Canberra

Experts from the Canberra Pollen Monitoring Centre are warning we could be in for an above average season for grass pollen.

Pollen can increase symptoms of hayfever and asthma, and scientists say increased growth in vegetation could mean more will be in the air this Spring.

Grass pollen season usually starts at the end of September or early October and runs until late December.

The ACT government has brought in sweeping changes to noise restrictions in the city in a bid to boost live music and entertainment.

It has also made a range of regulatory changes including reducing liquor licensing fees in some circumstances.

Further changes, including parking permits for musicians, will come into effect in the coming weeks before the government hopes to replicate the entertainment precinct in other town centres.

The new Emergency Department (ED) in Building 5 will open from 7:30am on Saturday, 17 August.

If you need to attend the ED after 7:30am on Saturday, 17 August, please go straight to Building 5.

There is a separate entrance to the ED on the southern side of Hospital Road, off Bateson Road.

The Department of Industry Science and Resources is facing a single charge of breaching work, health and safety laws which carries a maximum fine of $1.5 million.

It's alleged a nine-year-old child was touching a plasma globe in one of the galleries when the incident happened, leaving them with burns to their hands and wrists

The matter is listed for a mention in the ACT Magistrates Court on September 12.

Canberra's light rail drivers have reported 41 near misses and four collisions in the ACT since January.

Authorities are pleading with Canberra commuters not to risk their lives around light rail.

ACT police have reminded commuters that they could face penalties for dangerous conduct.

Police, emergency services, and ACT Parks and Conservation Service urge Canberrans to be prepared when setting out in bushland during the colder months.

The warning follows three separate rescues in national parks around the Canberra region in July alone.

ACT Policing Rural Patrol Senior Constable Angus Fergusson says people should wear appropriate clothing, carry navigation equipment and a personal locator beacon when heading into cold conditions.

After more than a year of significant renovations and upgrades, One Raceway – formerly known as Wakefield Park – will reopen on the first weekend of October 2024.

Speaking to Drive, brothers Greg and Steve Shelley revealed final preparations were taking place at the racetrack, with several test days taking place before the debut event.

Located near Goulburn, approximately halfway between Sydney and Canberra, One Raceway is now a 13-turn track – up from 10 – thanks to the addition of new banked corners.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/11844513

Near Bulls Head in the Brindabellas, near Canberra

The BOM is predicting a decent amount of rainfall and snow falling down to 900m. If true that will make for a good time to see snow in the ranges - hopefully the forecast will be correct this time...

It's been a few months since my initial photo of these works so I thought I'd swing back past for another one. They have managed to get the road base significantly higher than it was (I'm guessing some of it must be pretty close to final level), and appear to be working on footings for a bridge over the creek.

A Canberra couple has been awarded $1,500 in damages by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal after the woman was woken by a real estate agent conducting an inspection in her bedroom.

The agent said he knocked on the door and called out after using a key to gain access to the property, which the tenants disputed.

The tribunal found the incident constituted trespass, and any consent given to continue the inspection was gained under duress.

The BoM is predicting snow above 1000m tomorrow morning, which means there's a good chance of seeing snow in parts of the Brindabellas you can drive to. Conveniently it happens to be Sunday tomorrow too so there's actually a chance for most people to be away from work.

I wouldn't recommend taking a 2wd up past the end of the tar on Brindabella Rd on a snow day (not that it can't be done, but I'm not going to tell strangers to do it) but if you only have access to a 2wd Corin Forest might get some natural snow in the morning.

Edit: Went up this morning and saw one actual snow flurry around 1700m, some sleet down to ~1500m and plain old rain below that. Bit of a misleading forecast IMO, I guess there is a chance of it getting better for snow later in the day (I have seen that happen before) but in terms of snow this morning wasn't worth heading out for.

The ACT government has confirmed the territory's first case of avian influenza has been detected at a Canberra farm, which has been quarantined.

Biosecurity authorities said the virus was brought to the ACT from New South Wales via the transporting of eggs and associated materials for commercial grading.

They said the territory was "well positioned to respond to this event, which is localised to a single property".

The annual winter solstice nude swim in Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin saw a record 399 participants.

A total of $67,000 was raised for Lifeline Canberra by this year's event.

Event organiser Ben Johnston says people's generosity despite the ongoing cost of living crisis is amazing to see.

A sculpture based on the ancient story of a snake eating its own tail has arrived at the National Gallery of Australia.

The gallery commissioned Ouroboros by Lindy Lee to celebrate its 40th birthday, and getting it from Brisbane to Canberra took almost a week.

Ouroboros, which is designed to last for at least 500 years, is expected to go on display to the public in October.

Telstra and the ACT government have agreed to work together on a plan to refurbish and reopen Canberra's iconic Black Mountain Tower.

The Telstra Tower closed to the the public in 2021 after tourism operators labelled the state of the site an "embarrassment".

Telstra plans to refurbish the tower in a way that celebrates Ngunnawal culture, and expects to have a cafe, shop and observation deck when it reopens.

Nestled among gumtrees on the side of a hill in a national park east of Canberra is a gaping hole that was once at the centre of one of Australia's most elaborate fraud schemes.

The geological formation known as the Big Hole is 100 metres deep and 35 metres wide.

Located in Deua National Park, it is thought to have formed about 50 million years ago when the roof of a cave collapsed.

The ACT Legislative Assembly has voted to make voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legal in the territory from November 2025.

Access will be limited to adults with a condition that is advanced, progressive and expected to cause death and who are approaching the end of their life.

The operation of the scheme will be monitored by an independent oversight board.

The Green Shed will close today, marking the end of an era for its owners Sandie Parkes and Charlie Bigg-Wither.

After more than 35 years, the duo say they will miss the people and the extraordinary finds along the way.

Vinnies will take over the contract for the waste management business from tomorrow.

Fruit tree netting that can entangle flying foxes and birds is now banned in Canberra backyards, with residents facing fines of up to $800 if caught continually using it.

The ACT government introduced the ban to protect native wildlife which can get caught up in large-gauge netting, causing serious injury or death.

Netting must now be wildlife-friendly with a mesh size of 5mm by 5mm or smaller, and there should be no gaps for wildlife to enter from the ground or above.

If your finger can fit through the mesh, then it is considered unsafe netting.

Canberra is the second-best city in the world for quality of life, according to the latest report by the Oxford Economics Global Cities.

The quality of life measure encapsulates the wellbeing and satisfaction of a city’s residents. The indicators used to rank each city include life expectancy, income per person, income equality, housing expenditure, recreation and cultural sites, and internet speed.

Canberra was ranked behind just Grenoble in France and was the only Australian city ranked in the top 10 for quality of life

Canberra's pill testing service CanTEST has found N-pyrrolidino protonitazene (NPP) in brown granular powder presented for testing.

It's the first time the synthetic opioid — thought to be 25 times stronger than fentanyl — has been detected in the ACT.

CanTEST has issued a red alert community notice warning NPP carries a high risk of fatal overdose and there is no safe level of use.