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Adam Stephen
Cairns, QLD
Originally from a sheep and cattle property outside Armidale in Northern New South Wales, a burning desire to be a reporter led him to leave home and study journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
Latest by Adam Stephen
Goats added to rail fleet to manage bushfire hazards on difficult blocks
A herd of goats has "annihilated" weeds posing a fire risk in inaccessible terrain in a third of the time they were given to get the job done. Now the landowners have bigger ideas.
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Queensland farmer specialises in melons that you're unlikely to see on supermarket shelves
Shaun Jackson grows niche varieties of melons and, just as Australians are cutting back on fruit, an expanding Japanese market can't get enough of them.
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Rats rampage across outback Queensland, chewing through crops, homes and machines
Residents in the state's north are at war with rodents invading properties, contaminating water and infesting vehicles, as cane farmers estimate they will lose more than 100,000 tonnes of crop to the pests this season.
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Croc sex frenzy: Low-flying army choppers spark romp in the swamp
Crocs at a Rockhampton reptile farm were flung into the throes of orgiastic ecstasy after a Chinook helicopter hovered low over their pools – and the erotic explosion has researchers very interested.
China was Australia's most lucrative inbound tourism market. Are we ready for its return?
Queensland tourism figures welcome efforts to reignite the China group travel market but warn there are still challenges to overcome before visitors return en masse.
Proposed Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet ban catches out commercial fishers who warn it's unviable for business
Queensland fishers say the proposed gillnet ban across parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria will result in fewer locally caught fish for consumers and more imports, but conservationists say the country has an international responsibility to protect the critically endangered sawfish.
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Meet 'Mrs Mac', the no-nonsense 86yo pharmacist providing health care to Australia's outback
Loved by many and a self-proclaimed "black sheep", Elaine McCormick has been supplying medicines and health advice to some of Queensland's most remote communities since she was 21 years old.
'I live in the shed': Rocking horse craftsman's painstaking passion
Tommy Besant wakes up every morning in a messy work shed surrounded by tools, timber and a stable of elaborate rocking horses he's brought to life with his own hands – and he owes his obsession to a childhood gift from his father.
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Veggie 'oversupply' sees 70pc price drop on some produce, with farmers struggling to recoup costs
Due to an unusually warm winter in northern Australia, an oversupply of fresh produce like capsicums and tomatoes is leading to fears that farmers' costs for growing vegetables will soon outweigh their return.
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Fish and chip prices to rise with ban on major form of fishing, a fisheries scientist says
There are fears fresh fish prices could "go through the roof" with a ban on gillnet fishing, paving the way for more imported seafood.
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NRL legend 'Slammin' Sam' survives heart attack, multiple surgeries, hopes to inspire Origin win
During his heyday, "Slammin' Sam" Backo was among the toughest rugby league players. Now, he's facing his biggest test yet and hoping to inspire Queensland to an Origin series win.
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Why Hugo donated blood to save the life of a fellow feline
Blood donations save the lives of others during emergencies and also help people facing serious illness. It's the same for our pets too – and more cat blood donors are needed.
Satellite confirms Queensland meteor was largest over Australia in 30 years
The meteor that captivated Queensland this month was the largest space rock recorded over Australia in 30 years and had a blast equivalent to exploding 7.2 kilotons of TNT.
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Mums face anxious wait as Cairns' only private maternity unit goes under review
The future of Cairns' only private maternity unit is in limbo as obstetric services dwindle across Queensland's far north.
Why locals in a once-proud north Queensland dairy region can't get a bottle of milk
A region once home to hundreds of dairy farms has been running low on milk, with supermarket shelves stripped bare of the essential item.
Pat Rafter was kicked out of Star Wars in Mount Isa before rising to world's number one tennis player
Australian tennis legend Pat Rafter opens up about his barefooted childhood as one of 10 kids – and an emotional homecoming to visit his brother's grave.
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Lock-crunching break-ins prompt call for ban on tool sales to minors
A Queensland locksmith says thieves are using a trick of his trade to break into homes. He believes retailers could help to reduce the growing number of cases.
Where's Scarface? Fears for missing Daintree River crocodile icon
With just three teeth — but weighing 500 kilograms — Scarface the crocodile has been the king of his river home for two decades. His disappearance has an admirer worried.
Monster cane toad to become prize museum exhibit
Giant amphibian "Toadzilla" will join others like "Yuk" and "Bette Davis" at the Queensland Museum — but it may be a few months before the frozen specimen is ready for visitors.
A goanna killing the engines, heat and red dust, 'you never get bored' at the helm of the Gulflander
Ken Fairbairn drove the Gulflander train through Queensland's savanna for 12 years, but it was pure chance that he ended up at the helm after quitting an engineering career in Sydney's inner-west.
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Clive Palmer sells Queensland refinery to Swiss buyers
Businessman Clive Palmer has sold his mothballed Queensland Nickel plant for a reported but unconfirmed sale price of $2 billion.
As islands are 'eaten away' Torres Strait leader fears only getting 'crumbs' after COP27 deal
A leader says a deal to compensate developing countries for climate damage will not help their region, which is on the "frontline".
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How a secret cave built by a remarkable grandfather transformed from air-raid shelter to childhood wonderland
Most kids are lucky to get a cubby house in the backyard, but the Teodo clan in Far North Queensland has its own man-made cave thanks to an "abnormally strong" ancestor who survived the horrors of war.
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38-year-old paramedic discovers he has eight siblings after receiving unexpected letter
Guy Hampshire always wondered if he was adopted while growing up. He wasn't, but a letter in the mail changed his notion of his identity and gave him a whole new family connection.
TrainGuy living his childhood dream with a worldwide audience watching on
A love of trains put Joe Dietz on the fast track to internet stardom, and but he will not be giving up his day job driving cane trains in far north Queensland.
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