Queensland Country Hour ABC Podcasts

Rural news and events from Queensland and across Australia.

As the number of nests found at Oakey is rising, but its rising rivers nearby that have experts truly worried. 

For months, the Condamine-Ballone river system has been in-and-out of major flood following heavy rainfall in January and February. It's not much of a problem for residents used to it, but that was before they new fire ants were in the area.

The crafty critters can build rafts to travel on flooded rivers, and finding them in one of the largest catchments inside Australia's largest river system could have devastating consequences for everyone. 

A nutritious native nut once eaten by dinosaurs has huge potential to be part of the booming Indigenous bush food industry. 

Queensland remains one of Australia's largest coal states, and young people are flocking to mining for well-paying jobs in a cost of living crisis. 

Ambitious new emissions reduction targets are now set in law, but without the the people, the land and the planning approvals in place can it truly decarbonise?

As farmers stare down significant long-term threats to farm productivity, resilience and sustainability, Australia's top scientists say now is the time to change

From natural disasters, to poor prices from retailers and world markets, there are plenty of reasons not to become a farmer. 

But as some veteran producers retire and others exit altogether, there are plenty of keen beans ready to take up the job. 

The term 'horse-power' may have come about as a marketing tool to sell steam engines in the 1770s, but for the biennial Eidsvold Cattle Drive in country Queensland it's still literal. Using horses to move cattle into town, they're raising money for charity at the same time. 

In age of urbanisation it could be easy to forget the role horses play in our food supply chain, or the careers on offer working with them, like becoming an outback horse trainer. 

On the eve of a planned trial of driverless trucks, it shows just how far moving goods around Australia has come.