is the stuff of your dreams. Each tent ‘suite’ has riverfront and mountain views, and features king beds, lounges, minibar and coffee machine and private bathroom, complete with hand-carved wooden bath; guests can also enjoy the main lounge and dining pod. The eco-friendly Lodge is also being developed as a habitat for the endangered Swift parrot – for more, visit trufflelodge.com

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59%

The proportion of parents with kids under four who’d take their grandparents on holiday to babysit, according to new research by HotelsCombined, which found that 39% of parents wouldn’t trust a hired babysitter while travelling.

NEW HOTEL FOR

CANBERRA

Mantra Group’s new offering the Mantra MacArthur Hotel opened in Turner, Canberra in October to support the growth of international and domestic tourism in the nation’s capital. The former office tower has been transformed into a 176-room hotel following a $19 million retrofit, and now boasts a modern industrial design, a fully equipped gym, conference and meeting spaces and the new Podilato restaurant and bar serving Mediterraneanstyle cuisine. Enjoy an opening special until 31 January, 2018 at MantraHotels.com.

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THIS WEEKEND? At Anaconda, we believe everyone should put a little more play back in their lives. Whether it’s camping under the stars or throwing a line in, we have everything you need to Play More in the great outdoors this weekend.

CAMPING

•

HIKING

•

BIKE

CONNECT WITH US

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FISHING

•

KAYAK

ANACONDASTORES.COM

Price beat conditions apply. See our website for details.

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SPORT

WHERE SUCCESS STAYS Stay connected on the road with in-room workspaces, WiFi and administration services right at your fingertips - everything you need, we offer on your quest for success.

Visit questapartmenthotels.com.au to start your quest.

lifestyle

RE WHE T TO EIANK & DR

A taste of

Orange

Orange might be making waves worldwide for the high quality of its coolclimate wines, but its cuisine is making people sit up and take notice, too. Here are five of the best places in town to eat…

Words: Zoe Meunier

Racine Restaurant

Having launched the successful Mr Sushi King in Orange and Mudgee, Sammy Jeon decided he wanted to create something closer to his heart – and so Mr Lim was born. A delectable fusion of Korean and Australian cuisines, its dishes feature fresh Orange produce such as pork, honey and apples. Handily located in the town centre, Mr Lim is swiftly gaining popularity, not least for its inviting and exotic atmosphere, which features a long table in the middle, complete with Korean barbeque-style hotplates, an open-plan kitchen and Asian accents… not to mention karaoke on Saturday nights! But it’s impossible to go past the food. Start with sensational pork buns and fragrant wontons and dumplings before lingering over perfectly executed dishes such as duckbreast pancake, ‘drunken’ duck and mud crab. mrlimorange.com

Diners are enticed by the stunning location, overlooking a vineyard at the foothills of the legendary Mount Conobolas, then return for the exquisite food and world-class wines, which include local wine-making legends Angullong, Roaring Fork and Ross Hill, to name but a few.

Determined to prove that ‘rural needn’t mean rustic’, owners Willa and Shaun Arantz aim to be a ‘dining destination’ rather than merely a restaurant.

Their mouth-watering offerings of predominantly locally-sourced produce include pork neck with a date puree, spring onions, eschallots and macadamias; kangaroo served with baked beetroot, quinoa and crème fraiche; and lamb with a pistachio crumb. Desserts are also a feast for the senses and include an unforgettable sakepoached pear with sesame panna cotta, fennel and white chocolate. racinerestaurant.com.au

Mr Lim

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lifestyle

Lolli Redini

Located in Orange’s restaurant precinct, Lolli is something of an institution, with regulars from both near and far, who appreciate just how this fine dinery has earned a total of 15 Chef’s Hats in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide since it started in 2001.

Turning seasonal, sustainable, organic and ethically farmed produce into contemporary dishes with French and Italian twists, chef Simonn Hawke creates magic with local products such as Moonlight Flat oysters, Milthorpe truffles, Palmers Island mulloway, Mandadgery Creek farmed red venison and Hereford Red beef, Crack Willow Farm free-range pork and farm-fresh apples, pears, cherries and plums. Must-eats include their signature entree of twice-baked Gruyere cheese soufflé; or heavenly Borrowdale farm free-range pork belly main, served with a potato and celeriac gratin, apple-andclove butter and spiced braised red cabbage. They even provide the perfect wine-match recommendation for every meal. lolliredini.com.au

Charred Kitchen & Bar It may purport to be a “relaxed dining venue” but Charred’s approach to food – and wine – is anything but! The restaurant has an extensive selection of beers, and a wine list that showcases the best of local producers, from Phillip Shaw and Printhie to up-and-coming stars Rowlee Wines, Swinging Bridge and Colmar Estate. The Charred beverage selection is the perfect accompaniment to cuisine that pushes the boundaries and soars well above expectations. With small, medium or large share plates that highlight local produce, the menu changes regularly, but includes such delicacies as melt-in-the-mouth salmon with yoghurt, cauliflower, almonds and verjus; and the wickedly divine fire-roasted bone marrow. The extra-hungry can devour a whole Asian-style market fish, or enjoy the fruits of ‘Lucifer’, the wood-and-coal-fired oven, producing world-class lamb, beef or chicken from the coals. charred.com.au © Peter O’Brien

The Greenhouse of Orange

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As Orange’s reputation as a regional food and wine destination grows, so does the level of investment in new venues. The Greenhouse of Orange, a $6.5 million dollar investment situated on just under an acre of rooftop space, is the latest venue to open its doors in town. The culinary team at The Greenhouse have committed to sourcing 90% of its produce used in the menu directly from farmers in Orange and across the Central West of NSW. This true food and wine precinct consists of varying dining options, from an à la carte restaurant, pizza bar and street food kitchen to a wine bar serving up local antipasto plates. If you’re interested in taking a journey of regional food and wine discovery, The Greenhouse of Orange should certainly be on your consideration list. And if you’re making a weekend of it, you can stay at the adjoining Mercure Hotel. thegreenhouseoforange.com.au

RECENT AWARDS

2017

Gold Medal, Young Chardonnay Class NSW Wine Awards

2017

Gold Medal, Class 9 Orange Wine Show 2017

2017

Trophy for Best Young Chardonnay Orange Wine Show

2017

Trophy for Best White Wine of Show Orange Wine Show

2017

Trophy for Best Wine of Show Orange Wine Show

2017

Trophy for Best Exhibitor Orange Wine Show

VISIT US . SHOP ONLINE . FOLLOW US

19 Lake Canobolas Road, Orange NSW + 61 2 6365 3047 R OWLEEWINES.COM . AU

WINE . VINE . CELLAR DOOR

Our focus is on growing the best possible grapes, intervening as little as possible to deliver fruit of exceptional quality to the winery. Pruned and harvested by hand, our wines are crafted in small batches and are limited in release.

Experience our wines by visiting our Cellar Door, set amongst the vines on the northern aspect of Mount Canobolas. We also offer complimentary Australia wide shipping on any case purchase. Access to pre-release wines, museum wines and privileged pricing is available by joining our Wine Club.

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Discover your own van wisdom with The Road Owl. newagecaravans.com.au

experience

Heritage drives

OF ORANGE

Take a stunning scenic tour through the regional city of Orange and surrounds, exploring gold-mining towns, cute historic villages and an area rich in food and wine, agriculture and heritage, with the help of the experts from New Age Caravans.

Where To Stay Colour City Caravan Park

MARCH AND LAKE BURRENDONG Be sure to visit the Orange Visitor Information Centre in Byng Street, Orange; it’s the perfect starting point for any of these heritage drives. Here, you can receive detailed maps and information on the Heritage drives and walks available. Head along Burrendong Way to the small village of March, said to have been named by Sir Thomas Mitchell as a compliment to British beauty the Countess of March. Continue north on Burrendong Way to Mullion Creek, then head on to Lake Burrendong via the quaint villages of Euchareena and Stuart Town. A man-made reservoir, the lake is popular with families, nature lovers and anglers.

LAKE CANOBOLAS AND BORENORE CAVES RESERVE Take a drive to beautiful Lake Canobolas on the headwaters of Molong Creek, where you can enjoy the picnic and barbeque facilities, a walking trail, fishing, playground and water sports before heading to Lake Canobolas Pump House for a fascinating history lesson.

Then it’s time to visit the mighty Mount Canobolas itself, which offers spectacular views, several picnic areas and walking tracks through woodlands, heath and forests filled with native fauna and birdlife. Continue on to Borenore Caves Reserve, where you can explore natural wonders including the Tunnel Cave and the Arch Cave.

BANJO PATTERSON PARK AND THE GOLD MINING VILLAGES

GNOO BLAS MOTOR RACING CIRCUIT AND GOSLING CREEK

Visit the historic Orange General Cemetery and Banjo Patterson Memorial Park, the birthplace of Australia’s most famous poet.

Then travel north-east to Ophir*, where the first payable gold in New South Wales was discovered in April 1851. It’s now a recreation reserve where you can picnic beneath the willows, fossick for gold along Summer Hill Creek or fish for trout (licence required).

Then take in the historic miners’ villages of Shadforth and Lucknow, part of the property of William Charles Wentworth. Here, evidence of the area’s gold-rush history remains in the form of original miners’ cottages.

Soak up the atmosphere at Gnoo Blas Motor Racing Circuit, the starting ground for many of Australia’s top riders and drivers including Sir Jack Brabham and Kelvin Curruthers, before heading to Sir Jack Brabham Park, once the site of Orange’s airport, which still bares its insignia. Travel on to Gosling Creek Reserve, an environmentally-based recreational facility for the whole family surrounded by native vegetation. Then wind your way through the beautiful historic villages of Millthorpe and Spring Hill, which has its own Heritage Walk brochure. *Drive includes gravel roads.

Forming part of the showground recreational area, this petfriendly park is set among well established trees and has lovely grounds and amenities. visitorange.com.au/colour-citycaravan-park

Canobolas Caravan Park

This 3-star park just 2.5 kilometres from Orange’s CBD has 51 powered sites for vans and campervans and features clean renovated amenities, disabled and laundry facilities, town and bore water. It’s also pet-friendly. canobolascaravanpark.com.au

Big 4 Bathurst Panorama Holiday Park

While it’s a little further afield – around 45 minutes’ drive from Orange – this is a large, petfriendly park featuring all the facilities you’ve come to expect from Big 4 including solar-heated swimming pools, a waterslide, a kids’ playground, a games room and a huge movie screen, as well as a camp kitchen and a family/ disabled-friendly bathroom. big4.com.au/Bathurst

Check out the amazing caravan ranges at newagecaravans.com.au

Visit the mighty Mount Canobolas, which offers spectacular views, several picnic areas and walking tracks through woodlands, heath and forests filled with native fauna and birdlife.

17

profile

TERRITORY WORDS: ZOE MEUNIER

He gravitates towards animals most of us run screaming from, but beyond the heroics, ‘Outback Wrangler’ Matt Wright is doing essential conservation work in the Northern Territory. att Wright can’t really explain why he’s always been drawn to the kind of wildlife – snakes, spiders, scorpions, sharks, crocs – that would happily kill you. Perhaps it was because they were all in plentiful supply throughout his childhood, growing up in wild outback settings everywhere from South Australia to Papua New Guinea to Cairns.

“I started dealing with wildlife before I can even remember, and as I got older, I was catching brown snakes, tiger snakes – all the deadly ones!” he laughs. “The night before last, there was a big brown snake in my room and

Ironically, the bigger these crocs become, the greater the need to protect them. When a monster croc starts threatening livestock or human lives, it can be all too tempting for landowners to simply shoot them dead.

Enter Matt and his intrepid buddies, Jono and Willow, who, over eight nail-biting episodes, risk life – and limb – relocating these monster eating machines to ensure that wildlife and locals are safe.

“Crocs are such unique creatures; you never get bored of them,” says Matt. “I never trust them – they’re gonna eat you at the drop of a hat – but there’s just something there. And

“I’ve never had a fear. I’ve just always loved and understood animals. I don’t know how or where it came about” everyone was sh***ing themselves. I thought it was the best thing ever! I picked it up, brought it out, showed everyone…

“I’ve never had a fear. I’ve just always loved and understood animals. I don’t know how or where it came about.”

For the obsessed viewers of Matt’s TV show Outback Wrangler, launching its third series on the National Geographic Channel on 5 December, it’s his talent capturing, restraining and relocating monster crocs that has them enthralled.

In Australia’s rugged Top End, the saltwater crocodile population has been protected for 46 years, with some old crocs reaching lengths of five-plus metres.

18

it’s not just me who’s fascinated with crocs; the whole general public is. They come up north and they want to see a crocodile up close.”

Matt says it’s the tricky logistics of the job that he enjoys the most.

“It’s working out how and where you’re going to set the trap and get the gear in there, and how to make sure you’re trapping the right croc,” he says. “There might be lots of crocs in an area but you’re targeting one big one, so being able to set the trap in his area and catch him within the time period and get him moved out as quick as possible – it’s all those challenges that I love.”

There’s certainly no shortage of danger.

In the third series’ first episode alone, Matt’s

The importance of crocs in the ecosystem

Matt explains why the preservation of crocs is so important: “In the Territory, crocs are just predators. They start the hierarchy of the wetlands and flood plains, and anything that’s rotting in the waterways, like cattle or buffalo or pig, they’ll devour quite quickly, and it stops it from rotting up. The crocs keep that balance. I found a big buffalo yesterday floating around in the river and there were three big crocs hanging off it – it would be nearly gone by now. They tear it to pieces; they make a lot of food for other little animals in the water. They play such an important role, and people don’t understand that.”

mate Jono gets rolled by a bull, while Willow comes close to getting a croc’s jaws around his ankle. Matt may not experience fear, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have a very healthy appreciation of the risks involved.

“You’ve got to go in with a clear head,” he says. “If you go in there too cocky, too gungho, you end up second best. The main thing is to try and keep your team safe.”

Nerves of steel Not a fan of school, Matt “packed the car and took off” as soon as it was over, and headed in search of adventure, “working on various cattle stations and different resorts; scrubbing sh**houses, you name it.”

Time spent oil drilling and three years in the army followed, until Matt followed his long-held dream to fly helicopters.

“A chopper’s licence was $60,000 and, after saving for a while, I had the option to do that or buy a house with an ex-girlfriend.”

Needless to say, the chopper dream won out, and Matt never looked back… in fact, it was helicopter flying that led him to his first croc relocation.

19

profile

“With the country and landscape we cover, you come across the most incredible sights” “I was sent to a cattle station and there were a few big crocs eating cattle and the station manager said, ‘Can you catch ‘em?’

And I was like, ‘yeah’, even though I didn’t know how the hell I was going to get it done.”

After designing a few traps and moving a few crocs, Matt was assigned an even more dangerous task – collecting crocodile eggs.

“No other chopper pilot was game to do that, but I thought it was the best job on Earth,” says Matt, who still spends several months a year working with a team harvesting croc eggs for four farms, collecting about 40,000 eggs annually – the most sustainable way to manage the population.

Matt says his closest calls with crocodiles have come about while collecting eggs.

“The female comes out and you get caught off guard,” he says. “I ended up in 20

the water fighting one off one day. We’ve had a few boys bitten; we’ve had a croc come in the back of the chopper and pull the seats out; floats torn off the chopper… it can get pretty hectic.”

Bird’s-eye view Matt’s unique lifestyle – much of which is spent in the air – has also allowed him the opportunity to indulge another of his passions: aerial photography.

“I carry my camera with me pretty much 24/7; I’ve always had it, ever since I’ve been flying,” he says. “With the country and landscape we cover, you come across some of the most incredible sights.”

Some of Matt’s amazing bird’s-eye-view photos are featured in Canon’s Down Under From Above series, including one of Matt’s own property, which features a moat in the shape of Australia – devised by Matt and a mate “after a couple of beers”.

His remarkable property near Sweets Lagoon is also now the base for Matt’s tourism venture Outback Floatplane Adventures.

“We’ve got 10 luxury tents and there’s a deck that overlooks the wetlands, and just down from that is where we run airboats,

cruiseboats and pontoons. And you’ve got all these crocodiles that go through the wetlands there,” says Matt, who also offers helicopter and offshore boat-fishing charters and helicopter tours.

Sharing many of Matt’s adventures is the love of his life, Kaia Hammond, with the pair getting married in a romantic ceremony just last month. While any adventure was off the menu on their wedding day – “We’ve got enough adventure in our daily lives without having it at our wedding!” laughs Matt, it’s safe to say that Matt’s still a long way off ‘settling down’ to a sedate life – something that occasionally causes concern for his new wife, no matter how adventurous she is.

“Kaia does sometimes get a bit worried about some of the crocodiles I play with, but she has respect that I know what I’m doing,” says Matt.

And when a deadly brown snake finds its way into your bedroom, there’s surely nobody better to have around...

Outback Wrangler Season 3 premieres Wednesday’s 8.30pm from December 6 on National Geographic. National Geographic is available on Foxtel, Foxtel Now, Fetch and the National Geographic App.

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experience

ON YOUR BIKE! Saddle up to discover where to find the biggest, best (and most beer-fuelled) cycling events around Australia

Best Oz cycling events WORDS: HUW KINGSTON

alk into any bike shop now and you’ll find road bikes, mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes, gravel grinders, e-bikes and more. I’d include unicycles, too, but that group gets a bit upset when you call them ‘bicycles’ when they’re not.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that across Australia you can find hundreds of events for all bike and rider types – from club events attracting a couple of dozen cyclists to mass-participation challenges attracting many thousands. Here are six events to consider boxing your bike and flying off to ride in.

L’Etape Australia Snowy Mountains NSW, 2 December 2017

You might well not want to go all the way to France for a piece of Le Tour action – and, in any case, you might have some difficulty gaining entry. Fortunately, in 2016, Australia’s Snowy Mountains became an official destination for a Tour de France-approved L’Etape event. The French word l’étape means ‘stage’, and that’s exactly what you get.

You can ‘Race’ 157 kilometres, or ‘Ride’ 126km on courses that wend their way from the Thredbo Valley through Jindabyne and out through the Monaro via Berridale and Dalgety. While grand chateaux and imposing

churches are in short supply, you will see plenty of merino sheep, expansive views of Australia’s highest mountains, a crossing of the iconic Snowy River and a glorious palette of yellow, green and polka-dots. All this is on roads closed especially for an event that last year attracted more than 3,000 riders.

Ride alongside four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, who will also be holding clinics and sharing his extensive knowledge. With Phil Liggett and Matt Keenan as official commentators, spectators will think they’re on the couch watching SBS at 2am in July. letapeaustralia.com

L’Etape Australia in the Snowy mountains. © Sportograf.

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experience

Peta Mullens in the Otway Odyssey.

Cycle networks such as those found around Forrest have revitalised many rural centres across Australia.

Great Otway Gravel Grind.

Otway Odyssey and Great Otway Gravel Grind The Otways VIC, 24–25 February 2018

For a dozen years now, 1,000 or more dirtseekers have converged on the little village of Forrest, which is surrounded by the towering eucalypt and rainforest of the Otway Ranges. The Otway Odyssey was always a journey for mountain bikers keen to take on 10km, 30km, 50km or 100km races along forest tracks, dirt roads and single tracks.

Single tracks are the holy grail of mountain biking: purpose-built, narrow trails that twist, drop and climb through the terrain. Cycle networks such as those found around Forrest have revitalised many rural centres across Australia. Elite riders will smash the 100km course in a little over four hours, while those at the back of the pack will take up to 10 hours to grind through the full distance.

Speaking of grinding: two years ago, a new event – the Great Otway Gravel Grind – was introduced to the weekend, with two course options: 49km and 97km. Riders compete on bikes that look like road bikes – and indeed, some are – but they’re designed to be robust enough to handle dirt roads, not asphalt ones. The keenest cyclists can do the Gravel Grind on the Saturday and the Odyssey on the Sunday. rapidascent.com.au 24

Great Otway Gravel Grind.

Fat Tyre Festival Melrose SA, 8–11 June 2018

How does a tiny village on the edge of the Flinders Ranges, some 275 kilometres north of Adelaide, become a renowned mountain-biking centre? All that was needed was a bike-shop owner from the United States of America, a young couple from New Zealand, some broad-minded farmers and a bunch of enthusiastic villagers. Melrose, population 406, embraced all of this more than 15 years ago and now, Over the Edge, a bike/coffee/merino-wool shop, sits proudly

in a town with some 100 kilometres of trails at its doorstep.

For more than 15 years, mountain bikers from across Australia have been descending on Melrose over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June for an event that encompasses rides, skills clinics, food, music and endless discussions about tyre widths, gear ratios and the mythical ‘flow’.

The Fat Tyre Festival is very much about the ride, not the race – indeed, competitiveness may have you thrown out of town. melrosemountainbike.com

experience

Single Speed Nationals Alice Springs NT, 13–15 July 2018

Any national championship where hosting rights are decided by a joust between candidate towns on kids’ bikes gives some indication as to the seriousness (or otherwise) of this event. Alice Springs put their best jouster forward to claim rights to the 2018 Single Speed Nationals. If Wagga Wagga offers you Gears & Beers, this one is all about just one gear, plenty of beer and more than a smattering of beards.

‘Singlespeeding’ is perhaps the purest and simplest form of mountain biking. Bikes are equipped with one gear only, and any serious approach to the racing is frowned upon.

Most championship courses have a ‘beer shortcut’ (drink a beer or do a penalty lap) and each rider carries the number plate ‘1’.

Surprisingly to many people, Alice Springs has the most incredible mountain biking, with a very active club and a couple of major national events held there each year. The 2018 Single Speed Nationals will base itself out at the historic Old Telegraph Station. facebook.com/groups/87297156996/ Gears & Beers Wagga Wagga NSW, 30 September 2018

Pedal powered Smoothies at The Fat Tyre Festival. © Sam Bruce.

Some wise soul once said that every good ride should start with a coffee and finish with a beer. While I’m not sure about the latter after a sunrise ride, it’s generally a reasonable proposition. Down in the NSW Riverina, they’ve formalised the link with Gears & Beers – an event with a name I’m certain would have included a third noun, had the organisers been able to think of a coffee-related term that ended in ‘ears’.

The baristas are pumping it out from before dawn as riders in the Dirty 130 ready themselves to start on a course that winds on blacktop and dirt, suitable for road and gravel bikes, through the northern hills of the Wagga region. Later, the Filthy 50 set off (they like their rhymes in the Riverina) – and so on, with races over various shorter distances down to an easy nine kilometres.

Once the biking’s done, it would be rude not to hobble straight to the Craft Beer & Cider Festival, where the wares of around 15 craft brewers are on tap for those seeking post-ride hydration in the company of 1,500odd bike-minded souls. gearsandbeers.org.au 25

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experience

The beauty of the stage race format is that you get to settle into a rhythm for a few days and enjoy and endure the ups and downs with your fellow riders.

All images this page of Cape to Cape. © Flow Mountain Bike.

Cape to Cape Margaret River WA, 18–21 October 2018

Sometimes, a day on the bike is just not long enough. Which is why each year, some 1,200 mountain bikers gather down Margaret River way in late October for the four-day Cape to Cape. In the 10 years the event has been running, it has been the catalyst for the development of trails around the region that can be used for year-round riding.

Traditionally, the Cape to Cape has showcased the south-west region of Western Australia in a point-to-point race format, journeying from Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point in Australia, north to Cape Naturaliste. In 2017, however, all four race stages started and finished close to Margaret River – two at wineries and a third at a brewery – making logistics easier for riders.

The beauty of the stage race format is that you get to settle into a rhythm for a few days and enjoy and endure the ups and

downs with your fellow riders. With each of the four stages of the Cape to Cape covering either 50 or 60km, this is a very manageable event for any keen mountain biker. capetocapemtb.com None of the above events offer enough challenge for you? Well, there’s always the Indian Pacific Wheel Race in March (indianpacificwheelrace.com). Fully self-supported, this race of a mere 5,500 kilometres will take you from Fremantle to Sydney.

See you at the start!

27

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indigenous special

WINDS OF

CHANGE How one man’s dream could lead to the world’s first 500-piece didgeridoo orchestra.

he smell of fresh paint and new carpet hangs in the air as Rory O’Connor, a spokesman for the local Yugambeh community, stands inside a recently refurbished Yugambeh Museum explaining his bold plans for his community: to draw together a 500-piece didgeridoo orchestra to play at the Commonwealth Games celebrations on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Rory’s mission stems from his memory of how the 1982 Commonwealth Games transformed Brisbane culturally.

Following the news in 2014 that the Commonwealth Games was returning to South East Queensland, he gathered his local Indigenous community together to ask them, ‘What are we going to have left by the campfire after it comes and goes in our own country?’

Rory O’Connor.

WORDS: DAVID GILCHRIST

He wanted to know if the Yugambeh community could create a worthwhile legacy from the 2018 Commonwealth Games and “exploit the energy that the Commonwealth Games would bring to make something for our kids”.

A man of the community Spend just a little time with Rory and you soon discover a man with an infectious zest for life and a lot of love for community and family – or junnebei neubani, in the Yugambeh language.

The fact that junnebei neubani is integral to Rory’s character is unremarkable considering he draws his heritage from two cultures – Irish and Aboriginal – that share strong traditions of community and family.

Visit Yugambeh Museum in Beenleigh for the first time and Rory – who grew up on a goat farm on Brisbane’s outskirts – will tell you about his ancestors, whose portraits and stories hang on the museum’s walls.

His is the story of a family of eight children, an Irish father and Aboriginal mother. It comes from a family heritage that includes stories of craftspeople, frontier-war survivors and ANZACs – Indigenous stories of proud Indigenous folk.

A powerful collaboration Having previously helped establish an Indigenous choir to encourage the use of Yugambeh language, O’Connor started thinking about how to establish another creative community activity and approached successful didgeridoo

30

musician William Barton.

William is no slouch when it comes to playing the didgeridoo. With 20 years’ experience, the Mount Isa artist has played with traditional dance groups, fusion, rockjazz bands, orchestras, string quartets and mixed ensembles, work that has seen him touring internationally since he was 15 years old. Better yet, he loved the idea.

The trouble was that the didgeridoo is a Northern Australian instrument, and Rory needed to know that his idea wouldn’t offend the Northern elders. So, with some trepidation, he travelled to the Northern Territory to ask permission. He gathered a meeting with elders from seven different communities and pitched his dream – by the end of his pitch, the elders were beaming with enthusiasm.

They thought Rory’s idea had the potential to help change the usual negative stereotypes of Indigenous men, with one elder saying it would help make Aboriginal men “come together as men and be seen as leaders, not just by non-Aboriginal people but by Aboriginal people. In our own community, we’ll be seen as leaders by our women and especially the children. This is making something positive we can all work towards.”

Later, Rory met with Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, who wanted to know how big the orchestra would be. It wasn’t something the Yugambeh team had thought about and on the spur of the moment, Rory blurted out the first number that came to his mind – 500 – leaving both the Mayor and his own team agog.

indigenous special

William has played the didgeridoo with traditional dance groups, fusion, rock-jazz bands, and mixed ensembles, touring internationally since he was 15 years old

William Barton.

He’d committed himself to something no-one had ever done. And in line with Aboriginal custom, only men play the didgeridoo. That meant Rory had to find 500 men willing and able to play the most iconic Aboriginal instrument in front of an international audience.

Four strong winds Word soon spread. Men started turning up at the museum and Rory’s Beenleigh home. “They’d just turn up, older men,

younger men, black fellas. Then we had nonIndigenous men turning up as well.”

He adds, “They’re all learning and the young kids become teachers. The dynamics that are created in that space is magic.”

The Yugambeh team decided to make satellite orchestras that will eventually unite.

They are well on their way, with men and boys on board from the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. Rory and didgeridoo collaborator William call each state group a ‘wind’ and

boast that they now have four winds: north, south, east and west.

“This is blokes performing; guys and kids learning the didgeridoo. It’s a real feel-good thing,” says Rory.

Although he’s tight-lipped about whether or not the 500-piece orchestra will be an official part of the Commonwealth Games or will perform in associated festivals and community celebrations, Rory reckons that the orchestra’s positive, sustainable impact means it’s already found success.

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indigenous special

WINDOWS into the Berwyn Lewis discovers how the Kimberley’s ancient Gwion Gwion rock art treasures could shed light on climate change impact.

n Kununurra, Western Australia, there’s no shortage of galleries displaying arts, crafts, jewellery and creative products made by Indigenous and non-Indigenous locals – but head out of town and the world’s largest and most ancient outdoor art galleries are waiting.

Cathedral-like caves and overhangs are packed with mysterious rock-art paintings, some estimated to be more than 40,000 years old. Hidden in a rugged landscape of thundering waterfalls, waterlily-covered waterholes, stands of Livistona palms and ancient boab trees, most of these rockart sites are inaccessible except by 4WD, helicopter, light aircraft and guided ‘specialist tours’, and on foot.

Many of these paintings depict what are known as Bradshaw or Gwion Gwion figures, in sophisticated artworks that experts believe predate ancient Egypt and other ‘cradles of civilisation’ by thousands of years.

Nobody knows how many of these ancient paintings there are, but it is estimated that thousands of them are scattered across the 424,000-plus-squarekilometre area of the Kimberley, where

Wandjina Rock Art.

dusty red roads stretch seemingly to infinity, and massive escarpments and ranges dominate the horizon.

Numerous rock-art sites remain undiscovered, and many of the priceless, millennia-old works are at risk – or have already been damaged or destroyed – by smoke and flames from aerial fire-bombing; neglect; and mining and fracking activities.

Berwyn and her partner at Mitchell Plateau airport.

32

PAST

Astral travellers?

Galleries of panels, measuring up to five metres by three metres in area, are windows into the past, containing messages from an almost-forgotten civilisation.

Graceful figures painted with red ochre and fine brushes – possibly, feather quills – demonstrate that the artists possessed a sophisticated knowledge of perspective and anatomy. Some figures are in static postures; others appear to be dancing or flying in horizontal and floating positions that some art historians believe reflects an ability to ‘astral travel’.

Who were the artists? Why did these unusual depictions appear, seemingly suddenly, many millennia ago, and then vanish abruptly thousands of years later?

One theory is that the people depicted in these Bradshaw paintings, or Gwion Gwion,

indigenous special

the distinctive cone-shaped headdresses and dreadlock hairstyles of some of the Gwion Gwion figures.

The genders of the figures are another area of controversy, with some experts contending that they can identify males, females and children by looking at leg positions, posture, the outlines of muscles and body shapes – some figures having broad shoulders, others suggesting feminine-looking curves.

Bradshaw (aka Gwion Gwion) rock art with tasselled skirts, headdresses.

William Barton. were the casualties of climate change. It’s thought they may have been driven from their idyllic coastal lands by the impact of glacial melts and rising seas, 18,000 to 20,000 years ago.

Did they have to fight for new territory?

Did they eventually interbreed with the occupants inland where they made their new homes?

In the works believed to date from the later stages of this period, experts say there is “a progressive decline in artistic technique”, which could be an indication that the artists’ communities of the time were forced to place less emphasis on

painting and more on the challenges of survival in hostile environs.

Some say these artists could have been specialist graduates of an ancient ‘art school’, because their technically advanced paintings display a uniformity that has been divided roughly into four major styles.

All the figures appear to be turned in towards the ‘canvas’ of the rock wall, heads are consistently tilted back and arms are decorated with tasselled amulets. Some figures wear sashes and tasselled skirts; others carry items that look like spears, boomerangs or dilly bags. Small animals – quolls, bilby or bandicoots – are perched on

Cross-cultural connections There are also some rare scenes depicting boats that have similarities to the ‘Boat of the Dead’, part of an Egyptian tomb painting at Thebes, raising more questions about cross-cultural connections and early migration.

There are indications that the earliest inhabitants of Australia were capable of undertaking great maritime voyages, plying the waters between Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It was far from terra nullius (nobody’s land); indeed, it was quite the opposite, and suggests that a rewrite of Australian history is well overdue.

There is no doubt that the rock art of the Kimberleys is the work of a sophisticated community of artists, who lived in harmony with nature and celebrated their culture through their paintings.

Some panels show serpents coiling across the rooftops of caves, flying foxes, crocodiles, a thylacine, enormous yams and specimens of extinct fish.

At some sites, there are lines of deep grooves in the rock walls, where axes and spears might have been sharpened. Other sites show signs of domesticity, with smooth and hollowed-out stones, possibly used for grinding seeds and roots.

Who were the artists?

Why did these unusual depictions appear, seemingly suddenly, many millennia ago, and then vanish abruptly thousands of years later?

33

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indigenous special

The best way to see this country and its art is by hopping onto a guided tour These sites continue to hold strong spiritual and symbolic significance, especially for the local Indigenous people, who have up to 26 different names for the rock art, including Gwion Gwion, a longbeaked bird that, according to Aboriginal lore, pecks at the rock-art surfaces, and is a powerful spirit man and messenger.

The Gwion Gwion rock art, also known as Bradshaw paintings, were named after cattle station owner Joseph Bradshaw, the first European to sight and sketch them in 1891-2.

In the late 1970s, bushman and rock art scholar, the late Grahame Walsh, became a leading expert in Bradshaw figure research.

Walsh died in 2007, but his legacy of more than 30 documentations of Gwion Gwion rock art lives on in his books, Bradshaws: Ancient Rock Paintings of North-west Australia and Bradshaw art of the Kimberley.

Endless options for exploration On the way to the rock-art sites, there are numerous cattle stations where the hospitality is legendary, including Ellenbrae, or ‘scone central’, where up to 300 are baked every day; Drysdale River, with its hamburger heaven and home cooking and El Questro, with all creature comforts laid on. There’s also the Munurru campground, overlooking King Edward River; and the Mitchell River National Park area, where hundreds of tracks lead to countless rock-art sites. All offer camping facilities and various levels of accommodation.

The best way to see this country and its art is by hopping onto a guided tour such as those run by Kununurra-based Kimberley Spirit.

Owned and operated by experienced guide Scotty Connell, Kimberley Spirit Tours offers

luxury private safaris, camping adventures and small-group, tailor-made special-interest tours, with Scotty providing in-depth archaeological interpretations of the sites.

He’ll also show you around Kununurra’s attractions, including galleries, Saturday markets in Whitegum Park and the town’s famous sandalwood factory and distillery, The Mount Romance Sandalwood Factory Kununurra. Think bush foods, ‘men’s and women’s business’ products – and the sweet scent of Australian sandalwood in the air.

At Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, a notfor-profit organisation, Indigenous artists work on site, some with a palette of just a handful of ochre colours. Some are inspired by the Gwion Gwion; others by Dreamtime stories: local artist Betty Bundamurra, from Kalumburu, is busy illustrating a children’s book, Urial and Bogat Bogat, the story of the crocodile and the mud skipper, commissioned

by Magabala Books in Broome.

In August 2017, the North Kimberley’s Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation launched the Uunguu Visitor Pass (UVP). Currently being implemented for coastal and land-based tourism in the region, the UVP will help establish Uunguu Ranger stations, deliver ranger training and provide support for tourism activities. Sixty per cent of revenue will be invested in Wunambal Gaamera Country, smoothing the way for future visitors and rock-art aficionados.

Berwyn Lewis travelled with the assistance of Tourism WA. Permission to publish these images of Aboriginal rock art has been granted by the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation.

Top Left: Wandjina rock art; Above from top: O’Malleys Crossing (Pentecost River); Waringarri Aboriginal Arts Centre; Five ochre colours used by artists at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts Kununurra.

INFO GUIDE

Kimberley Spirit Tours (Scott Connell) 08 9169 1804 or 0401 844 711 kimberleyspirit.com The Mount Romance Sandalwood Factory Kununurra 08 9169 1987 kununurra@mtromance.com.au mtromance.com.au Waringarri Aboriginal Arts 08 9168 2212 gallery@waringarriarts.com.au waringarriarts.com.au

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Visit infinityholidays.com.au/rail-holidays for more information.

indigenous special

WEAVING a new FUTURE A sensitive collaboration between the Yolngu weavers of Elcho Island and influential Sydney retailer and design company Koskela is forging a distinctive contemporary Australian style.

hen Koskela co-founder Sasha Titchkosky stumbled across an internet article on the Yolngu weavers of Elcho Island in north-eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, it set the cogs in motion for what would become an inspired and important fusion of ancient Indigenous culture and modern design.

Founded in 2000, Koskela sells a broad range of Australian-made and ethically produced homewares, furniture, lighting and art. The company’s fresh approach to furniture and design is balanced with a strong social conscience.

On discovering the woven handiwork of Yolngu women, who’ve been using natural

fibres such as pandanus leaves and ‘bush string’ for many hundreds of years to weave objects, Sasha and her partner and cofounder Russel Koskela were immediately fascinated. They were keen to collaborate with the Yolngu weavers on a series of lampshades for pendant lighting, using frames designed by Koskela.

After extensive research, which included learning about the cultural sensitivities they’d need to consider, Sasha attended Darwin Art Fair, where she was introduced to senior Yolngu weaver Mavis Ganambarr, who agreed to take part in the project – but not before wondering “why this crazy white woman wants me to weave her a wastepaper basket”, laughs Sasha.

WORDS: ZOE MEUNIER

Before long, the project – dubbed Yuta Badayala, meaning ‘a new light’ – was born, along with the basis for a strong and lasting bond between Sasha and Mavis.

“We’re now really good friends; our children have had amazing experiences up in Elcho and we’ve formed very firm friendships that are very important to me and the family,” reveals Sasha. “So it’s been pretty incredible.”

Visiting the region also gave Sasha and her family firsthand experience of how labour-intensive the Yolngu weavers’ work is.

“All their weaving is made from plants that grow on the island or up in Arnhem Land, so there’s a great deal involved, from going out, harvesting and gathering the materials [to] preparing them for weaving – collecting all 37

indigenous special

A large lampshade can take up to a month for one of the women to complete, and each woven shade is unique

Above: One of the lampshades created by the Elcho Island weavers. Left: Sasha and her son help the weavers gather pandanus leaves. Below: Senior weaver Mavis Ganambarr creates a basket.

the dyes, mixing the dyes, dyeing them – and then weaving it,” she explains.

“Two fibres are used – the pandanus plant and the kurrajong fibre, which the women twine into ‘bush strings’ on their leg.”

“With the pandanus, they create a long hook from a tree branch to hook around the younger, very straight leaves in the centre of the plant. Then they take out the central spine of the leaf and they split it horizontally, and it’s ready for weaving – once they dye it, using natural dyes.

“A large lampshade can take up to a month for one of the women to complete, and each woven shade is unique,” Sasha says. “We wanted to give the women artistic license to create whatever they wanted onto the frame, and that’s allowed a huge diversity in the lampshades we get sent to us.”

These beautiful works of art have found their way into many ‘designer’ homes and corporate offices, around Australia and overseas, and have featured in exhibitions and magazines. But even more significant than their commercial success is the positive impact this collaboration has brought to the Yolngu women of Elcho Island.

38

Not only are the women able to make a good income from the project, Sasha says – the work has also “had an impact in reinforcing telling their stories, and their pride in their culture and traditions – and really showcasing that to a whole new audience.”

Building on the company’s success pushing the boundaries with regard to product ideas, Koskela is now starting to work with other remote Indigenous communities.

“We have a similar project with the Tjanpi weavers, who are in the Central Desert,” says Sasha, “and we’re also working with weavers in Millingimbi, also up in Arnhem Land.

“We have a beautiful fabric collection with an artist called Regina Wilson from Peppimenarti in the Northern Territory.

And we’re now starting to work with more and more [Indigenous] art centres, such as Yarrenyty Arltere from Alice Springs.

“So we’re really pushing out, to try to create more and more product ideas and collaborations in this space.

“There’s definitely a growing tide within Australia to start [to] really reflect our Indigenous heritage and celebrate it, and work out ways we can do that.”

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Our 25m Ferris Wheel is fun for both the young and young at heart. With stunning views of the surrounding gardens and vineyards the whole family can enjoy this ride*

Celebrate the magic of Christmas at the beautiful Hunter Valley Gardens.

Christmas Lights Spectacular are celebrating an impressive 10 years of spreading the Christmas spirit and joy to children of all ages. To mark this momentous occasion, Hunter Valley Gardens invites you to explore the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest and most breathtaking display of over 2 million lights.

This year we have added three beautiful new rides, the Ferris Wheel, Carousel and Swing Chair. With a single use option for the Ferris Wheel and an unlimited play pass for all rides*, these attractions are open to visitors throughout the event.

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The entire family will be able to enjoy the festive season with a delicious selection of food and beverage stalls, roaming entertainment including carollers (until Boxing Day), and nightly performances by much loved children’s music group Little Scallywagz.

Visit hvg.com.au for details and online tickets.

02 4998 4000 - Broke Rd Pokolbin - hvg.com.au Gates will open at a new time of 5.30pm and will close at 10.00pm. Admission charges apply. Program subject to change. Some activities may not open in adverse weather conditions and for unscheduled maintenance. Terms and conditions of entry apply. *Swing Chair and HVG Super Slide - 110cm-120cm must ride with an adult, 120cm and above may ride alone. Rides are user pay.

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auto

Take me back to

Bonneville The term ‘iconic’ has been bandied about so much, it has little meaning left. But when it did mean something, it referred to brands like Triumph. And to achieve ‘iconic’ status, you need to earn it.

t may have been a rough road, but Triumph Motorcycles weathered two World Wars, a Great Depression and the biggest threat of all: Asian competition.

It built personality, prestige and an irresistible desirability through associations with such masculine style icons as Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando, Bob Dylan, James Dean and even Elvis Presley. Now, if that pedigree team of superstar riders doesn’t make a boy want to get on a bike, I don’t know poo from clay.

Like James Bond and Aston Martin, Ayrton Senna and TAG Heuer, the male brand-bonding between Steve McQueen and Triumph Motorcycles, in particular, was a

match made in heaven. In fact, so enamoured with the brand was McQueen that he even had Germans riding them in his 1963 WWII classic, The Great Escape. You didn’t know that? Look closely. Triumph didn’t seem to mind this historical faux pas either. The marque even celebrated it with a limitededition Triumph Bonneville, released in 2011.

Triumph revival One of the oldest brands in motorcycle history, the first Triumph motorcycle went on sale in 1902 and continued until 1983 when, like so many established yet complacent European brands, it was overtaken by the rush of

WORDS: RODERICK EIME

Japanese machines including Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki.

Reborn in 1985 through the acquisition of the brand by John Bloor (now an OBE), and despite numerous global subsidiary operations, the company remains 100 per cent UK-owned. By all accounts, Triumph is riding high with its superbly crafted, retro-styled machines that channel both the extensive history of the marque and the trademark styling of its ’60s classics, particularly the big twin Bonneville. The full range of Triumph machines, however, includes everything from touring to adventure, naked, sports and cruiser models.

45

auto

Aussie riders embrace new Bonnies The big new Bonneville T120 sold almost 300 units in 2016 from an April start – about the same as the Ducati Scrambler and Honda CB500 did for the full 12 months.

2017 has seen it take off, leaving both those rivals for dead and selling close to 100 units by the end of March, helping Triumph secure the #5 spot on the list of Australian road sales by brand.

Like a tenacious prize fighter’s old ‘one, two’, Triumph is following up this success with the T100, a new entry point for riders wanting to be as one with their own ‘Bonnies’. Powered by the soothing and percussive 900cc parallel twin, the T100 and its evil twin, the T100 Black, bear an immediate heartwarming resemblance to the original 1959 model that began this stalwart heritage.

The Street Cup is Triumph’s other 2016 release that employs the same 900cc Bonneville engine in an immaculate ‘café racer’ chassis, complete with stylish accoutrements like the bullet seat, tiny ‘flyscreen’ windshield and bold paintwork to match its ‘racer’ silhouette. The bike pays homage to the incredible feat of Welshman Malcolm Uphill, who rode a Bonneville to win the Isle of Man Production TT race in 1969, while recording the first 100mph lap for that class.

The modern Bonnevilles deliver plenty of satisfying, silky-smooth acceleration in an easy-to-manage, neutral-handling package that is a breeze around town and just as

Model spotlight: Street Cup With a name inspired by the club racing scene, the Street Cup is designed to deliver all the attitude, personality, presence and style of a contemporary custom café racer for today’s riders.

Sharing the same styling principles as the Street Twin, the new Street Cup has the unmissable Bonneville silhouette combined with clean lines, minimal bodywork and modern finishes. Cast wheels, an elegant fuel tank with a locking fuel cap, black sculpted engine covers with the Triumph makers’ mark

46

triangle and Bonneville engine badge, this exciting bike is rounded off with an elegant single-throttle body with aluminium finisher and distinctive finned head and header clamps.

To match its ‘street racer’ attitude, the Street Cup packs more sports-focused ergonomics without compromising rider comfort.

Compared to the Street Twin, the rider is seated slightly higher and further back, and the ‘Ace’-style handlebars are positioned lower and slightly forward to improve physical turn-in.

Key specs Engine type Liquid-cooled, 8-valve, SOHC, 270° crank angle parallel twin Capacity 900cc Maximum power 55 PS/54 BHP (40.5kW) @ 5,900 rpm Maximum torque 80Nm @ 3,230 rpm

Model spotlight:

Bonneville T100 and T100 Black Inspired by the legendary ’59 Bonneville and styled to incorporate more of the signature design, silhouette and character of the original, the T100 and T100 Black each have their own distinctive character, enhanced by the premium finishes and familiar touches of that classic, original motorcycle.

Sharing the instantly recognisable Bonneville lines and many of the key features of the T120, the new T100 and T100 Black both reflect the same timeless beauty. From the sculpted form of the 14.5-litre fuel tank to the intricately detailed Bonneville engine plate and feature-rich twin clocks, the new T100 incorporates new standards for quality and finish.

The Bonneville T100 features the classically inspired detailing and stunning chrome finishes you’d expect on such a bike. Gleaming brushedaluminium covers and classic bolt-on Triumph badges unique to these two models are teamed with deep chrome mirrors, mudguard stays, handlebars and headlight bezel.

Contributing to the classic Bonneville profile on the T100 are the detailed comfort and pillion seats, finished in contrast piping with deeper foam for extra comfort.

exciting on the open road. The mildermannered T100 is a little easier to manage than the T120 which, by comparison, is the big, bare-chested 1200cc brute of a brother. Similarly, the 900cc Street Cup just feels fast, in an ‘old-school’, understated manner, without the grotesque modern and luminous fairings that seem to typify today’s struggling sport bikes.

‘Brutal beauty’ Bobber Bonnie a surprise hit To take the retrospective to a whole new level, the single-seat ‘bobber’ version of the Bonneville has proven another massive hit, with riders seeking both street cred and a thoroughly enjoyable ride on a machine not stapled together with rusty chicken wire, proving a modern ‘café racer’ doesn’t have to be some stunt bike from a Mad Max sequel.

Maybe it was the ‘hot-rod’ exhaust

tuning or low-down power from the re-tuned high-torque 1200cc engine it shares with the T120 but, released in late 2016, it became the fastest-selling motorcycle in Triumph’s 115-year history and kept the marque swimming in the early months of 2017 as many big names floundered in a sudden sales slump.

And, wait for it – 2018 sees the ‘darker, meaner, stronger’ Bonneville Bobber Black in showrooms with an even more aggressive, lightweight package.

Style never goes out of fashion If ever there was a demonstration of “what was old is new again”, it’s the enduring affection motorcycle-lovers – old and new – have for a brand that respects classic heritage and current technology, combining both in a package that delights riding purists and design geeks in equal measure.

Apart from the key components of the new T100, the T100 Black goes dark and sophisticated with fully black components including wheel rims, a twin-skin, matt peashooter exhaust and blacked-out engine cover for an unmistakable look.

Key specs (both models) Engine type Liquid-cooled, 8-valve, SOHC, 270° crank angle parallel twin Capacity 900cc Bore/stroke 84.6mm x 80mm Compression ratio 10.55:1 Maximum power 55 PS/54 HP (40.5kW) @ 5,900 rpm Maximum torque 80Nm @ 3,230 rpm

47

industry

SPECIAL FEATURE

MITIGATE CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY RISK

WITH EXCAVATOR SCALES

DO YOU EVER use an excavator to load a road truck? If so and you don’t weigh the load, now’s the time to consider adding machine scales to your excavator. Not only will it minimise the risk if something goes wrong, but it will also help to reduce machine wear, save time and reduce wasted material.

Incorrectly loaded or overloaded road trucks carry significant risk for your business and strict road weight laws that help to keep everyone on the road safe could come crashing down on you if your trucks are not legal.

In Australia and New Zealand, chain of responsibility law holds that all parties involved in the transport of goods on our roads are accountable, including drivers, machine operators, weighbridge managers, quarry managers and everyone up the chain right up to company directors.

If an offense is committed by your employee, agent or contractor, it could be treated as having been committed by you both, even if you didn’t know about it, let alone approve it.

In addition to ensuring drivers and operators do not exceed permitted work/ rest hours, do not operate machinery while fatigued, that goods are secured appropriately and that drivers keep within speed limits, managers, operators, schedulers, consigners and receivers are responsible for making sure vehicles do not exceed mass or dimension limits.

Those involved with loading road trucks have additional responsibility to document that load does not exceed vehicle mass limits

and that load is distributed in the truck to make sure it doesn’t become unsafe or unstable during transport.

By fitting scales to loading machinery including loaders and excavators, operators and managers are able to keep a running total of the weight of the load for each trip as evidence that correct loading procedures have been followed and that the truck is loaded consistently across all axles.

With accurate record keeping, traceability and stock management, excavator scales are a simple and highly effective way to minimise risk to your business and keep track of material movement. And by eliminating paper-based records, a system such as the Loadex 100 by RDS Technology ensures your data is reliably stored and easy to access at any time.

An optional printer can be installed within the machine to give clients a hard copy of load summaries and totals and to keep an accurate paper record if required.

Operators will benefit from knowing accurate weight information and with the ability to input a target load, ensure the correct loading of road trucks with mimimal risk of human error. If loaded past the threshold, an audible alarm will sound to alert the operator. Plus, an optional reversing camera can be fitted to help increase safety on site – it uses the same display in the cab so there’s no extra components to fit into what’s already a crowded space!

As the most flexible and adaptable system available on the market today, the Loadex 100

has the option of static or dynamic weighing positions to suit all applications. Unlike other solutions, it also uses inclinometers and a mechanical sensor to provide dynamic weighing capabilities in even the most challenging conditions and terrains to ensure it keeps up with the machine and the job.

With SQL database functionality, data can be exported via serial, Ethernet, USB memory stick or our Tokara 4G & WiFi modem to easily import into other software platforms and suit your existing workflow.

You also have the option of one or two way communication between machines and the office to save time and keep track of your project with iSOSYNC software.

Unique to the customers in Australia and New Zealand is the option to receive remote service and support through Tokara Link, a telematics platform developed by RDS distributor for the region, Position Partners. Tokara enables support technicians to remotely login to your system to diagnose technical problems, update software or train the operator, without the need to visit the machine in person!

Knowing what your excavators and loaders are picking up and loading to road trucks is vital in today’s construction industry, both to meet your legal requirements and for on-site safety, insurance and the warranty on your machines. With the added perks of increased efficiency, reduced fuel use and machine wear and a safer, more productive team, there is a lot of upside to embracing this simple and effective technology!

For more information contact Position Partners on 1300 867 266 or visit www.positionpartners.com.au

48

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Introducing the Polaris Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) range from Teledyne Optech, now available from Position Partners.

This versatile, precision instrument comes packed with benefits: • • • •

Easily upgradeable to suit every job High speed data acquisition to increase productivity Industry-grade quality you can rely on to outperform your expectations Long distance capability up to 1.6 kilometres

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WE WERE BORN IN THE FIELD 175 YEARS AGO

AND HAVE RAISED THE BAR EVER SINCE. Since 1842, we’ve been in an endless cycle of innovation. Fuelled by a desire to help you squeeze every ounce of productivity out of every acre you farm.

After every breakthrough — from the first threshing machine to our Axial-Flow® combines today — we’ve gotten up every day since with a mission to make them better. More efficient. And more productive for you. Which is why, for the next 175 years, we intend to continue doing the same thing every day.

industry

MINING

ENERGISING

THE FUTURE Lithium is a key element in the cleanenergy revolution, and Australian lithium producers are a bright spot in an otherwise rather dismal mining landscape.

WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

ricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Mine 2016 report has shown that overall, the Australian mining industry is not in good shape. Investment is down and reduced commodity prices are having major impacts upon the cash flows of companies that, during the boom, loaded up on debt to increase production volumes, no matter what the consequences.

The only two commodities PwC identified as providing good news were gold and lithium.

Lithium (Li) is a soft, silverywhite metal that, under standard conditions, is both the lightest solid element and the lightest metal. It never occurs in a pure form in nature, but is found in pegmatitic (hard rock) ores, sea water and brines.

Western Australia has large reserves of hard rock lithium and was responsible for a little under

half (14,300 tonnes) the world’s production of 32,500 tonnes in 2016, according to the United States Geological Survey. While brine deposits in Andean Chile and Argentina and Himalayan China are much larger, they’re lower quality and remote, in areas with poor infrastructure. By contrast, Australian hard rockderived lithium is of higher quality and all the deposits being exploited or likely to be exploited are close to existing mining operations, with good infrastructure already in place.

It’s a bright spot that has flared very quickly. In January of 2017, Western Australia had only one mine producing lithium, by July 2017, there were four and the volume of product exported had jumped sixfold.

Talison Lithium, part owned

by China’s Tianqi Lithium and

America’s Albemarle, owns and operates the Greenbushes mine in the state’s south-west. Greenbushes is one of the world’s largest lithium producers and the company’s WA site is set to double production, with Talison building what is claimed to be the biggest lithium processing plant in the world, at Kwinana, south of Perth. Whatever the eventual size of the plant, the project is bringing $400 million of investment into a Western

It’s a bright spot that has flared very quickly.

By July 2017 the volume of product exported had jumped sixfold.

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industry

Mechanical processing used to refine lithium spodumene concentrate at Galaxy Lithium Mine in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia.

Because of lithium’s lightness and high ‘energy density’, lithiumion batteries have become the default choice

Lepidolite mineral, in which Lithium is commonly found.

Australian economy in recession and creating 500 construction jobs.

In addition, Chilean mining major Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) has inked a deal with Kidman Resources (ASX: KDR) to finance a new deposit in the Goldfields which includes plans to build a $100 million refinery at either Bunbury, Perth or Kalgoorlie.

Other players that are already producing or are close to production, with large proven reserves, include Galaxy Resources (ASX: GXY), Altura Mining (ASX: AJM), Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) and Neometals (ASX: NMT).

In an interview with the ABC, long-time mining industry observer Tim Treadgold said that by next year, there could be eight Western Australian lithium mines in production.

Not surprisingly, there have been concerns about another ‘boom-and-bust’ cycle, but that is

likely to happen only in the short term. Almost all of us carry around and use products derived from lithium every day and it’s a key component in the global shift to renewable energy.

Because of lithium’s lightness and high ‘energy density’, lithiumion batteries have become the default choice for the smartphone, tablet and laptop computer batteries that most of us use. And with wearables, such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit, and the Internet of Things (IoT) becoming ever more a part of everyday life, demand for light, powerful batteries is only going to grow. But portable gadgets are just the thin edge of the wedge when it comes to battery storage.

While it’s clear to pretty much everyone (except Tony Abbott and Donald Trump) that coal is yesterday’s energy source, intermittency of supply must be addressed before renewables can 53

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Atomic number 3 Element category alkali metal Electron configuration [He] 2s1 Electrons per shell 2, 1 Phase (at STP) solid 453.65K​ Melting point

(180.54 °C) Boiling point 1603K

​(1347 °C) Drilling machine makes bore holes for explosives in Galaxy Lithium Mine in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia.

power the world. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine, but it’s clear that the answer to issues of intermittent supply is storage. Pumped hydro, molten salt or silicon, and compressed air are all promising means of storing renewable energy; but battery storage is set to be the real game-changer.

As the demand for batteries of all kinds has ramped up, their price has dropped 75 per cent in the past six years. As a result, industrial-scale batteries such as those produced by Redflow, Tesla and others are becoming more and more compelling as a way to provide baseload from renewables.

The step-change underway in the world’s power grids is a big enough disruption to the status quo – but it’s not just the grid that’s being transformed. The internal combustion engine is on the way out as well.

Britain and France have announced plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040,

while Norway is planning to make the switch even earlier, in 2025.

Similarly, India has announced that new petrol or diesel cars won’t be sold after 2030 and China is currently working out a timetable that will see the production and sale of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles end somewhere between 2030 and 2040.

The proliferation of portable and wearable devices and the step changes in the electricity grid and transport are driving demand for lithium higher and higher, with no end in sight.

While it’s possible that the rapid increase in production in Western Australia and elsewhere may lead to some short-term price fluctuations, in the medium to long term, lithium is here to stay.

Britain and France have announced plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040

QUICK LITHIUM FACTS • Lithium is the lightest metal.

• It has the lowest density of any metal and can float on water.

• Lithium is a shiny, soft metal which reacts violently with water forming a strong corrosive base – that’s why it’s often stored in oil.

• Lithium burns with a bright red colour and is added to fireworks to make red sparks.

• Lithium is used extensively in rechargeable batteries and many types of ceramics.

• Lithium is used as an alloy additive to aluminum and magnesium to lower weight and improve strength.

• Lithium is not found in its elemental form, but is produced by electrolysis of ores that contain it.

• Lithium carbonate is used in small doses to treat manic depression and bipolar disorders.

• Lithium deuteride was an early consideration for thermonuclear bomb fuel. The lithium produces tritium which in turn fuses with the deuterium to release energy.

• Lithium can be used to create soap, with lithium soap used in many commercial lubricants.

P: +61 8 9259 4955

www.minetec.com.au

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industry

RURAL INSURANCE

RISKING

THE FARM From the increasing popularity of self-sufficient small farms to multi-peril crop cover, the rural insurance landscape has changed a lot in recent years.

WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

all it the ‘River Cottage’ or ‘Gourmet Farmer’ effect – these days, more and more people are throwing in city careers for life in the country on small farms, where they can grow their own food and truly know where what they eat has come from.

While there’s no doubt this lifestyle is an attractive one, rural life has its challenges, and many risks cannot be insured for. Nevertheless, Australian crop farmers finally have access to a product that European and North American farmers have been able to take out for years: multiperil crop insurance (MPCI).

Insurance experts say that one of the big mistakes many tree-

changers and hobby farmers make is assuming that insurance will be the same in rural areas as it is the city or suburbs.

According to IAG’s executive manager agribusiness, Andrew Beer, this is not the case.

“Farms are unique in that they combine a family home with a business, which presents additional risks,” says Beer. “The farm may contain several dams, have fertiliser and pesticides stored in farm buildings, use large machinery and associated attachments – as well as risk presented by large farm animals.

“Hobby farmers [and treechangers, who have many of the

same risks, albeit on a smaller scale] often make the mistake of taking out a standard home insurance policy, rather than a hobby-farm policy which would cover them for both business and personal use.”

“Farms are unique in that they combine a family home with a business, which presents additional risks” 59

*Source: DHF Intralogistik Magazine 2016

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S O L U T I O N S

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industry

Ruralco’s general manager insurance, Michael Cullinan, puts it a different way.

“Farmers have a more complex risk exposure,” he explains.

“Farming is a commercial-type risk, and their losses need to be considered as such. For example, future earnings may be affected, unlike a house-and-contents risk, where only the initial loss needs to be considered.

“They may need to consider employees; they definitely need to insure adequately to ensure that their income is not affected by any loss. As a result, whether large or small, farmers need to have adequate insurance for all items that they’re unable to replace themselves in a short period of time – houses, vehicles, farm buildings, livestock, hay, fencing, et cetera.”

Both Beer and Cullinan agree that when taking out insurance, it’s vital to deal with a company

that understands the farming risk exposure properly. It’s also crucial to not under-insure, says Beer. “[It’s important to] make sure that the sum insured is high enough to cover the cost of replacing an item. This may also include transport and labour costs,” he says. “[Good rural insurers] offer [good] risk management advice, and can work with customers to ensure that they have adequate cover to suit their needs.”

One area in which that coverage has changed in recent years is cropping, thanks to the advent of multi-peril crop insurance.

For decades, European and North American farmers have had the advantage of subsidised multi-peril crop insurance while Australian farmers haven’t – a distinct disadvantage in a global marketplace.

Recently, however, IAG (under its CGU and WFI brands) created

“Whether large or small, farmers need to have adequate insurance for all items they’re unable to replace themselves in a short period of time”

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industry

Recently, IAG created a multi-peril crop insurance product for wheat, barley and canola growers

a multi-peril crop insurance product for wheat, barley and canola growers in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. The aim is to protect farmers against yield shortfalls caused by natural perils such as flood, frost, drought and vermin.

Known as Crop Income Protection, the product gives farmers choices around the yield amount they want to cover, as well as allowing them to select the price per tonne they wish to be paid for any shortfall.

Ruralco has partnered with SureSeason multi-peril crop insurance but Cullinan is concerned about the long-term outlook for this vital product.

“The big issue is that even with 62

five underwriters offering MPCI, the pricing is going to stop significant uptake,” he says.

“For example, if MPCI costs 12.5 per cent – $125,000 on a $1 million crop – in a one-in-five-year drought zone, there is benefit, but in a onein-10-year drought zone farmers will self-insure. So there is a risk that underwriters won’t be able to offer it unless we can significantly increase the uptake.”

Cullinan argues that the best way to avoid this situation would be for government to offer something like a 150 per cent rebate for the cover and eliminate all the other subsidies to which crop farmers have access.

Whatever steps are taken to drive take-up, MPCI should be available to Australian farmers.

Never Assume My wife and I moved west of the sandstone curtain nearly 10 years ago and, like most tree-changers, we learned a lot of hard lessons – including how important it is to know what you’re actually insured for.

Seven years ago, I was at our home property when my wife rang me from our hazelnut orchard.

“The tractor’s not in the shed.

Someone has taken the mulcher off and driven off with it.”

Long story short, our absentee neighbour’s so-called caretaker had a few too many one night and thought hot-wiring our tractor, driving off into the Wollemi National Park and bogging it past the axles was a good idea.

It took days of digging and jacking to pull it out and once it was out, it wouldn’t go, and we couldn’t tow it because the steering and brakes weren’t working. Turns out all four axles were broken, as was the line in to the hydraulics.

The damage was enough for the insurer to write our tractor off – and it was then that we got a nasty shock. We had thought we’d insured the tractor for $26,000 but we’d actually insured it for $26,000 or market value, whatever was the lesser.

Even if we’d got $26,000, we still would have been heavily out of pocket – we’d bought our tractor during the Millennium Drought and had got good value for money. But even worse: there were very few of our model tractor for sale, and they were very old and tired examples compared to ours.

After a lot of research and haggling we convinced the assessor to increase the payout but even so, by the time we bought the wreck and then had the tractor repaired, we were considerably out of pocket.

The moral of this story is: know what you are actually covered for. It may not have changed the final result but we would have been prepared, or it may have encouraged us to shop around for our cover.

They know me.

They know my farm.

That’s why I’m insured with WFI. At WFI, we take the time to thoroughly understand your business and how it operates.

Because when we get to know a business, we can protect everything that matters.

Call 1300 934 934 or visit wfi.com.au To see if our products are right for you, always read the PDS from the product issuer, Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 trading as WFI.

A HOME

AWAY FROM HOME AT CIVEO, IT’S THE LITTLE DETAILS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, AND WE MAKE SURE WE GET THEM RIGHT FROM THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP AND START YOUR DAY.

Inviting living spaces are nestled in our village gardens, looked after by expert groundskeepers like it’s their own back yard.

Look forward to wholesome meals cooked daily by our in-house chefs. Alongside our seasonal menu, you can use the cook to order touch screens to request grilled steak, chicken or fish - all freshly prepared just for you.

Explore our fully-serviced en-suite rooms, 24-hour gyms, on-site shop, BBQ areas, recreation facilities and much more.

Here at Civeo – we’re a family. So whether you’re doing your laundry or checking yourself in for the night, our friendly staff are here to help… all you need to do is ask.

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industry

MINING

WOMEN IN MINING

Throughout history, mining has been a man’s world, but women are increasingly finding a place in it.

ew industries have a perfect gender mix but the mining industry has greater inequality than most, especially at CEO level. According to 2016 data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), women make up only 15.8 per cent of the overall mining workforce, while female management positions in the mining industry range from a high of 15.6 per cent in senior management roles to just 2.5 per cent at the level of CEO. While it’s tempting to respond with a “So what? Mining is dirty, dull and dangerous work!”, this would be to overlook the broader problem. Social equity issues aside, there is a strong business case for promoting gender diversity, in the mining industry and elsewhere.

According to the Minerals Council of Australia’s landmark Workforce Gender Diversity Review white paper, It’s Not Just a Program, “[while] current industry uncertainty is making predictions difficult, on current medium term trends, Australia will not be able to supply sufficient technicians, geologists, mining engineers or other related skills to meet immediate industry needs.”

One solution suggested in the white paper is to increase the size of its labour pool. This would ease one of the mining industry’s major bugbears – skills shortages that push up wages and raise business costs. Gender diversity also boosts productivity, however.

Increased gender diversity leads to less ‘wear and tear’ on equipment and fewer workplace accidents. According to a Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia report, “...when women are part of the

WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

workforce at mine sites, better care is taken of the equipment; there are improved workplace relations through the moderating impact of soft skills such as negotiation… the overall safety record has… (improved).”

The MCA white paper also noted that “teams with gender diversity have been shown to lead to improved, more creative decisionmaking and higher levels of innovation, according to findings by The Chamber of Minerals & Energy Western Australia and Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology.

ASX500 companies with women directors delivered significantly higher return on equity, operating result (EBIT) and stock price growth (McKinsey & Co, The Reibey Institute).”

While there are some historical reasons for mining’s lack of gender diversity – primarily, that legislation prevented women working underground until the 1980s – in the 21st century the reasons are more cultural, says Sabina Shugg, KPMG’s national lead, mining performance and the founder and chair of Women in Mining Western Australia (WiMWA).

“A lot of it is the image of the industry; some of it is the business environment; and a lot is cultural and societal,” she says. “The industry has changed a lot but the image hasn’t changed as quickly. It’s not as hard, dirty and dangerous as it once was, but the image remains.”

EMR Golden Grove alternate manager,

Sabina Shugg (second from left) supporting future women in mining at the WIMWA Summit.

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industry

Anita Percy, has a slightly different take. “[It] role models and examples to show the public that depends on your definition of ‘underrepresented’,” this is a place where women thrive,” Percy says. she notes. “Mining has historically been a male“These are things I know and see every day, but it’s dominated industry and I can’t see that status not necessarily obvious to the outsider.”

One barrier both Shugg and Percy identify changing in the near future. regarding women’s participation in the mining “There are a number of factors that appeal to industry is the lack of flexibility in working the ‘masculine’ – dirt, large machinery, explosives, conditions. According to the WGEA, mining as examples. This is, however, a factor of interest work is overwhelmingly full-time – 95.6 per cent and not ability. Women can succeed in any role of jobs in the industry are full-time roles. It’s not and, to be honest, the above list is what drew me surprising, therefore, that Percy believes “the into the industry, too.” next major hurdle for female While Percy may not see the participation in mining is return gender imbalance correcting to work following parental leave at in the near future, she says “If I was to FIFO & DIDO operations”. the mining industry as a list all of “There has been some great whole is helping to address the headway made at the professional issue. “If I was to list all of the the awards, level, with some really good awards, seminars, scholarships, seminars, examples of companies and networking groups, mentoring families working together to create programs, newsletters and the scholarships, a flexible option that works for like which support women in networking both parties,” she says. “But this mining, encourage them and still seems to be the exception celebrate their successes, you groups, rather than the rule. would have no more room for mentoring “There may be room here the rest of your article!” for the Minerals Council, CME Shugg agrees that much programs, or similar to compile a list of is being done to address newsletters and examples from the industry of the industry gender gap. what is working and how, in order Organisations such as the the like which to provide inspiration to both Australasian Institute of support women employees and employers. Of Mining and Metallurgy course, this would need to include (AusIMM), the various in mining, cases of men working flexibly chapters of Women in Mining encourage them as well, so as to encourage and Network (WiMnet), and help normalise flexible working related bodies such as Women and celebrate arrangements.” in Mining and Resources And while progress is WA (WiMWA) and Women their successes, certainly being made when it in Mining and Resources you would have comes to gender diversity in the Queensland (WiMARQ) mining industry, both male and are doing a huge amount to no more room female workers have suffered improve the image of the for the rest of from the recent downturn in industry, whether it’s by commodity prices. highlighting role models; your article!”

“There have been some big working to raise the profile structural changes in the industry of science, technology, due to commodity prices,” says Shugg. “There engineering and mathematics (STEM) to make have been equal reductions in more traditional these disciplines more attractive to both boys and roles – so where women might have gained a bit girls; or providing opportunities for networking of ground over time by getting more operator and and mentoring. management type roles, industry has taken out According to the WGEA, most mining a lot of admin roles which were the traditional companies are engaging actively in improving the baseline of women. representation of women in the industry. In the “It’s disappointing that with all the effort, past year, BHP Billiton stated that it aims to have a increases haven’t been what they could be. But the 50 per cent female workforce by 2025. new lower-cost environments should, hopefully, “To achieve this, BHP will need to refocus the see more women in the sector.” image of the industry as a whole and put forward 68

industry

Sabina Shugg at the WIMWA Summit 2017.

Anita Percy at a WIMWA mentoring event and on the job (below).

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industry

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education Insights into some of the best education institutions in the country.

School delivered differently Thanks to digital technology, school is no longer constrained by four walls. The school of tomorrow is here today. And it’s online.

Your child is taught by our teachers who are specialists in delivering education online. So relax, you don’t have to ‘know everything’.

Increasingly, forward-thinking parents are moving their children to online school. Because ACC’s Online School is government-accredited, employs university-qualified teachers and opens university pathways.

Online school was developed to help all students flourish. It’s flexible, portable and affordable.

Online students are diverse. They’re gifted, disabled, bullied, anxious, autistic, aspiring athletes, talented dancers or live in the outback.

And while many students are driven to online school as a result of various challenges, it’s also common for a family to simply choose online school as their preferred option.

As Australia’s largest non-government online school, our students use technology solutions from companies like Google, Apple and Schoology.

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Learn how the convenience and flexibility of online school could benefit your son or daughter at accde.edu.au.

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Helping the ‘frustrated student’ rediscover a love of learning with online school f your child is frustrated with school due to distractions, commuting times, peer group pressure or wasted time during the school day, they can slowly lose their love of learning.

Your child’s love of learning can be rebuilt with online school.

While many students are driven to online school as a result of various frustrations, it’s also common for a family to simply choose online school as their preferred option.

With online school, your child learns at home or anywhere with a reliable internet connection. The learning is self-paced yet aligned with the National Curriculum.

Online school has become an increasingly popular option for parents looking for schooling choices, a change in lifestyle, or in response to physical or social pressures such as bullying or disability.

Parents with gifted children also report positive outcomes with online school. Gifted students can move ahead as they wish.

ACC’s Online School employs state-ofthe-art digital technologies, the teachers are qualified and experienced in teaching online.

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Online school students are diverse. For many it is a proactive choice, often driven by frustrations with regular school. Others live in remote areas and don’t have many local schooling options. Students who’ve been bullied flourish in a safe environment. Those students with special needs such as ADHD, auditory processing problems, autism and dyslexia, typically find the self-paced nature of online learning a blessing. Academically gifted students also discover that online school is beneficial because they can move forward quickly. Some have chosen this mode of schooling while pursuing a sporting or performing arts career. For them, the ability to practice during the day and learn in the evening is appealing. Also, students suffering anxiety often find the respite they need with online school.

For all students, online school does not mean a compromise in the quality of education being received.

To register for an upcoming virtual open day, visit accde.edu.au and click through to the ACC School in your state.

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Explore the BGS Journey Brisbane Grammar School has been educating boys for almost 150 years. Located in the heart of the CBD your son will be surrounded by the excitement of city living and nurtured in a boarding family where everyone is recognised for who they are.

Every boy’s BGS journey is unique. Whatever his passion, your son will be challenged and supported to achieve his own personal best. enrolments@brisbanegrammar.com | +61 7 3834 5200 | www.brisbanegrammar.com

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Brisbane Grammar School Unlocking new potential risbane Grammar School has a long and proud tradition of offering scholarships and needs-based bursaries to boys who have demonstrated they have the potential to derive great benefit from a BGS education.

The impact of attending BGS is best captured by those chosen to receive financial assistance, such as 2016 graduate Archie Attwooll. From a rural Queensland town of just 100 people, Archie said his schooling at BGS changed his life.

“There were three people in my year group and 32 kids in the whole school when I left home to become a boarder at BGS,” he said. “I made really close mates and loved it. The bursary gave me the

opportunity to attend BGS and opened new doors.”

His father, a former BGS student, said Archie had developed into a mature young man while at the School. “An education is so important and there is no comparison to BGS,” he said. “Without a bursary it wouldn’t have been possible, so we’re very thankful.”

Along with bursaries, a number of scholarships are offered annually to day or boarding students who have demonstrated distinction in one or more disciplines and can make a significant contribution in the academic, musical, artistic, cultural or sporting arenas of the School.

Those who are accepted to attend BGS embark on a journey where each student

is challenged to rise to their best, where individual talents are nurtured in a caring and supportive environment, allowing students to grow into thoughtful and confident young men of character who contribute to their communities.

Headmaster Anthony Micallef said BGS aimed to nurture an inclusive community, where students from varied backgrounds combined to live the core values of endeavour, learning, respect, leadership, and community.

“The transformative potential of a BGS education, through incredible academic, extracurricular and cultural opportunities, is immeasurable,” he said. “We need people from different backgrounds to get a broad view of the world.”

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Frensham inspires girls to be 'fit for the future' physically, emotionally and intellectually...

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ACER Scholarship Applications for 2019 Entry are now available – visit our website for details Closing date: 21 February 2018 FRENSHAM* Range Road Mittagong NSW 2575 AUSTRALIA

* A member of the UK Boarding Schools’ Association

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Breaking new ground for Australian Schools n a highly connected world of unlimited educational possibilities, Frensham is moving beyond traditional structures and breaking new ground. For Years 9 and 10 in particular, we are focusing on expansion of course options through development of Individualised Personalised Electives for girls in the middle years. This approach is complemented by our unique Jamieson Programme, which focuses on health and fitness, critical and ethical thinking, service and leadership, and includes study of Cambridge International courses: Global Perspectives (IGCSE) and the AS Level (Advanced Level) General Paper. Both Cambridge courses are designed to encourage students to explore the great complexities of the world, and of human thought, with student academic achievement benchmarked against international standards.

Mr Geoff Marsh, Deputy Head of Frensham, is a key driver of our efforts to leverage new technologies to encourage collaboration and create self-directed and self-paced learning opportunities for students.

With our Director of Research and Innovation and a team of highly skilled teachers, we are challenging ourselves to explore possibilities well beyond the traditional ‘core’. Frensham’s Drone Academy for all of Year 10 is a recent example of our redefined curriculum, and our Year 8 F1 in Schools teams have won successive state championships, owing to their expertise in the engineering, design and research elements of the model racing-car project.

Sturt Design and Fabrication Studios – accessible to all girls – are specialised yet flexible facilities where digital design and production by students continue to be cutting edge and diverse.

Breaking new ground for Australian Schools ‘In considering what should be ‘Core Curriculum’ we also recognise that what the world needs most is high-functioning young people, mature in their selfmanagement, with the understanding of what it takes to be a global citizen, with the empathy to think beyond their own culture.’

At Frensham, physical challenge and personal fitness are embedded in students’ daily lives, and all of Year 9 are involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. They lead expeditions, learn the value of community service and embrace a set of challenges which encourage ingenuity, confidence and teamwork.

Below left: HSC 2017 Design & Technology Major Project ‘LAND Hub’ – Language, Assimilation and Nutritional Developement Hub; This image: Recent rescue, a wombat.

Locally, in the Southern Highlands of NSW, we value our long-standing partnership with the Wingecarribee Shire Council and our membership of the Community Environment Network.

Frensham’s grounds are a designated Land for Wildlife area. Oncampus experience for girls includes professionallyguided care of native flora and fauna, including rehabilitation of rescued wildlife and ongoing bush regeneration.

Above all, Frensham’s teachers draw on evidence-based research and value external critique, leading by example in their efforts to nurture student creativity and value of the learning process.

Julie Gillick Head of Frensham

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A UNI THAT KNOWS YOU WANT AN EDGE When it comes to career advancement, CQUniversity knows what you need to succeed. Advance in your career, make a profession change, gain the qualifications to match your experience, or specialise further in your current area with a postgraduate course from Australia’s largest regional university.

Whether you’re interested in a graduate certificate, graduate diploma, masters or research higher degree, our wide range of flexible courses have you covered. Choose from postgraduate options in accident forensics, asset and maintenance management, business, emergency and disaster management, engineering, fatigue risk management, human resources management, information technology, management, occupational health and safety, project management, safety science and much more. Study on campus at one of our many locations across the country or online via our highly flexible and renowned distance education mode.

“CQUniversity has helped me to get where I want to be and put me on the path to where I want to be going.”

Find out more about our graduate Julie and her CQUni story online.

Get a world class education from a university ranked in the top 2% of unis worldwide*, and get the edge you’re looking for.

*Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018.

See cqu.edu.au/reputation.

CRICOS Code: 00219C | RTO Code: 40939 | P_AD_170044_OT_DecJan

cqu.edu.au/startpostgrad

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A one-stop-shop for project management qualifications hen Daniel Hooper decided to specialise in project management while working in the construction industry, he turned to his trusted alma mater for a fresh set of skills.

Dan had originally completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Engineering) with CQUniversity on campus in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, and quickly gained work in the industry working for Aurizon in Rockhampton.

While working there, Dan developed a keen interest in project management and decided that upskilling with a postgraduate qualification from CQUniversity would not only benefit him, but also his employer.

“I knew studying again was the right choice because as soon as I started I was able to use my new knowledge in my workplace,” explained Dan. “It enabled me to be a lot more efficient at my job straight away, enough that people definitely noticed the new ideas I was applying to my work.”

Upon completion of his Graduate Diploma in Project Management, Dan secured a Project Engineer position with Melbourne-based railway company V/Line.

Dan believes the main difference between learning project management on the job and via university study is that you avoid picking up your workplace’s bad habits.

“Every company has their way of doing things and their own bad patterns. By learning through CQUni I was able to see where these patterns were and break them rather than fall into them. I was able to go back to my workplace with fresh ideas rather than stale ones.”

When scouting for the right education provider, Dan couldn’t go past his former university who he trusted and says provided appealing flexible study options.

“I chose CQUni because I’d studied there before and I’d had a great experience the first time around. It’s so flexible and I

needed to be able to continue working full time and study without jeopardising either of those things,” Dan explained.

“The attractiveness of the project management postgraduate courses at CQUni is that you’re able to take it one year at a time. At the end of my first year I received my graduate certificate, and from there I was able to decide whether I wanted to go on and get my graduate diploma and eventually my masters.

“A lot of other universities around Australia don’t do that, you have to commit to the full masters degree and that’s it. The incremental nature of the course was the biggest drawcard for me.”

Dan says the fact that the CQUni course was accredited with the Project Management

Institute was also a huge drawcard.

“Having that accreditation is basically a guarantee that the course hits certain standards and is of the highest quality.”

CQUni’s suite of postgraduate Project Management courses start Term 1, 2018 and are currently open for applications.

The courses are available full time or part time on campus in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Mackay and Perth, as well as online via the University’s renowned distance education offering.

For more information about Project Management at CQUniversity, or the University’s wide range of other postgraduate course options starting in 2018, search ‘CQUni’ online.

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Nudgee College Boarding The right move for young men

St Joseph’s Nudgee College 2199 Sandgate Road Boondall QLD 4034 P: 07 3865 0555 E: enrolments@nudgee.com CRICOS Provider No. 00572G

Boys’ day and boarding Years 5 - 12 www.nudgee.com

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The tale of two boarders ike any family, no two siblings are the same. Each have their strengths, differences, passions, and aspirations. Likewise, boarding at St Joseph’s Nudgee College is no different.

The boys who call the Bathersby Boarding Village home, are connected by a shared sense of spirit and binding brotherhood, yet each are given the opportunity to grow and learn as an individual.

Two senior boarders, Dylan Gracie and Ethan Bullemor, are coming to the end of the journey at Nudgee College.

Dylan is from St George, Queensland, and has been boarding at Nudgee College since Year 8. With a passion for flying, in 2016 Dylan was titled as the youngest Australian to fly a helicopter solo.

“It was an amazing feeling and certainly made my year – I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” Dylan said.

Dylan is working towards obtaining his full private helicopter licence in this year, to help fulfil his future career aspiration of aerial mustering.

In the classroom, Dylan has been the first student to manufacture a boat during the Certificate I in Engineering

(RTO30498); a practical, trade-based subject which provides a qualification for graduating students.

Nudgee College is one of Queensland’s leading schools for students who wish to take a VET (Vocational Education Training) pathway. Students learn in a real world setting – the College’s Trade Training Centre – a state of the art facility for construction and engineering.

Parallel to Dylan’s Nudgee College experience, is Ethan’s academic and rugby pathway.

Ethan is a boarder from Rockhampton, Queensland, and started at Nudgee College in Year 11. Like many boarders,

The boys who call the Bathersby Boarding Village home, are connected by a shared sense of spirit and binding brotherhood

Dylan Gracie.

Ethan Bullemor.

Ethan takes advantage of the Reach for the Stars academic tutoring program; a program well supported by academic staff and tutors who help boarders with their homework, assignments and study four evenings a week.

Outside the classroom, Ethan is also a talented rugby player and this year has been rewarded with vice-captaincy of the 1st XV College rugby team. His talents have also meant he has been identified by the Brisbane Broncos and has been invited into their junior development squads.

“My ultimate goal is to have a career in the NRL or be a professional sportsman, but it’s also really important to get through to university and come out with a degree. I am interested in the Law pathway,” Ethan said.

“I don’t like to set just one goal, I would like to be the best I can I all things, school, sport and as a person.”

Whatever path Dylan and Ethan may eventually choose once their journey at Nudgee College comes to a close at the end of this year, one thing is certain. They will be Nudgee brothers for life.

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at the uni with Australia’s highest graduate employment rate*

csu.edu.au/startnow *Australian University Ratings and Rankings 2017/2018, The Good Universities Guide.

Charles Sturt University CRICOS 00005F. Š Charles Sturt University, 2017. F5519

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Dreaming about a new career next year?

We can help you with that. t Charles Sturt University (CSU), we pack our courses full of hands-on learning in our world-class facilities. So when you start studying with us your career starts from day one. It’s amazing how doing something you love can change your life.

Just ask Crystal.

CSU graduate Crystal Cooke works as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance in Sydney. She is also a medical advisor for Channel Seven, contributing to scripts for shows like Home and Away.

When Crystal started her journey with CSU, she knew what she wanted to do but didn’t know how to get there.

We helped Crystal work out a tailored learning pathway that was just right for her.

“I had no experience in biology or chemistry. I didn’t know maths. I could not have even told you what blood pressure was. I just knew I really wanted to be a paramedic. Yet by halfway through my first semester I’d been accepted into an accelerated pathway with NSW Ambulance and I had a contract waiting for me when I finished my degree.”

By her second year with CSU Crystal was travelling the world through a global placement in Canada, where she experienced ride-alongs with the British

Columbia Ambulance Service and Alberta Health Services.

After returning to Australia, Crystal completed her internship with NSW Ambulance and became a qualified paramedic.

And because CSU has the highest graduate employment rate of any university in Australia, Crystal was never worried about getting a job when she finished her degree.* Ready to begin your new career?

Start Now with CSU. Visit csu.edu.au or Call 1800 334 733 today.

By her second year with CSU Crystal was travelling the world through a global placement in Canada, where she experienced ride-alongs with the British Columbia Ambulance Servic

*Australian University Ratings and Rankings 2017/2018, The Good Universities Guide.

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St Ann’s College Inspiration Through Learning

Accepting applications for 2018 and 2019 www.stannscollege.edu.au St Ann’s University Residential College Affiliated with The University of Adelaide University of South Australia Flinders University 187 Brougham Place, North Adelaide SA 5006 Phone: (08) 8267 1478 Email: info@stannscollege.edu.au

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Transforming school leavers into young professionals t Ann’s University Residential College provides accommodation in a safe, inspiring environment where opportunities for education are promoted. Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to contribute to a happy social atmosphere in which academic excellence, development of judgement, personal responsibility and consideration for others are high priorities.

• An international community inspired to excellence through learning • Student safety and security are our top priorities • Academic success is next – 95% of subjects are passed with the help of 56 academic tutors • Academic and social leadership, and pastoral care, from 10 Residential Tutors • All rooms are single, air conditioned, two-thirds with ensuite bathroom • Brand-new Enterprise Deck for collaborative study, learning and innovation • We are culturally diverse, tolerant, welcoming and non-denominational • Wifi internet access is free and unlimited

• Minimum stay for the academic year is 30 weeks so fees are 25% less than elsewhere • All students are subsidised – applications on a ‘first-come, firstserved’ basis • As we are not-for-profit, all revenue is for the benefit of students, not for commercial gain • Practical academic help – tutoring, mentoring, academic monitoring, project materials, a library and FREE internet – to help your student succeed • Friends for support and inspiration • Fresh, healthy, delicious meals tailored to students’ requirements • It is easy to find help – we are a big family and everyone is willing to help • Garden setting of lawns, trees and flowers designed with student wellbeing in mind • Many social and sporting activities, and leadership opportunities at many levels • Over $80K given as Scholarships, Bursaries and Prizes After completing his third year of civil and structural engineering at the University of Adelaide, Samuel Arthurson from the Barossa Valley says:

“In early 2015, I was both nervous and excited for the transition from high school to university. Reflecting upon my tertiary education thus far, I can wholeheartedly say that residing at St Ann’s College was the greatest decision I have made to support me in this change.

“I still remember my first days living at college, where I was quite sick. The amount of care and support that so many new faces provided truly was wonderful, and since then living at St Ann’s has been eye-opening, exciting and naturally comfortable. It has provided ample opportunities that have enabled me to further develop my leadership and interpersonal skills. As someone who takes my education quite seriously, St Ann’s sustains my motivation and aspirations to strive for high academic success.

“More importantly, however, the greatest thing about college is that after the first week, you can sit back, reflect and realise that in the short space of just 7 days, you feel more than welcome into the “Ann’s Family” and have made over 100 friends who all come from different walks of life.

Personally, I know that I have made some of my lifelong best friends here, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

Sam Arthurson 87

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