ABARES Weekly Australian Climate, Water and Agricultural Update

For the week ending 8 November 2023, troughs brought widespread showers and storms in Queensland and New South Wales, and in country’s northwest. The remainder of the country remained dry.

o While welcomed, the rainfall recorded over the weekend is unlikely to spark widespread planting of dry land summer crops.

• Over the next 8 days to 16 November 2023, troughs and lows will generate showers and thunderstorms over eastern New South Wales and Victoria, and parts of northern o Dry conditions elsewhere would allow for winter/spring crop harvest to continue but delay timely planting of dry land summer crops. o This represents a signifcant downside production risk for dry land summer crop production as well as pasture growth.

Australia.

• An El Niño and a positive IOD event are currently underway. Drier than normal conditions are expected in December for large areas of Australia.

• Between December 2023 to February 2024, there is a close to equal chances of above or below median central and southern Australia, while below median rainfall is more likely for the remainder of the country. o If these falls are realised, it is likely to be suffcient to support late spring and summer pasture growth across eastern and northern Australia. While the dry start to spring has limited early planting of dry land summer crops, the expected rainfall may be suffcient to allow for later plantings.

• Water storage levels in the MurrayDarling Basin (MDB) decreased between 2 November 2023 and 9 November 2023 by 17 gigalitres (GL). Current volume of water held in storage is 20 176 GL. This is 10 percent or 2284 GL less than at the same time last year. route. Flash fooding can be deeper than it appears and can contain sewage and poisons, as well as hidden debris,” Chief Superintendent Burnes said.

• Allocation prices in the Victorian Murray below the Barmah Choke decreased from $169 on 2 November 2023 to $158 on 9 November 2023. Prices are lower in regions above the Barmah choke due to the binding of the Barmah choke trade constraint.

“If you live, work or regularly commute through a low lying area, there may be no offcial warning for fash fooding. It is critical you assess the conditions and also check live traffc before travelling.”

If you are trapped by rising fash foodwater, seek the safest refuge position and call Triple Zero (000) if life threatening.

The NSW SES advises that people should:

* Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.

* Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through food water.

* If you are trapped by fash fooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.

* Unplug computers and appliances.

* Avoid using the phone during the storm.

* Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well.

* For help in foods and storms, ring the NSW SES on 132 500.

POP-UP OPPORTUNITY

Grafton Regional Gallery is seeking expressions of interest from cafés, coffee vendors, and retailers, who would like to operate a pop-up at the Gallery over summer.

Located in a vibrant regional art gallery precinct and surrounded by stunning heritage gardens, the gallery Café is an exciting opportunity to be part of a multifaceted facility which provides a cultural hub for the Clarence Valley community and visitors to the region.

The café has a fully operational commercial kitchen and servery, with access to indoor seating and two spacious outdoor areas – one in a garden setting, and the other on a deck within the

Gallery precinct. Alongside this, historic Prentice House West has generous rooms available with potential for multipurpose commercial ventures including retail or dining.

Grafton Regional Gallery Director, Sarah Gurich, welcomes all ideas from vendors, ‘The Gallery precinct provides great opportunity for retailers to expand their commercial presence and work alongside the enthusiastic Gallery team to deliver experiences for locals and visitors alike.’ For expressions of interest, please email the Gallery at gallery@ clarence.nsw.gov.au or call 02 6641 7300 for more information.

“YOUTH has no age,” once said the rigoursof-time-defying artist Pablo Picasso; and I was reminded of this recently when I heard the latest album of the Rolling Stones, a band which I’ve always loved, followed, and listened to closely.

The Stones, who are almost all 80-years of age this year (Ron Wood is the only exception, he’s a mere 75-years into proceedings); but their latest offering called Hackney Diamonds –itself a Brit slang that refers to the shattered glass left behind by burglars after they’ve smashed a window to break in – you’d swear was done by fleet-footed, wild-eyed blokes a quarter of their age.

While not all people ‘advance’ in years in anywhere near the same way: some tragically become prancing mental and physical parodies of their former selves; but the Stones seem to have found a strange balance, if balance is even the right word for the life, and ‘style’ they embody. These ever-true doyens to having busted working-class knuckles, and mindsets that “never take no” for an answer – will to a person, most certainly die at the height of youthful outlooks that know nothing of decrepitude, doubt, or decline.

The Italian siren of the silver screen, Sophia Loren once said, “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

As such, I’m not sure the Stones have defeated age, rather they have managed

Ballina RSL’s Ground-breaking Support Leaves Our House Astonished

to goose-step it every step of their way, by daring to do as they please, when they please, for all the reasons that prompt them to do whatever they please.

It’s funny, when you’re ‘young’, you are bestowed with a mindset that isn’t just oblivious to the actuality of the ageing process, you more have no cause, or reason to be aware of it at all (instead, we typically bask in the ‘bright’ epicentre of the echo chamber, that is youth).

Relatedly, Douglas Coupland once reflected, “When you’re young, you always feel that life hasn’t yet begun—that “life” is always scheduled to begin next week, next month, next year, after the holidays—whenever. But then suddenly you’re old and the scheduled life didn’t arrive. You find yourself asking, ‘Well then, exactly what was it I was having—that interlude—the scrambly madness—all that time I had before?”

And ironically, it is “the scrambly madness” that The Rolling Stones have somehow perfected, if not tailored a life and subsequent living out of. They have created no less than a legacy of defiance for the wild at heart ‘to live up to’, for generations to come.

Unlike Carrie Fisher, who once noted, “I shot through my twenties like a luminous thread through a dark needle, blazing toward my destination: Nowhere.”

The Stones, in equal luminous fashion, instead created a ‘Somewhere’ of unparalleled note, that may never be erased from the otherwise evershifting landscape that is popular culture.

Our House in Lismore Gets a Facelift Thanks to Ballina RSL Club

We are thrilled to announce that guests staying at Our House in Lismore will now enjoy the comfort of brandnew, fully renovated bathrooms, all thanks to the incredible generosity of the Ballina RSL Club.

Over the past decade, Our House has been a home away from home for over 1000 guests each year, including patients and their loved ones. With the recent refurbishment, we’re now able to offer modern and comfortable bathroom amenities, enhancing the stay for all.

This remarkable transformation, valued at over $66,000, became possible through the gracious contributions of two signifcant donations and additional funding from Our House.

Rebekka Battista, Director of Our House, expressed her gratitude, stating, “We recently received an incredible $20,000 donation from Ballina RSL, which has allowed Our House to complete Stage 2 of replacing the fooring in every bathroom. Thank you to Bill, the Ballina RSL Board, their staff, and all who are involved; your generosity will impact many who come to Lismore for treatment for years to come.”

Our guests travel from across Northern NSW, including the coast, Clarence Valley, and the Tablelands, some for short stays, and others for more extended periods. Our goal has always been to provide a welcoming home away from home, and this project has been instrumental in ensuring that our facilities maintain the highest standards.

Ballina RSL’s commitment to Our House has been unwavering from the start, and their support played a pivotal role in raising funds to establish and furnish Our House.

In recognition of this invaluable partnership, the rooms facing east have been named ‘The Ballina Wing.’

Bill Coulter, CEO of Ballina RSL, shared his sentiments, saying, “The Ballina RSL Club is deeply honoured to have a long-standing relationship with Our House. Having a room named after our club in the Ballina Wing is a tangible symbol of the positive impact we aim to bring to the community. We recognize the enormous effort it takes to operate such an essential service, and we’re committed to continue our support.

We’re not just proud, but also humbled, to be part of the incredible work done by Our House. Providing a home away from home for families undergoing medical treatment in Lismore is no small feat. The Ballina RSL Club looks forward to further strengthening this meaningful partnership in the years to come.”

This recent donation follows a $25,000 grant received through the Dry July Campaign in 2020. If you’d like to learn more about Our House or contribute to our Wishlist, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@ourkids.org.au Your support can make a world of difference!