Australia Remastered: Nature's Great Divide
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Backpackers opt for city work over outback Queensland experience
Each afternoon, the beach volleyball nets at The Strand in Townsville are filled with overseas backpackers enjoying the north Queensland winter. Hostels are fully booked and local hospitality venues are at capacity with workers completing their 88-day regional work requirement for their second-year visa extensions. Townsville's Australian Hotel owner Katie Kelliher said she received at least five resumes a day. "There's always backpackers looking for work, but this year in particular it's been next level," she said. "We are so inundated with the amount of people that are currently looking for work we can't even take resumes anymore." As the coastal towns thrive with the influx of travellers, north-west Queensland businesses and farmers are missing out on the backpacker workforce they rely on. The Working Holiday Maker visa is a cultural exchange program with over 40 partner countries offering young people the chance to work and travel for up to 12 months. Visa holders are required to complete 88 days of regional work in tourism and hospitality, the broader agricultural industry, mining and construction, or natural disaster recovery to extend their visas for another year. Robert Downie is the local publican at the Royal Hotel in Hughenden, about 400 kilometres west of Townsville. He said most backpackers were opting to work along the coast, which had impacted on his business. Julieta Blans from Argentina is one of those completing her regional work requirement in Townsville so she can stay in Australia for a third year. She said it became harder to find work and accommodation during the winter months because the weather was better. "Everyone starts leaving in December. Last year there was no-one, the hostel was empty," she said. "But now the weather is beautiful." She said the change to include hospitality in the 88-days requirement encouraged her to extend her stay in Australia. Shane McCarthy, the president of Agforce, the peak industry body representing primary producers in Queensland, said the short-term workforce had not been the same since the pandemic. "There always seemed to be a good supply of young people willing and able to come out and have an outback experience while they earn some money," he said. But now, Mr McCarthy said grazing properties were struggling to find the extra hands in the paddock. "You either have to try and do it yourself or you're putting it off until you can find someone to help you," he said. He suggested incentives to get workers out of the cities and into the bush. As backpackers now struggle to find work and accommodation in the bustling coastal cities, publican Robert Downie hopes more will venture to the outback. "I don't think they quite realise how good it can be out west," he said. He said accommodation was often provided for workers, and people around town were keen to get to know visitors. "We've actually had more stay longer because they enjoy being here so much," Mr Downie said.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Dozens dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay tourist ferry sinks
Rescuers were desperately searching for five people still missing on Sunday after 37 were killed when a boat capsized in one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations. The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a storm on Saturday in one of the UNESCO World Heritage site's deadliest disasters. The "Wonder Sea" vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said. Border guards had rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies by Saturday evening, it added. Overnight three crew members' bodies were found in the cabin and rescue efforts continued into Sunday morning to find the five people still missing. One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet: "I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived then swam up, I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers on". Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to the families of the deceased and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue. Authorities would "investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations", a government statement said. Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, told AFP: "The sky turned dark at around 2:00 pm." There were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning", he said. Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday. Several trees were knocked down in the capital by strong winds. The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas. Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted in VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea. Wipha entered the South China Sea on Sunday gaining strength, and is on course to make landfall in Vietnam early next week. Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year. Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves. And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people. tmh-sjc/dhw
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
Emirates to cut second daily Perth–Dubai service from October
Emirates is cutting flights between Perth and Dubai, suspending one of its two daily services from late October. The early morning flight, which only recommenced in December 2024 after being scrapped in 2019, will stop operating from October 26, 2025. 'As part of our adjustment to the winter 2025 schedule, our second daily flight between Dubai and Perth (EK424/425) will be suspended from 26 October 2025,' an Emirates spokesperson told PerthNow. The service cut comes less than a year after the flight was reinstated. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Matray. The move comes less than a year after the service was brought back, and is expected to remove about 2000 seats a week from the route, a change that is tipped to lead to higher airfares. 'The decision follows a periodic operational review to optimise aircraft fleet utilisation and support our broader operations across Australia,' the spokesperson said. 'Emirates is committed to serving our customers, and those impacted will be booked on our other daily flight between Dubai and Perth (EK420/421), which will continue to operate as scheduled with an Airbus A380.' Travellers booked on the discontinued flight have been notified and booked on other services. Amelia Swan Journalist Amelia Swan joined News Corp as a cadet reporter in 2024. Amelia Swan
