Townsville Bulletin
GIVE US A CHANCE
The Great Australian Dream of home ownership is in tatters, with half of all aspiring buyers giving up, stark new research has found. Millions more are resigned to renting for life, as our housing class divide widens to the real estate haves and...
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SLIPPERY FISH
demanded the state government fight harder against the Commonwealth to extend the ban for three years and wait for further research. Both have written to Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell urging them to appeal...
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$121M border blunder
A judge has expressed astonishment after hearing $121m of cocaine ended up in the community because a yacht flagged by Australian Border Force was left moored in Townsville for two months with no surveillance. The revelation came during the sentence of...
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SILENT SCOURGE
Doctors at Townsville University Hospital have raised the alarm over a surging public health crisis as North Queensland records its STORY, PAGE 3 highest number of syphilis cases in nearly a decade. The highly contagious sexually transmitted...
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BURNING OUESTIONS
Eleven days after fire tore through the Great Northern Hotel, owner Adrian Gabrielli has broken his silence to confirm that the building was uninsured and planning was under way to restore it prior to the blaze. The Townsville-based construction...
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VIOLENTXMAS NIGHT
An “obnoxious” Mount Isa business owner who viciously assaulted another man after a drunken Christmas party has narrowly escaped jail due to his parental responsibilities for two children. Mendel Elroy Trott, 40, was convicted by a jury of one count...
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GONE TO THE DOGS Ingham council counts $90k cost of brutal bulldog attack
Two American Bulldogs that mauled an Ingham Show volunteer so badly he needed emergency surgery have cost Hinchinbrook ratepayers almost $90,000 to destroy. The dogs’ owner Robert Jason Charles Clough, 53, (pictured) unsuccessfully fought council...
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CLINK FOR CRYPTO BRO
Well-known crypto trader Michael James Sloggett, who laundered over $2.6m in funds, will spend at least five months in jail after he was sentenced over money laundering and drug charges dating back five years to his arrest in April, 2021.
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TEEN KICKS OFF CREEP
A woman’s sexual assault of a drunken teen in the heart of Townsville’s city centre only ended when he kicked her down a river embankment. Ada Gwendolyn Rose Johnson, 34, appeared in Townsville District Court this week and pleaded guilty to sexual...
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LOCKDOWNS WAY UP
The number of daily lockdowns inside Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville have soared to the detriment of reducing juvenile crime, according to a youth-justice advocate. A document released under the Right to Information Act showed in...
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Child abuse suspect bailed
A Townsville man has been granted bail after child sexual abuse material was allegedly discovered on his phone during a routine search at Cairns airport. Daniel Wayne Binnie, 45, was intercepted by Australian Border Force officers on Thursday...
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BITTER DEFEAT
The Cowboys have been left to rue their own mistakes after a crushing loss in Saturday’s elimination final.
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GREAT LOSS
Great Northern Hotel owners say they are devastated by the fire that has almost certainly destroyed the heritage-listed property. Homeless people were a huge issue for the abandoned hotel in the Townsville CBD according to nearby workers, with one...
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STRAND PERVERT
Townsville man Andrew Allan Oba was sentenced to nine months in prison following a public incident at The Strand where he exposed himself to children, ran naked along the beach and made exaggerated indecent gestures.
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LEFT HIGH AND DRY
Townsville leaders are warning that hundreds of jobs and $200 million a year are at stake if the Federal Government relocates the city’s army watercraft to a competing North Queensland base. The government is understood to be considering moving...
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FIREBUG FEARS
There are fears a serial arsonist has made an unwelcome return as North Queensland heads towards a potentially severe, if not catastrophic, bushfire season. Fires on Tuesday were burning at Oonoonba, Mount Stuart and areas to the immediate south of...
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‘DADDY CAN’T COME HOME’
Grieving relatives wept in court as heartless triple murderer Darryl Young was handed a record-breaking 40-year non-parole period. Young refused to look at the victims’ loved ones as he was jailed for the “cowardly” Bogie slaughter.
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CHUGGING FOR COVER
A meth-fuelled driver armed with three knives tried to skol an iced coffee to fool cops but walked free from court despite a vile campaign of domestic abuse. Nicholas Donald Nowlan pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court to eight charges,...
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JUSTICE. AT LAST.
Darryl Young has been found guilty of murdering his three neighbours in a shooting at the front gate of his Bogie property. The jury also found Young guilty of the attempted murder of Ross Tighe. Family of the victims cheered as the verdict was read....
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RED ALERT
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has put Townsville MPS on notice, launching a fierce regional offensive with claims her party could capture up to 40 per cent of the local vote at the next state election. Speaking in the garrison city yesterday,...
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CREEK CAPTURED
Annette Langan sent through this shot she titled ‘A Peaceful Afternoon in Mundingburra’.
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SAIL AWAY, SAIL AWAY
This striking photo was taken by Hunter Zhang on Monday as a race got under way at the Magnetic Island Race Week.
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MIRROR IMAGE
Mount Stuart is reflected in the glassy waters of the Ross River in this photo from Oonoonba resident Mary Bee.
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MAYOR’S BLAME GAME
Townsville mayor Nick Dametto says it’s the media who owes the community an apology in a fiery press conference on Friday morning, after being issued an infringement notice for public nuisance for a high-profile pub fiasco on Magnetic Island.
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MAYOR PAYS PRICE
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto has been fined for public nuisance following a highprofile altercation during a Magnetic Island pub crawl earlier this year. Queensland Police Service confirmed late on Thursday afternoon that the former Hinchinbrook MP...
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RENOVATION RESCUE
A decades-long wait for works on Townsville’s most notorious CBD eyesore may be over, with works seemingly under way at the former Dimmeys Arcade. The once-bustling Flinders Street property has earnt the ire of the Townsville community after being...
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LANDLORD CRASHES OUT
An Ingham landlord has been sentenced to nine months’ jail, suspended for a year, after she drove her SUV through the gate of her rental property, injuring a tenant who owed her money. Rebecca Elise Oddy’s (pictured) not guilty plea led to a lengthy...
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TOO SCARED TO SPEAK
Terrified Townsville residents are too scared of retaliation to report criminals, according to damning new Crime Stoppers research. Townsville recorded a record high number of reported crimes in 2025 and remains on track for a similar total in 2026...
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HOOK, LINE & SINKER
A devastating $160 million ban that wiped out North Queensland’s gillnet fishing industry was allegedly built on a report bankrolled by the World Wildlife Fund and facing criticism for university involvement.
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TRAGIC TOLL ON COMMUNITY
A tragic 24 hours on North Queensland roads has left a motorcyclist dead and several others fighting for their lives following a relentless spate of crashes across the Townsville region. Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed that a man in his 70s had...
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Council changes rules
Townsville community groups seeking local government funding will have to prove their economic worth, with new council guidelines tying up to $50,000 in partnership grants directly to tourism, job creation and industry growth. Under the Townsville...
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UNINSURED AND EXPOSED
A shocking four in 10 Townsville homes are going without contents insurance, leaving thousands of local households exposed to potential financial ruin in the event of a natural disaster.
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SHOCK CONFESSION
A detective has unearthed an explosive confession, allegedly made by a former police officer, that dramatically implicates him in the 1993 murder of WWII veteran Les Ball. This stunning breakthrough, years after the case ran cold, is now casting a...
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DRONE DANGER IN OUR SKIES
Unidentified drones have breached restricted airspace over RAAF Base Townsville, exposing a massive national security concern right in our own backyard. Just 72 hours after the Federal Government was warned that northern bases were completely...
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STUNNING SHORES
Adell Ellis sent in this Top Shot of a perfectly foamy shorefront.
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SQUATTER HOLIDAY HORROR
Eleven people were found squatting inside a Townsville home while its 75-year-old owner was overseas, a court heard. A stolen car and a cache of firearms, including a shotgun, were also uncovered. During sentencing, the court heard the squatters were...
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Witness tells of ‘horror’
An accused triple murderer allegedly insisted his four neighbours meet him at his property line before three were shot dead, a court has heard. Giving evidence in the Townsville Supreme Court, witness Kaitlin Jordan told a jury she heard Darryl Young...
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CANDIDATES’ MARKET SPAT
Andrew Mckaysmith A council candidate says she will abandon her market stalls after a run-in with a fellow candidate left her feeling “scared”. Division 1 contender Michelle Hobson made the claims after a confrontation with rival candidate Steven Clare.
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Pivotal evidence in cold case
A single, forged train ticket has emerged as a pivotal piece of evidence in the decades-long cold case surrounding the disappearance of WWII veteran Les Ball. This crucial detail, is casting a stark new light on what happened to the 71-year-old before...
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TROPICAL TIP-OFF ALL SET
An all-in WNBL tournament in North Queensland will kick off with a series of community clinics later this month. Former Opal and WNBL Strategy and Basketball Partnerships chief Lauren Jackson says the first steps towards the September Townsville Tip...
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FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
A three decade search for answers into the disappearance of Townsville man Leslie Ball may finally be over. A new podcast claims to hold the answers to what happened.
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Buckle up for the legendary Mt Isa rodeo
Thousands of fans and hundreds of competitors from across Australia and overseas are packing into the mining city for the legendary Mount Isa Mines Rodeo. Newly crowned rodeo queens and a group of riders visited local schools in Mount Isa on Wednesday...
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SISTER ON MURDER CHARGE
A 70-year-old disability support worker has faced court charged with the domestic violence murder of her vulnerable half-brother. Police allege 56-year-old Isaac Oar, who had Down syndrome and was non-verbal, was severely malnourished and weighed a...
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CLERIC’S DENIALS
A former priest at the centre of a North Queensland child sexual abuse trial has denied any memory of his accuser. Neville Creen, 86, told the jury he did not know the complainant or make him perform sexual acts upon him.
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WATER YOU LOOKING AT?
Julie Lyne captured this waterbird stretching its wings beside the lilies during a recent walk through Anderson Park.
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SHOW US THE MONEY
One of the nation’s biggest tertiary education unions has slammed JCU’S leadership over proposed workplace cuts and enterprise agreement negotiations, despite the university notching up a $37 million financial surplus. The criticism comes as JCU faces...
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HACK TO SCHOOL
A Townsville school has confirmed that hackers were able to gain access to potentially “sensitive information” on its computer system. Townsville Christian College has warned parents to change their passwords and remain alert for unusual calls.
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GLOWING SUNSET
Glowing Sunset on beautiful Cockle Bay, Maggie Island, courtesy of Kev Rowan.
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LAST’S LINE OF DEFENCE
Hayden Johnson North Queensland MP Dale Last has been drawn into damaging admissions over the appointment of former LNP minister Andrew Cripps to a cushy, $392,711 a year job. Confronted by the Labor opposition over the appointment in estimates, Mr...
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Welcome to a new era of news.
When you understand why things happen, everything becomes clear. It's never been more important for news to give you that clarity - to help you understand what's really going on. So, if you're ready for a sharper perspective, come with us. Get the...
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COERCIVE CONTROLLER JAILED
A judge has slammed a 26-year-old’s horrifying campaign of domestic violence as “one hell of a way” to start an offending record. Mitchell Connor Rosewood has been jailed for five years after subjecting his girlfriend to death threats and extreme...
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CLASS WAR ON CAMPUS
Mounting frustrations at Townsville’s James Cook University campus have boiled over, with students protesting a raft of changes made by the university’s executives. Students have petitioned JCU higher-ups to revert a pair of proposed changes, saying...
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FLATMATE’S DARK SECRET
Almost three decades after the murder of Dianne Angwin in her Bowen home, new details have emerged that could finally crack the North Queensland cold case. Police have revealed the 50year-old’s flatmate admitted to recognising the intruder but kept...
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SHAME, PAULINE
Leading Domestic Violence educator and former police officer Elise Feltham has called Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce’s comments on domestic violence, “irresponsible” and “ridiculously absurd”. Earlier this week, Hanson likened DV to a “two way...
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‘A PARENT’S NIGHTMARE’
Described by a prosecutor as “every parent’s worst nightmare”, a man charged with attempting to take two young girls for immoral purposes has been refused bail after a court heard he posed an unacceptable risk to children and the broader...
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Tricky truckies push limits
Rogue truckies are being warned to slow down after a nationwide crackdown exposed a shocking wave of illegal speed tamping across the nation’s heavy vehicle fleet. Queensland was among five states targeted in the crackdown – known as Operation...
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FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM
A Townsville fitness business owner faced some of her darkest days in the years after she was sexually assaulted during a morning run. Corryn Henrich was left devastated by the lingering effects of the attack, but is now vowing not to let other women...
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These snakes take the cake
Billabong Sanctuary senior ranger Bas Lloyd-how thinks snakes are just awesome and for him World Snake Day, last Wednesday, is one of his favourite days of the year. The event aims to get people to appreciate the ecological importance of the reptiles...
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COPS FACE CRIME TIDE
Crime in Townsville is at near-record levels as the Queensland Police Union has blasted a lack of resources and labelled the watch house “dangerous” and “disgusting”.
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SAIL INTO HISTORY
The Magnetic Island Race Week has sold out of competitor registrations in a record eight minutes. This year the event will feature a packed social calendar as it looks to bring in more tourism dollars than ever before.
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SEX VIDEO ALLEGATION
A former army soldier accused of messaging a 14-year-old girl and offering money for sexual favours, showed her a sex act on video, a court has heard as his trial on child exploitation material charges began.
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Kieran Keyes resigns as chief operating officer HOSPITAL BOSS GONE RENOWNED AUTHOR CAMERAS ROLL VISITS THE VILLE ON FILM FEST FRANCES WHITING EVENT, P3 FULL DETAILS, P5
Townsville University Hospital chief operating officer Kieran Keyes has quit to pursue a “change in professional direction.” The departure comes after a period of recent leave for Mr Keyes. In an email to staff, board chairman Tony Mooney said he...
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Cops fail test, then axe it
Queensland Police is working to find a replacement for a crucial integrity survey which has been scrapped just as results show the service is falling short of its own public trust targets. The QPS Service Delivery Report – released in the 2026-27...
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RAPIST HAD NO REMORSE
A disgraced Townsville real estate agent has been jailed for nine years after using his power as a caretaker to wage a “brazen” campaign of sexual violence against four women. Alexander Terry, 69, sat emotionless in the District Court as Judge...
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READY TO ROAR
Australia’s best drivers will descend on the city as the Townsville 500 prepares to set hearts racing again.
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Uni’s $12m name change stir
A Queensland university’s mooted name change away from its “complex” but “historical” roots would cost up to $12m, an internal report has revealed. It’s believed that cost would have been passed on to students. The report into James Cook University...
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Squeeze on prison system
The state government’s toughon-crime agenda is colliding with an underfunded and poorly resourced prison system that is failing to rehabilitate offenders, a shocking report has revealed. In a blunt assessment of the state’s prison system, the...
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BY THE RIVERSIDE
Kim Mostyn sent in this snap of the Ross River flowing through Mundingburra.
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PRICES HIT THE ROOF
New data has heaped fresh pain on aspiring homeowners, with Townsville now ranked as the most expensive city to build a house in the nation. The northern capital has seen construction costs grow rapidly over the past few years, with builders bearing...
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FISH OUT OF WATER
Secret plans could be underway to uproot the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium from its current location, with an insider revealing that the Reef Authority may abandon its historic city site over fears it’s no longer an appropriate spot. Despite holding a...
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TRAGIC CRASH
Two more lives have been lost on the notorious Bruce Highway, while there are grave fears for another person following a separate crash on a private property hours later. A man and woman, both from Toobanna, were killed in a collision between a Toyota...
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