Retired dentist Peter Lynch has designed a $4 plastic basket that lets pickers pack mulberries directly into punnets. His Sunshine Coast hinterland farm, Kureelpa Mulberry Company, says the change has cut fruit damage by 80 per cent and reduced labour costs. The farm's four-week harvest depends on daily pickers, and the couple is concerned that cuts to working holiday visa numbers could make hiring difficult. Two French working holiday makers on the farm said a second year in Australia is uncertain.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast are on track for their wettest October in six years. Brisbane has recorded about 170 millimetres this month, roughly double its October average of 87 millimetres. Flash floods hit Caboolture and Morayfield, where more than 400 millimetres fell over the past week. The Sunshine Coast is likely to break its October record, with 369 millimetres already recorded at its airport. The Bureau of Meteorology says Brisbane is not expecting heavy falls, apart from possible showers.
Little blue penguins at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast are exploring a new Halloween habitat with pumpkins, tombstones and other surprises. The aquarium says the enrichment encourages the penguins' natural curiosity. On Saturday, October 31, the aquarium will host a Halloween Beach Clean-Up at Mooloolaba Beach from 9am to noon. Children are encouraged to collect rubbish instead of lollies, and free face painting will be offered. Marine animals can mistake rubbish for food or become tangled in it.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Small business owners say rising costs and a growing number of policy changes are making it harder to operate. Builder Steve Bright says he now spends more than half his time on paperwork and has hired staff to handle the changes. Credit reporting agency CreditorWatch says serious arrears reached an 8.5-year high in September. Its chief executive warns business insolvencies could rise next year. Small Business Minister Anne Aly says the government is delivering billions in business tax relief.
Former Fraser Coast councillor and One Nation candidate James Hansen, 57, has been found dead in a flooded creek in Queensland. He went missing on Monday after trying to cross flooded Smothering Creek on Boompa Road, near Maryborough. Police say a report will go to the coroner while investigations continue. Mr Hansen was a dairy farmer and served on Fraser Coast Regional Council for three terms. Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour paid tribute to him as a passionate advocate for rural producers. Severe weather and rising floodwaters continue to affect parts of Queensland.
Former Fraser Coast councillor James Hansen, 57, has been identified as the man found dead in floodwaters at Boompa, police say. He served on the Fraser Coast regional council from 2012 to 2024 and ran for One Nation in 2017. Mayor George Seymour called his death a great loss to the community. Police have begun an investigation and will prepare a report for the coroner. Separately, six campers were rescued from flood waters at Leyburn on the Southern Downs.
A man's body has been found in floodwaters at Boompa on Queensland's Fraser Coast. Police said he was declared dead after being found in Smothering Creek on Boompa Road, and an investigation has begun. Separately, six campers were rescued after becoming stranded by floodwaters at a public campground in Leyburn, in the Southern Downs. Torrential rain across Queensland from Thursday to Monday has left rivers and roads flooded, with more rain and flooding forecast.
Only one rental market in Queensland is classed as healthy, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland's September quarter vacancy report. The Bay Islands, near Redland, recorded a vacancy rate of 3.5 per cent. Forty-eight of the 50 regions tracked remain tight, with vacancy rates of 2.5 per cent or below. Thirty-four regions recorded rates of 1 per cent or less. Antonia Mercorella, the institute's chief executive, said the shortage was changing how Queenslanders live, with more multigenerational households forming and more friends sharing homes to split costs.
Six campers were rescued from floodwater at Leyburn in southern Queensland. A man was found dead in floodwaters at Boompa, and police are investigating the circumstances of his death. The Bureau of Meteorology warns of more thunderstorms across south-east Queensland this afternoon, with some possibly severe. Flooding is easing along the Mary River, though several bridges remain closed. Residents are urged not to drive through floodwater.
Two women are in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash on the Old Bruce Highway at Federal, on the Sunshine Coast, on Saturday, 24 October. Emergency services were called at 1.45pm after reports that a white BYD Seal sedan had left the road. The 59-year-old driver and 18-year-old passenger, both from Imbil, were taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The highway was closed in both directions for almost three hours. The Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit is investigating, and witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage are asked to contact Policelink.
Sunshine Coast operator McDermott Aviation has received Civil Aviation Safety Authority approval for locally made 3D-printed replacement parts for its helicopters. Queensland company Plane Support will print cabin air-conditioning ducts for the Bell 214B, a heavy-lift helicopter used in aerial firefighting and emergency response. The project took almost two years of engineering and testing. McDermott Aviation said local supply would reduce the risk of aircraft being grounded while waiting for hard-to-source parts. Plane Support said the approval could lead to other components and aircraft types being supported in Australia.
A 59-year-old woman and her 18-year-old passenger were taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash at Federal on the Sunshine Coast. Emergency services were called to the Old Bruce Highway, near Sankeys Road, at 1.45pm after reports a white BYD Seal sedan had left the road. The Old Bruce Highway was closed in both directions for almost three hours. The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating. Anyone who saw the crash or has dashcam footage is asked to contact Policelink, quoting reference QP2602102133.
Queensland has been warned of more storms and flooding this weekend after torrential rain caused severe flash flooding in the southeast. Caboolture, north of Brisbane, was the worst hit, where several people were rescued after driving into floodwaters. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist David Crock said heavy rain and severe thunderstorms are possible across large parts of the state on Saturday. Storms are expected to peak on Monday as a cold front moves through. Flood warnings are current for rivers and creeks on the Sunshine Coast, in the Brisbane and Lockyer valleys, and in western Queensland.
Further rain and severe thunderstorms are forecast across eastern Australia this weekend, after flash flooding hit Queensland this week. The Bureau of Meteorology recorded up to 450mm of rain in south-east Queensland over seven days, and a storm on Thursday prompted hundreds of calls to emergency services. Flood warnings are in place for parts of Queensland, New South Wales and other states. The Bureau's David Crock said Queensland can expect a wet weekend, and a cold front will bring another round of severe storms to the south-east on Monday.
Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast to sweep across most Australian states this weekend, adding to flooding in Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. Senior meteorologist David Crock said storms are expected across central and eastern Queensland on Saturday. Earlier this week, flash flooding in south-east Queensland prompted hundreds of SES callouts and the closure of several schools. Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast hinterlands recorded seven-day rainfall totals of 300 to 400 millimetres.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Paying a deposit by credit card may help customers get money back if a business collapses, according to Deloitte liquidator Richard Hughes. He helped recover $12.5 million for Kleenmaid customers through chargeback requests. Customers can ask their bank to dispute a card payment for goods or services they never received. Cash payments do not carry chargeback rights. Caravanning Queensland recommends a deposit of 10 per cent of the purchase price.
Former Bachelor star Sam Wood has brought forward his second bail application in the Supreme Court, which will now be heard next Friday. The 46-year-old was arrested in Noosa on October 3 and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. He denies the allegations and his lawyer has said he may argue self-defence. Wood remains in custody at Wolston Correctional Centre, where he has been placed in a separate wing under a safety order.
Former Bachelor star Sam Wood has lost his first attempt to stop media viewing court documents linked to his domestic violence bail case. Queensland Supreme Court Justice Patrick McCafferty suppressed only the names, addresses and identifying details of people named in the files. Media may report redacted versions until Wood's bail hearing, brought forward to Friday, October 30. Wood, 46, has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. Police allege he choked his wife, Snezana Wood. He has denied the allegations and remains in custody.
A storm in south-east Queensland on Thursday dumped more than 200mm of rain in three hours, causing flash floods and hundreds of State Emergency Service calls. Monthly October rainfall records were broken at Nambour and Beerburrum. Experts say forecasting has improved, but small, localised storms remain hard to predict precisely. Climate scientists also say climate change is intensifying rainfall extremes and making severe weather more consequential, which can make forecasts appear less reliable.
Emergency crews responded to more than 300 calls for help across southeast Queensland in 24 hours after heavy rain caused flash flooding. Two campers were winched to safety near Mount Barney after floodwaters cut them off. Several drivers were also rescued from stranded cars. Parts of Morayfield were told to prepare to leave, and about a dozen schools closed on Thursday, with some staying shut into Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology says conditions are expected to ease from Tuesday, when a drier air mass should move in.
