Archaeologists working at Juukan Gorge in the West Australian Pilbara have collected 50,000 artefacts from the site. The team, led by Michael Slack, says Aboriginal people have occupied the site for more than 50,000 years. The rock shelter was destroyed in a mining blast by Rio Tinto in 2020, prompting international condemnation. Traditional owners say the finds strengthen their connection to the place and help them heal. The PKKP plans to reconstruct the rock shelter, which is unlikely to become a tourist attraction.
Bron and Phil Genoni have spent 27 years building a thriving garden at their Banjup property. The shady, mostly tropical space features an estimated 400-year-old paperbark, ponds that host turtles, ducks and frogs, and accessible concrete pathways. The couple run the garden on solar power and use chicken manure to feed the soil. The garden at 23 Muir Place will open on October 31 and November 1, with solar consultations, tea and scones, and a Jaguar Car Club display on the Sunday.
Residents of South Hedland confronted WA Premier Roger Cook during a five-hour visit to the northern town. It was his first trip there since the state government announced a coronial inquest into the deaths of three local children in 2022. Cook said he fully appreciated that people wanted to see things improve. Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski accompanied him, and no child protection policy announcements were made. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said it was insulting that the premier did not meet affected families.
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The WA Government has allocated $6 million to four environmental projects in the Pilbara region through the Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund. The projects include fire and feral cat management, a bat project, and the protection of a Priority Ecological Community. The funding will be delivered in partnership with local land managers, Traditional Owners, and conservation agencies. Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the projects aim to protect and enhance the region's biodiversity and create long-term benefits for local communities.
The United Nations Environment Program has warned Chevron after satellites detected high methane levels on five flyovers between November and August. The readings are linked to Chevron's Gorgon gas plant on Barrow Island, off the Pilbara coast. The latest release was equal to burning 110 tonnes of coal, and the plant was emitting methane at 7.8 tonnes per hour in August. Chevron says satellite readings carry a wide range of uncertainty and that it is seeking further clarification. The company says it reports its emissions in line with Australian rules.
Satellite monitoring has detected large methane plumes above Chevron's Gorgon liquefied natural gas plant on Barrow Island, Western Australia. The most recent reading, in late August, estimated an average emission rate of about 7.8 tonnes of methane an hour. The United Nations has warned Chevron, which confirmed it had received the alert and is working with the UN Environmental Programme. The UN Environmental Programme said it had not yet received formal feedback from Chevron or the Australian government. The Western Australian government said its Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is investigating the reports.
Children from remote Western Australia's Pilbara have recorded a country song with award-winning musician Josh Arnold. The students from the School of the Air gathered at Yarrie Station, a cattle property about 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, to film the music video. Nine-year-old Tanami Fox-Coppin said she was happy to see her friends, whom she usually sees only three times a year. Arnold said the project gives station children pride in who they are. Yarrie Station owner Annabelle Coppin said such activities help students feel more connected to school.
Fortescue Metals Group has sacked a senior executive after an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and bullying. The company said the executive breached its policies and values. The executive was not named. Law firm MinterEllison conducted the investigation. Fortescue faces a class action in the Federal Court from female employees alleging rape, sexual assault and stalking at Pilbara mine sites in Western Australia.
Bullara Station, a cattle property and tourist stay near Exmouth Gulf, has wrapped up a better-than-expected tourist season. Cyclone Narelle left the station in ruins in March, with flooding across its 100,000 hectares and weeks without clean water or power. Owner Edwina Shallcross said the team rebuilt the station and reopened to tourists just weeks after the cyclone. Livestock survived, and the cattle were healthy when they were trucked out to market. Shallcross said the family is looking forward to some time to relax.
A Weipa dance troupe is holding a fundraising concert to help eight dancers travel to Samoa for a performance next June. The Penina O Pasifika concert on 23 October will mix traditional dance with audience participation, including a dance-off and Pacific games. Group leader Lita Mahy said three of the selected dancers had visited Samoa last year, and the trip had strongly influenced their performances. The concert runs from 5 to 7pm at the Weipa Storm Surge Shelter, with a $5 cash entry fee and a donation dish for further support.
Greenpeace protesters were taken from a Woodside gas rig about 250 kilometres off the WA coast and flown back to police custody. The protest forced Woodside to halt work on the rig. Activists had hung a large banner opposing the drilling of Scott Reef and spent Saturday night on the platform. Police and Australian Border Force officers arrested protesters on Sunday. Greenpeace plans to deliver a petition with about 500,000 signatures to Woodside's Perth offices on Monday. Woodside has called the protesters' conduct dangerous, reckless and illegal.
The source material provided is almost entirely navigation menus, section headings and site links, with no story body describing Riley Shawcross or the Telethon 2026 appeal. The only substantive information available is the headline itself, which identifies Riley Shawcross as a Western Australian girl described as a one-in-100-million child and frames her story as one of bravery. Beyond that, no details about her condition, treatment, family, fundraising connection or outcomes can be confirmed from the text supplied, so the summary cannot responsibly elaborate on them.
A four-year-old girl, Olive Hay, is living with a rare and debilitating syndrome that leaves her physically exhausted, with her family describing the daily struggle as being like running a marathon. The headline frames her condition as a cruel and relentless battle. The source material provided for this story is largely navigation and section-index content from a news website, with little detail about Olive's diagnosis, treatment or how her family is coping, so the specific clinical circumstances cannot be confirmed from the information available.
Commonwealth, state and territory Indigenous affairs ministers met by videoconference to reaffirm their commitment to working in partnership on outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They discussed Closing the Gap priorities ahead of next month's Joint Council meeting in Canberra. Minister Malarndirri McCarthy gave an update on economic empowerment initiatives and on food security in remote communities. Ministers also acknowledged October as Indigenous Business Month. The Northern Territory minister was unable to attend because of parliamentary business.
Western Australian Attorney General Tony Buti will ask a coroner to hold an inquest into the deaths of three children in South Hedland. The children were killed by their mother in July 2022. Premier Roger Cook defended Mr Buti's handling of the matter, saying he had acted carefully. Indigenous elders said the decision came too late, but hoped it would provide answers for the family and lead to improvements in the town.
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Western Australia's microbialites, the oldest evidence of life on Earth, are at risk. These ancient fossils, dating back 3.5 billion years, and living examples in Shark Bay, offer insights into life's evolution and resilience. However, they face threats from environmental changes, tourism, and human activity. Recent damage at Lake Clifton highlights their vulnerability. Preserving these geological treasures is crucial for future scientific understanding, as they provide a unique perspective on Earth's ecological history and potential indicators of environmental stress.
WA Attorney General Tony Buti has requested a coronial inquest into the deaths of three children killed by their mother in Port Hedland in 2022. The request follows a sustained campaign by the children's grandmother, Dorothy Papertalk, who had been denied an inquest by a former coroner. Buti said he is now satisfied there is new evidence that was not considered earlier, though he did not detail it. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said the delay was unfair and cruel to Ms Papertalk. Buti also announced a broader review of the laws guiding coronial inquests.
