Vanessa Jarrett
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Articles by Vanessa Jarrett
New training spaces open at Woorabinda's Wadja Wadja High School
There is more than meets the eye when you look inside the collection of green buildings nestled at the rear of the Wadja Wadja High School. The front donga has been kitted out as a cafe, with a counter space for taking orders, a coffee machine and a dining area. Just next door is a hair salon, complete with mirrors, wash basins and styling tools. Across the corridor, fishing rods hang on the wall, with tables arranged into a study room. Student Lataya Skeen taking coffee orders in the training cafe.
Australian citrus growers push for wider access to export to US
Thousands of mandarins have been harvested from trees across Queensland this season, packed into boxes for domestic and international markets. Most of the loads have been sent to Asian countries but there is one major market not all Australian growers can access: the United States.
Bowen Coking Coal walks away from Bluff coal mine and leaves rehabilitation to state government
A central Queensland mine has been abandoned and will now be managed by the state government. Owners of the Bluff coal mine, Bowen Coking Coal (BCC), went into voluntary administration in July last year, with McGrathNicol's Mark Holland and Shaun Fraser appointed as administrators. The open cut mine is south of the township of Bluff, located 20 kilometres east of Blackwater and 174km west of Rockhampton.
Rockhampton's 2032 Brisbane Olympics dream takes shape on the Fitzroy River
It's 7am on Saturday and the crack of a starter's gun can be heard in the distance upstream. Eight boats spring from the starting line, as teenage rowers begin to slice through the glassy, brown waters of the Fitzroy River in central Queensland. The action is beamed back to their supporters on a big screen on the riverbank which, just minutes before, featured a video advertisement for the local crocodile farm.
Worker injured after pipe blast at Sojitz Blue's Crinum underground mine
Queensland's mining regulator has issued a safety alert after a man was critically injured at a central Queensland mine. A 71-year-old male worker was treated for significant chest, facial, arm and abdominal injuries after emergency services were called to the Crinum underground mine around 10am on Saturday. He was taken to Emerald and Rockhampton hospitals before being flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on Monday morning, where he remains in a critical condition.
Tyron Peter Donald Grealy to stand trial for murder of baby daughter
WARNING: This story contains details that readers may find distressing. A man accused of murdering a baby girl in central Queensland last year has been ordered to stand trial. Tyron Peter Donald Grealy, now 22, is accused of murdering his infant daughter, 10-week-old Hazley Ellen Shanks. Emergency services were called to a home in Gracemere, outside Rockhampton, on January 19 last year, after reports of an infant who was unconscious and not breathing.
Central Queensland lychee growers diversify with alcohol range to reduce fruit wastage
Repeatedly seeing edible lychees discarded for their cosmetic imperfections has led central Queensland grower Krystal Caton on a mission to use the third-grade fruit. "We were seeing waste from our lychees. Whilst it's only a small percentage, those lychees have already been harvested from the trees, so the expenses have already been spent," she said. Ms Caton and her husband Paul are first-generation farmers with a 9,000-tree lychee orchard at South Yaamba, 30 minutes outside Rockhampton.
Moranbah Darts Club offers miners a break from camp life
While darts is typically known as a pub game, to some, it is so much more. "You don't have to be the best; you just come in, have a beer, listen to music, throw some darts." Owen Thompson is the Moranbah Darts Club secretary. The club gets together during the week for a social throw and also host regular competitions and events to raise money for local charities.
Program: Darts club members' fight to keep playing
When the Moranbah Darts Hall in central Queensland closed its doors a few years ago, a few of the locals weren't going down without fight. There were months of backyard matches and bouncing between houses to keep it going. They soon discovered that the game is about much more than just bulls eyes. Story by Vanessa Jarrett with additional production by Josie Sargent.
Mother and daughter debut together for Moranbah Miners Rugby League Club
On a Thursday night at the Daryl Bourke Oval in Moranbah, the local women's rugby league team are lacing up their boots. Despite the chill in the air and the fact some of them have just finished a 12-hour shift, the women are gearing up for footy training. Moranbah is a small town of almost 10,000 people, nestled among dozens of coal mines in the Bowen Basin. While the economic heart lies under the ground, above the ground lies the beating heart of the community.
Matthew Cox to stand trial for alleged Rockhampton killings of wife, baby
A man accused of murdering his wife and baby daughter at a Central Queensland home will face a criminal trial. Matthew James Cox, now 34, is facing two counts of murder of his wife Tayla Black, 30, and 11-week-old baby daughter Murphy. Matthew James Cox has been charged with two counts of murder. (Supplied) Mr Cox presented himself to a police station in Brisbane on August 10, 2023.
Peak Downs mine worker dead, another injured as truck rolls over vehicle at mine
Liam McNally and Vanessa Jarrett A mine worker was killed and a second seriously injured when their vehicle was struck by a large mining truck at a Central Queensland coal mine early today. This afternoon mine contractors Thiess named the worker as Andreas Lorizou. Mr Lorizou was trapped in the light vehicle, with early reports indicating it was reversed over by the larger truck just before 5am.
Family of Gavin Feltwell call for stronger sentencing for mining corporations
The four years since mine worker Gavin Feltwell died on the job have been the longest of his widow, Michelle's, life. Mr Feltwell, 59, was working a night shift underground at the Moranbah North coal mine in Central Queensland. He and five crew members were removing a conveyor when a torque arm slipped from the slings, fatally striking him in the head. Mrs Feltwell was woken at midnight to the sound of a police officer knocking on her door calling her name. "I thought I was dreaming," she said.
Biloela state high school parents seek help with teacher shortage
Year 10 student Zara Trevithick is spending her winter school holidays catching up on assessments her new classmates have already started. The 15-year-old is starting term three at a new school because she felt the public school could not offer what she needed. An ongoing teaching shortage has led to the cancellation of school events and senior subject offerings at the central Queensland school, she said. Zara Trevithick is moving to the local private school for term three.
Mastermyne fined for death of Gavin Feltwell at Moranbah North mine in 2022
Gavin Feltwell, 59, died at the Moranbah North mine on March 25, 2022, after equipment struck his head and left him with critical injuries. Operator Mastermyne Contracting Services was charged in 2023 with failure to discharge health and safety obligations causing death or grievous bodily harm. The company pleaded guilty in the Emerald Magistrates Court on June 23 and was fined $310,000.
Program: Last running steam tram gets new drivers
The city of Rockhampton in central Queensland may be known for it's collection of bull statues, but it's also home to the world's only running Purrey steam tram. Some new drivers have been awarded with official certificates to drive the historic relic.
Emergency clean-up ordered at Biloela's Essential Spill
Emergency stabilisation works have been carried out by the Department of Environment at a Biloela waste business after years of clean-up orders and community complaints. The department has been issuing notices and fines to Essential Spill on Callide Street since 2022 ordering the clean-up of hazardous materials and chemicals, all of which it says have been ignored. An annotated drone image over the business from March.
New drivers inducted in Rockhampton for the last working Purrey steam tram in the world
Very few people in the world can say they have driven a Purrey steam tram, and as of this week that number has increased by two. "It's very, very cool, it's quite a thrill," new driver Jo Webb said. "It's the last working one in the world. We're very lucky to have it and we're very lucky she's still going." The crowd at the opening of the Rockhampton Tramways on June 5, 1909.
Rockhampton Plaza Hotel sells for $5.75 million at court-ordered auction
A rundown hotel in central Queensland has been sold at auction for $5.75 million. The Plaza Hotel sits on Rockhampton's highway strip. Its rundown appearance, with smashed and boarded-up windows and doors, tall fencing and murky pool, greets motorists as they drive into the city. The property was today sold under a court order, issued by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia late last year. The hotel fell into disrepair following its closure in 2014.
Rockhampton Regional Council sells six properties at unpaid rates auction
A central Queensland council has made back more than $1 million in overdue rates and charges after selling off six properties at a public auction. The Rockhampton Regional Council sold the properties at auction on Thursday after initially issuing 30 property owners with final notices. The mixture of land, residential and commercial properties sold for a combined $1.128 million. Rockhampton man Nathan Casey bought a Depot Hill property for $200,000 at the auction.
Rockhampton sisters raise $70,000 for Leukaemia Foundation in honour of cherished mum
This Mother's Day is the sixth year Christine Gray's family has spent without their cherished Mum and Nanny. "As a mum, she was more our best friend," eldest daughter Jodie Collins said. In 2018, Christine and husband George Gray were away on a camping trip with their four daughters — Jodie Collins, Holly Sedgwick, Elli Wust and Emily Gray — their partners and four grandchildren. Elli Wust capturing a family moment in the pool of Nanny with her daughters and grandchildren.
Crinum mine former senior executives to face court over fatal roof collapse
Two former bosses at a central Queensland mine will face court this month on charges following the death of a worker and the serious injury of another in an underground mine collapse. Graham Ronald Dawson, 62, and Henare Morgan, who was aged 25 at the time, were carrying out roof support works in a tunnel at the Crinum underground coal mine on September 14 when the rock around them collapsed and crushed the pair.
Mastermyne Crinum Operations fined $7m after 2021 on-site death of Graham Dawson
A resources company found criminally negligentover the 2021 death of a beloved father and grandfather at a central Queensland mining site has been fined $7 million. Graham Dawson, 62, was killed in a roof collapse at the Crinum underground mine near Emerald on September 14, 2021. The Bowen Basin mine is owned by Japanese firm Sojitz Corporation and operated by Mastermyne Crinum Operations Pty Ltd.
Rockhampton's Plaza Hotel set to go under the hammer, but no inspections allowed
After more than a decade of decay, multiple court orders and a handful of failed revival attempts, Rockhampton's Plaza Hotel is set to go under the hammer. The seven-storey, 66-room on the city's highway strip closed in 2014. In 2025 a court ordered the sale of the property, which has been owned by Chang Holdings since 1996. It will go to auction on May 21. Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames said the property was in such a poor state that buyers would not be allowed to inspect it.
Rockhampton landmark The Criterion Hotel for sale for first time in 35 years
For 35 years the Turnbull family has owned Rockhampton's oldest pub, The Criterion Hotel. "In 1991, my father was a hotel broker and he was offered to come up to 'The Cri' and live here for a bit and then sell it," Ryan Turnbull said. "We got up here and mum loved the joint, and here we are." Left: The Cri circa 1918, photographed by Arthur Goodwin Junior. Right: Circa 1947, from the State Library of Queensland.
Wiseman's Cottage, Rockhampton's oldest heritage property, is on the market
In the backyard of a family home in the hills of Rockhampton's southside stands a tall stone cottage with roots that go back to the very foundation of the city. Wiseman's Cottage is the last remaining structure of Mount Athelstane, the 16-room timber home built for William Henry Wiseman, the land commissioner of the Leichardt District, who was responsible for officially naming and proclaiming the township of Rockhampton in 1858. The story of Wiseman's Cottage is displayed on the wall inside.
Queensland miner Mastermyne Crinum Operations found guilty over worker's 2021 death
A jury has found a Queensland mining company guilty of industrial manslaughter over the 2021 death of a miner at a central Queensland mine site. Graham Ronald Dawson was 62 when he was killed in a roof collapse at the Crinum underground mine near Emerald on September 14, 2021. As the operator of mining services at the time of the incident, contracting company Mastermyne Crinum Operations was charged in 2024 under Queensland’s Coal Mining Safety and Health Act.
Island rat infestation eliminated
A Great Barrier Reef World Heritage-protected island has been declared rat-free, after an 18-month long intensive ground and aerial eradication program by local rangers. The island is home to 70 per cent of Australia's total breeding population of Wedge-Tailed Shearwater seabirds and is an important nesting site for green turtles, preyed on by the invasive rats. Featured: Damon Shearer Senior Ranger, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Coral cay declared rat-free in win for seabirds and nesting turtles
North West Island is home to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable seabirds and nesting turtles on the Great Barrier Reef. So when invasive black rats were found on the coastal paradise four years ago, local rangers were quick to act. "Rats on an island can go from two rats to 1,000 rats within a year," senior ranger Damon Shearer said.
Flower shop destroyed as police investigate three suspicious fires across Yeppoon CBD
A number of suspicious early-morning fires in central Queensland are being investigated by police. Emergency services responded to calls of three blazes in the coastal town of Yeppoon, 40 kilometres north-east of Rockhampton. The first fire was reported at 3:15am at a popular florist business on Normanby Street. Police are investigating multiple fires in Yeppoon, including a florist business on Normanby Street which was destroyed. The property was completely destroyed.
Scott Vincent Ward charged with allegedly grooming Philippines mother to sexually abuse her children
Scott Vincent Ward, 46, is charged with child exploitation offences. Police allege he had been grooming a woman in the Philippines to access her two children. Mr Ward's case was adjourned in the Blackwater Magistrates Court until April. A Queensland man has been charged with allegedly grooming a woman overseas in an attempt to sexually abuse her children.
Police find bodies of man and woman in Rockhampton home
The bodies of two people have been discovered at a central Queensland home. Rockhampton police were called to do a welfare check at a home on Lion Creek Road in Wandal, shortly after 8pm on Tuesday. Officers found the bodies of a 76-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man. A crime scene has been established, and investigations are continuing.
Owners win right to demolish Lis Escop house in Rockhampton after appeal
A couple has won the right to demolish a 162-year-old building in a Queensland city scattered with heritage-listed properties. The four-bedroom home, which includes a chapel, is known as Lis Escop and was built in 1864 on a hill overlooking Rockhampton after the land was purchased for £2,000. The Lis Escop home at 12 Athelstane Street, The Range, was built in 1864. (Supplied) It became the home of the Bishop Nathaniel Dawes, the first leader of the Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton.
Court order brings end to long-running saga over 'eyesore' hotel property
The Rockhampton Plaza Hotel looks less than inviting when you drive into the central Queensland city. It sits surrounded by temporary fencing, with smashed windows and timber boards nailed across its seven-storey façade. Overgrown gardens cover the site and public footpath, hiding piles of rubbish of broken glass and mattresses. The hotel was popular in its heyday, hosting weddings and even politicians.
Businessman and bad gambler Sam Kanjo linked to Australia's biggest illegal tobacco fine
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are questioning a repeat bankrupt businessman, and he is lashing out. Gold Coast-based Sam Kanjo is undergoing a secret examination involving proceeds of crime allegations against his wife. The examination's transcript almost immediately starts with the AFP's lawyer putting "on the record" events just before proceedings officially started. Businessman Sam Kanjo was previously sole director of Tobacco Shed Pty Ltd.
Rescue dogs helping koalas
A big part of protecting Australia's endangered wildlife is knowing how many there are - and where they live. And to do that, researchers in Queensland have enlisted a group with a very keen nose.
Rockhampton gathers for walk against violence after alleged rape of female runner
A walk of support was held in Rockhampton on Saturday morning after a woman was allegedly attacked by a stranger while running on the Yeppen Lagoon track on Sunday, January 25. Victorian man Michael Charles Clark, 27, has been charged with three counts of rape and attempted murder. The alleged offender is in custody and due to face the Rockhampton Magistrates Court on February 24.
State government's CleanCo pulls out of Moah Creek Wind Farm
The state government has walked away from a central Queensland wind farm, saying it does not align with its energy road map but will instead partner with another wind farm in the state's north-west. The Moah Creek Wind Farm, proposed by private developer Central Queensland Power (CQP), would be built on agricultural land 30 kilometres west of Rockhampton, with 60 turbines to power almost 200,000 homes. Publicly owned generator CleanCo was in partnership to acquire the project.
Sniffer dogs help monitor Koalas - ABC listen
Airports have drug sniffer dogs, customs have fruit sniffer dogs, some hospitals have trialled cancer sniffing dogs - but have you heard of a Koala dog? Researchers in Queensland have enlisted a four-legged team with a very keen nose to monitor one of our favourite marsupial's whereabouts.
Rescue dog used in central Queensland koala monitoring program
Border collie cross Leo was just six months old when a council ranger found him wandering the streets of Rockhampton in central Queensland. The scrappy-looking puppy was advertised for adoption and it was that plea for help that caught the eye of vet nurse Jacqui Summers. Leo was picked up by council rangers and taken to the Rockhampton Regional Council pound in February 2024.
Man charged following alleged sexual assault at Yeppen Lagoon walking track
Police have charged a 27-year-old Victorian man with three counts of rape and one count of attempted murder, as part of investigations into reports of a sexual assault on a Rockhampton walking track. Officers were called to the Yeppen Lagoon at The Range at 10:30am on Sunday following a report a woman had been sexually attacked. The popular walking trail is on the southern outskirts of the city. The woman was taken to hospital for medical treatment and professional support.
Rockhampton police investigate reports of sexual assault at Yeppen Lagoon
Police are investigating reports of a sexual assault on a Rockhampton walking track on Sunday morning. Officers said a woman was walking along Yeppen Lagoon, a popular walking track on the city's south side, when she was reportedly sexually assaulted by an unknown man at about 10:30am. The incident was reported to police shortly after, and the woman was taken to hospital for treatment and professional support.
Queensland brothers charged with child abuse material offences after US tip-off
Two brothers from central Queensland have been charged by Australian Federal Police officers with allegedly viewing child abuse material online. The AFP said it was alerted by the United States National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an online user allegedly uploading child abuse material on social media platforms. AFP investigators allege the activity was linked to Gladstone brothers, Ashley Greg Millard, 26, and Kaden Blake Millard, 19.
Flooding impacts low-lying areas in Rockhampton, as residents prepare for Fitzroy River's peak
The impacts of ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji will be less severe than originally forecasted in Rockhampton, with revised predictions lowering the flood height for the central Queensland city. Authorities now expect about 280 properties will be impacted in some way by the moderate flood; last week they had warned that figure could be as high as 480.
Middle Island underwater observatory once a star attraction for Great Keppel Island
"G'day, Coral here." That's how Coral Wedd would answer the phone in the 1980s at the Middle Island Underwater Observatory's souvenir shop in the Pacific Ocean off Queensland. "Not very many people go overseas to work each day under water by the name of Coral," Ms Wedd, formerly Howes, laughed. Coral Wedd worked at the Middle Island Underwater Observatory from 1980 to 1982.
Underwater worker reflects as observatory's fate hangs in balance
The Middle Island Underwater Observatory was the largest of its kind in Australia when it opened in 1980 and was visited by hundreds of people each day. The future of the site - that closed in 2008 - now lies in the hands of the state government. One underwater worker remembers its heyday. Story by Vanessa Jarrett with additional production by Josie Sargent. Coral Wedd has a collection of clippings from her time working at the underwater observatory. Great Keppel Island, History
Queensland now third least-affordable state as even remote property prices rise
Kate and Brendan Ballini thought they were getting ahead when they bought a family home in Queensland's Darling Downs five years ago. At the time their weekly mortgage repayment for the four bedder at Kingsthorpe, about a two-hour drive west of Brisbane, was $325. But that was in 2020 when their mortgage rate was 2.79 per cent.
Inquest to probe death of Allan John Houston at Saraji mine in 2018
An inquest is to be held into the death of miner Allan John Houston, 49, who died when the bulldozer he was operating rolled down an embankment, landing upside down in mud on December 31, 2018, at Saraji mine in central Queensland. The open-pit coal mine is one of Queensland's largest, located 25 kilometres from Dysart, and is owned by BMA (BHP Mitsubishi Alliance).
Blackwater massage therapist Donovan Webb charged with additional sexual assault offences
A central Queensland massage therapist facing multiple sexual assault charges has been charged with another 40 counts of sexual assault. Donovan Webb from Blackwater, 200 kilometres west of Rockhampton, was first charged in August with one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault for allegedly inappropriately touching a 20-year-old female client during a massage therapy session at his Blackwater business.
Queensland Health imposes three month closures on illegal tobacco stores after statewide raids
A sweep of tobacconist stores suspected of selling illicit "chop chop" tobacco and nicotine vapes have been shut down for three months across Queensland. Health officials and police swooped on retailers in Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Maryborough, Kingaroy, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and other regional towns this week and ordered the businesses' immediate closure for 90 days. The closure notices have been placed on the doors of the shops across the state.
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