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Australia

Parramatta photography captures booming, culturally rich city after severe COVID lockdowns

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After months of being locked down and singled out as a coronavirus danger zone, Western Sydney is facing the difficult challenge of bouncing back.

Workers required permits to leave their local area, the community had nightly 9pm curfews, defense personnel were on the streets helping enforce restrictions, and a targeted police operation roamed the areas known as the LGAs of concern.

Despite four months of tough restrictions, the community’s spirit was not broken, and people returned enthusiastically to public spaces in droves.

Photographer Cherine Fahd discovered this as she embarked on her photography project at the end of the 107-day lockdown.

“I wasn’t sure whether people would want to participate, whether they’d want to come onto the stage that we created and take photographs with me. And it was incredible,” Fahd said.

A man in a blue jumpsuit with flares and mask poses outside a football stadium, a woman in red t-shirt holds sun reflector.
One of the multiple photo shoots was held outside Western Sydney Stadium.(Supplied: Cherine Fahd)

“People were really enthusiastic to be part of something creative.”

Setting up photo booths in Parramatta’s public spaces such as Centenary Square and outside Western Sydney Stadium before an Eels game, Fahd captured a cross-section of the community after shooting for more than eight months.

Photographs from Being Together: Parramatta Yearbook (2021–2022) from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Parramatta Artists’ Studios are on display in Parramatta’s Centenary Square.

Like a high school yearbook, locals are invited to find themselves in the public artwork.

Parramatta is one of Sydney’s most diverse neighbourhoods. Fahd said the cultural richness that shone in her work de ella came naturally to the project.

A wall of photos and collages in a public square with deep blue skies.
MCA curator Pedro de Almeida says the work puts art outside the typical gallery environment.(Supplied: Cherine Fahd)

“It’s just the people that came and went on the days that we were shooting,” she said.

“Parramatta is diverse, it always has been.”

MCA curator Pedro de Almeida said works like Fahd’s were able to put community front and center outside the typical gallery environment that art usually resided in.

“Fahd has brought her humor and empathy to this year’s project Being Together: Parramatta Years and engaged with Parramatta’s diverse communities,” Mr de Almeida said.

“The result is a special kind of public yearbook that recognizes many of the individuals that shape Parramatta’s identity and celebrates the connections shared between them.”

A time capsule of a changing city

Pounding jackhammers, whirring drills, and reversing trucks make up the soundscape of Parramatta’s center as the area is being transformed into a concrete jungle metropolis.

Construction workers pose for a photograph on a work site.
Fahd says her aim was to foreground the people against the rapid development of the city.(Supplied: Cherine Fahd)

Major infrastructure projects, such as the Parramatta Square project and Sydney Metro, promise to rival the Sydney CBD and represent the rapid development of the city.

Fahd sought to capture this change in the project, which included a photo shoot on the construction site of 5 Parramatta Square, where the new council chambers will be housed.

“One of my aims as an artist was to foreground the people against that backdrop of development,” she said.

“I think we get lost in the excitement of architecture and building and the people can get lost in that.”

Lord Mayor of Parramatta City Council Donna Davis said the artwork did a great job of capturing this moment in time for the city.

“This artwork is a wonderful representation of our city and its people at a significant moment in time — not only in terms of the pandemic but also with respect to the physical transformation of the CBD,” Ms Davis said.

A woman in red t-shirt and two men pose at an outdoor photo shoot. One man has head leaning on the other guy's shoulder.
Fahd says she was not expecting participants to be so willing to take part.(Supplied: Cherine Fahd)

Beginning of lifelong project

Parramatta Yearbook is likely the beginning of a lifelong project for Fahd, who says she would like to take the concept further afield to other places where a strong sense of community binds people together, particularly through hardship.

Fahd brought up the example of Lismore, which was hit by catastrophic flooding earlier this year.

“You could take it regionally, you could take it overseas, take it into other states and capture various communities,” she said.

“Each community will bring something of themselves and something that’s unique.”

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Australia

Bull prices up 20 per cent on last year’s sales despite foot-and-mouth disease threat

Four farmers leaning on a fence with pamphlets, looking at bulls in a pen.

Bull sales across New South Wales have exceeded expectations despite the looming threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Knowla Livestock, a stud based near Gloucester on the Mid North Coast, sold his top bull for $190,000 — the highest price paid nationally for a bull so far this season.

“It was unbelievable — $40,000 was our top price until this year, so we didn’t only break our own record, we absolutely smashed it,” principal James Laurie said.

The stud sold all of the 82 bulls it put to market for an average price of about $26,500.

Mr Laurie had been concerned sale prices would be adversely affected by the FMD outbreak in Indonesia.

Australia is ramping up biosecurity measures to prevent FMD from crossing the border, which would likely lead to mass culls of infected animals and cause major disruption to the meat and livestock trade.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) estimates an outbreak could cost the country $80 billion over 10 years.

Mr Laurie said with FMD front of mind for many, he was not sure what kind of demand to expect at the sale.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market at the moment, in both the physical market and from these overseas issues, so we were just thinking that might take the edge off it,” he said.

“But the interest we had that came from a lot further afield than what we’ve ever had before — that probably waylaid those fears.”

A group of smiling people wearing hats pose near a large bull.
The Knowla livestock team’s previous record price for a bull was $40,000.(Supplied: James Laurie)

Prices up to 20 per cent

Auction Plus chief economist Tim McRae said the market had experienced a huge jump in prices for bulls compared with last year.

“For July we saw bull prices average 20 per cent above the same time last year — and prices were pretty high last year,” he said.

“But also the clearance rates [were high]so the number of bulls that have been getting sold per auction was well in the 90 per cent area.”

Mr McRae said the conditions over the last two years and rising cattle prices were behind the results.

“The very good seasonal conditions are enabling producers to make long-term decisions,” he said.

“There’s still pretty good confidence [in the industry]barring some of the recent downturns in the commercial market.

“The outlook for the beef industry is still very good and commercial producers are very keen to make sure the genetics they have help them optimize that in years to come.”

A large group of people milling around in a cattle sale yard.
Industry experts and sellers say people have confidence in the future of the beef industry.(Supplied: James Laurie)

Struan Pearce of Stud Stock Sales agreed that concerns about FMD had not impacted sales.

“People are certainly aware of it,” he said.

“But I suppose they can’t just give up on it and concede defeat, so they’ve just got to keep moving forward, purchasing their bulls and new genetics and keep producing the steers that they’re earning their money from.”

Mr Pearce said prices were strong across the country.

“Geographically there’s been some terrific sales up in Queensland, right through NSW into Victoria and South Australia,” he said.

Three men and three women, all smiling and wearing hats.
The Texas Angus crew saw the average price for their bulls rise by $7,000 on last year’s sale.(Supplied: Texas Angus)

record smashed

Recently at Warialda, NSW, a new record was set for the highest grossing single-vendor sale of sheep or cattle in Australia when Texas Angus stud earned a remarkable $5.8 million for its bull and heifer sale.

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Australia

NSW, Victoria, SA, Tasmania, ACT weather forecast: Severe weather warning

NSW, Victoria, SA, Tasmania, ACT weather forecast: Severe weather warning

Severe weather warnings are in place in five states and territories as gale-force winds and thunderstorm conditions near a NSW ski resort.

Winds of up to 100km/h have hit NSW, Victoria and Tasmania early on Thursday.

Canberra could see two months’ worth of rain fall in just 24 hours after 40mm of rain hit the ACT since midnight.

The cold front that whipped up damaging winds in Western Australia earlier this week has moved east across the Great Australian Bight overnight.

A complex low pressure system moving across the Great Australian Bight and an associated through and cold front are causing vigorous north-westerly winds across southeast NSW.

NSW and Victorian snowfields are set to suffer under a downpour of rain and gale-force winds, prompting Thredbo resort to close all lifts for the day.

Damaging north-westerly winds and dangerous surf are forecast throughout the day in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and the ACT, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Heavy rainfall is expected in some regions, and the bureau is monitoring the situation for isolated major flooding possible in catchments in southern NSW, northern Tasmania and Victoria’s northeast.

Sheep graziers across the south of NSW, ACT and parts of South Australia are warned that cold temperatures, showers and gusty winds are expected through Friday. There is a risk to lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.

NSW/ ACT

Damaging wind gusts of more than 125km/h are likely for alpine areas above 1900m on Thursday.

Khancoban, behind Perisher Valley recorded a wind gust of 100 km/h at 2am while nearby Cabramurra recorded a gust of 98 km/h just after midnight.

The Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes could receive between 45mm and 60mm of rainfall.

Lightning and gale-force winds are expected throughout the day and have prompted Thredbo resort to shut down all lifts for the day to the disappointment of holiday-makers.

Just 22 of Perisher resort’s 53 lifts are open on Thursday and will continue to be monitored throughout the day for safety.

Inland water catchments are on flood watch as heavy rainfall across the central and southwest of the state could bring minor to isolated major flooding.

Saturated soils in the Central Tablelands and Illawarra will bring an increased risk of fallen trees and powerlines in powerful winds.

The west ranges of the ACT, east to Bombala, south to Crookwell and north to Oberon can expect damaging winds of up to 90km/h on Thursday morning.

South Australia

Strong to damaging winds smashed the western and southern coasts of the state on Wednesday afternoon.

They will return again on Thursday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to widespread areas of the south.

Up to 60mm of heavy rainfall is possible for parts of the Lofty Ranges into Thursday evening and Friday morning.

The area is on watch for a localized riverine or flash flood threat.

Victory

High-speed winds of up to 100km/h lashed the alpine regions on Wednesday and may return on Thursday.

Mt Hotham recorded 56.4mm in the 6 hours to midnight this morning.

Some parts of the state will receive up to 60mm of heavy rainfall throughout the morning, though most will average under 40mm.

A severe thunderstorm warning was canceled on Wednesday but conditions may return.

Rainfall of between 5mm and 10mm brought minor flood warnings for Seven and Castle creeks near Shepparton.

Tasmanian

Winds of up to 100km/h reached the state’s higher ground overnight and strong winds are expected to stick around through Thursday in coastal areas.

A minor flood warning is current for the Mersey, Meander, North Esk and Macquarie rivers.

Thunderstorms in the north and west of the state may drive more strong wind likes and higher rainfall totals.

Read related topics:Weather

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Australia

Tobias Moran: Appeal lodged against bail of backpacker Simone Strobel’s alleged killer

Tobias Moran: Appeal lodged against bail of backpacker Simone Strobel's alleged killer

The release of Tobias Friedrich Moran, accused of murdering his German backpacker girlfriend, must be determined by the NSW Supreme Court after a magistrate said the case against him was not the strongest.

Magistrate Margaret Quinn in the Downing Center Local Court on Thursday accepted submissions from Moran’s barrister there was no new evidence connecting him to the murder of Simone Strobel in 2005.

And while the Crown submitted new witness statements taken from people in Germany showed that he lied about the state of their relationship, that evidence was not currently before the court.

The magistrate said evidence showed the couple had been fighting, drinking a lot and perhaps on some drugs about the time of the alleged murder.

“(But) it doesn’t appear in this case to be any direct or indirect evidence connecting him to the offence,” Ms Quinn said.

“It’s not the strongest circumstantial case I have seen.”

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Australia

Coober Pedy council to remain in administration pending government decisions for town’s future

Coober Pedy council to remain in administration pending government decisions for town's future

Coober Pedy is gearing up for council elections that in all likelihood will not be held.

Tim Jackson was appointed to administer the council in January 2019 after its elected members were suspended, a decision taken by the former state government in response to soaring debts and maladministration.

“A council is required to prepare a supplementary role of voters,” Mr Jackson said.

“We have done that and this is due to the fact that legislation to delay elections in Coober Pedy has not been introduced into the parliament yet but the local government minister has indicated that it is his intention to do so.”

Mr Jackson has proposed four models for a return to democratic governance, with his preferred option being a $12 million purchase of the town’s electricity and water utilities by the state government.

“This would enable the council to clear its debt obligations of approximately $10 million,” he said.

Coober Pedy’s local MP Eddie Hughes said the town needed government assistance to regain equality for its residents.

Two men in front of a ute in Coober Pedy.
Eddie Hughes recently visited Coober Pedy to meet with locals including opal shop owner Bill Korbetis.(Supplied: Eddie Hughes)

“We don’t expect any council in the state to exclusively manage water supply or provide retail electricity and distribution, yet we’ve placed this burden on one of our more remote communities,” Mr Hughes said.

“We need to shrink the council down to basic municipal services and that means addressing the issue of what to do with the supply of water and also the distribution of electricity.”

desperate for investment

Local business owner Melissa Georgianoudis has lived in Coober Pedy for more than 30 years and said that residents are desperate for a change.

“The town is tired and people notice it when they come through,” Ms Georgianoudis said.

“The potholes that never get fixed, the rubbish that doesn’t get picked up: It’s hard not to feel like nobody is listening.”

A sign saying Coober Pedy similar to the Hollywood sign.
The town’s “Hollywood” sign recently had its lighting restored.(ABC News: Patrick Martin)

Coober Pedy’s council owned water network is in urgent need of repair.

“There are fountains everywhere from leaks in the water system, I have no water pressure in my house,” Ms Georgianoudis said.

“Prices for everything are going up but there’s no money going back into the town and it’s driving people away.”

Shrinking oasis worth saving

More than 200 residents have left the opal city over the last five years according to national census data, however the town remains a multicultural mecca in the desert.

Sri Lankan migrant and eight-year resident Dilusha Fernando said Coober Pedy’s services made it an ideal place to raise a family.

“I feel really happy, especially with the child care,” Mr Fernando said.

“I would definitely say it really is a good environment to raise a child here because I can see that for my child, she’s 18 months now.”

Family portrait of mother, father and young girl.
Dilusha says Coober Pedy is a great place to raise his daughter Ayana.(Supplied: Dilusha Fernando)

The town has a reputation in Australia’s migrant community for its welcoming and friendly attitude.

“It’s like a big family up here I reckon, I’ve met so many people and they’re all very nice,” Mr Fernando said.

“Whoever left Coober Pedy never said a word about any bad stuff here, everyone’s like, yeah it’s a good place to start a life.”

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Rental stress hits families in Toowoomba with $15 standing between home and homelessness

A woman with long brown hair and a navy hoodie stands in front of her brick home

Fifteen dollars might be spare change to some but, for those trying to contend with feeding a family and grappling with rising costs of living it is a rent rise few can afford.

According to a new survey from Data Finance Analytics Toowoomba, southern Queensland has one of the highest rates of mortgage and rent stress in the country.

The survey of 47,000 people across Australia found 61 per cent of renters were under rental stress, while in Toowoomba 57 per cent of the 240 respondents experienced rental stress.

Lyndal Hood is one of them. She and her husband’s rent has recently risen by $15 a week.

“Our rent went up from $230 to $245 when we got our new lease,” she said.

Ms Hood’s husband works in retail, and she worked in hospitality until forced to take a break after a heart attack late last year.

major sacrifice

Ms Hood said while it may seem like a small amount, it quickly added up.

“That extra $30 to [fortnight]that’s the price of my medications,” she said.

“That means no extra money left over, and it’s not like we’re bludgers.

“If it went up further, we’d have to leave because we can barely cope with what we’ve got.”

Welcome to Toowoomba sign surrounded by flowers
Toowoomba has been known as Australia’s Garden City since the 1940s.(ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

Ms Hood said she had no choice but to stay in her property and pay the extra amount.

“I feel like we’re just stuck,” she said.

“We look around town at what else is out there and it’s no better than this place. The house across the road is $360 a week and it’s a dive.”

Darling Downs and South West REIQ president Daniel Burrett said rent rises were generally the landlord’s reaction to increasing interest rates.

“Rents are continuing to go up,” he said.

“The average rent price in Toowoomba is in the early $400s. It used to be around the $330 to $340 mark.”

statewide surge

Statewide it is no secret that rent is also surging, particularly in high-growth areas.

According to the Everybody’s Home campaign that coincides with Homelessness Week this week, the average rent on the Gold Coast rose by over 15 per cent in the past three years.

Everybody’s Home spokesperson Kate Colvin said the data proved how many people were at risk of homelessness.

“We know that rental stress is the gateway to homelessness,” she said.

“When you combine surging rents with flat wages you put people in a financial vice and for the past three years that vice has been tightening.”

Ms Colvin said it would not just affect low to middle-income earners and was “a handbrake on the economy right through regional Australia”.

“You have situations where in tourism locations restaurants can’t open every day of the week because they can’t get the staff, or aged care services around the country where they simply can’t get the staff to operate at full capacity,” she said.

“A part of the reason for that is because people won’t move to an area to take up work if they can’t find a house or a property in the rental market.

“In terms of our economic health, particularly in regional Australia, housing is an important part of the picture.”

never been worse

Data Finance Analytics principal Martin Short said he had never seen it as bad.

“Unfortunately, both rental stress and mortgage stress seem to rise and the pressure on households is really stressful and growing,” he said.

“I’ve never seen it so high with almost half of households with a rent obligation finding it really difficult to service it.

“It’s the worst in the high-growth corridors, the areas of the country that have been on a lot of new developments.”

Lowset brick house with For Rent sign out front.
Housing advocate Everybody’s Home says surging rents with flat wages have put people in a “financial vice”.(ABC News: Lucy Robinson)

Rents rose by 12.1 per cent on the Sunshine Coast to an average of $641 per week and 9.4 per cent or $426.21 per week in Cairns.

Ms Colvin said the solution was in social housing.

“Obviously, building social housing would deliver rental properties, but rental properties that are targeted to low-income households who are the ones who are being most squeezed out of the rental market,” she said.

Ms Colvin said this would then free up rentals for people in other income brackets.

“So, it’s a really great solution that really fits the problem,” she said.

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Why is everything so expensive?

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ADF, Border Force called in as government establishes foot-and-mouth disease task force

A grey-haired, bespectacled man in a dark suit.

The Army is being called in to advise the federal government on Australia’s preparedness for a potential outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Australia has been free of the disease, which affects pigs, goats, cattle and sheep, for more than a century, but an outbreak detected in Indonesia in May has authorities on high alert.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says the new task force will provide urgent advice over the next four weeks on Australia’s response in the event of a potential outbreak.

“The new exotic animal disease preparedness task force will include officials from a range of government departments, including the Australian Defense Force, Australian Border Force and Animal Health Australia,” Senator Watt said in Canberra.

“By bringing together the best expertise from across government, we can ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities if there were to be an outbreak, and that there are no gaps in our response.”

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Father who killed toddler are doing donuts on quad bike likely to avoid jail, court hears

A blonde-haired Lincoln Browne smiles as he stands outdoors, dressed in a black t-shirt.

A Victorian father who killed his two-year-old son in a quad bike crash because he was doing donuts with the toddler on his lap has wept after learning that he is likely to avoid jail.

WARNING: This story contains details that may distress some readers.

Christopher Browne was behind the wheel when he lost control of the buggy during the dangerous manoeuvre and it overturned, flinging his son Lincoln from the vehicle at their home in Barnawartha North, near the New South Wales border, on Christmas Day in 2020.

Lincoln was sitting on his father’s knee and was only being held in place. No one was wearing a helmet.

Browne escaped the crash with minor injuries, as did his sister, who was in the passenger seat.

He today appeared in the County Court of Victoria and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and conduct endangering persons.

Judge Michael Cahill said he accepted that Browne was “profoundly remorseful.”

“I have formed the view in all the circumstances in this case that a community correction order is the appropriate sentence for Mr Browne,” the judge said.

“Living with the loss of his child is punishment more than any court could impose.”

Browne, who appeared by videolink from Wodonga, wiped away tears as the judge spoke.

Father was trying to ‘scare’ sister in lead-up to crash, court hears

On December 25, 2020, Browne opened presents and ate brunch with family members at his home in Barnawartha North.

Just before lunchtime, Browne took his Polaris buggy out to give his guests rides.

He got into the driver’s seat and sat on top of the seatbelt, which was already clipped in, while his sister got into the passenger side and put on her restraints.

Court documents reveal that Browne placed Lincoln, who wanted to go for a ride, on his left knee and held him in place.

He then drove out into a paddock and performed several donuts before driving back up the driveway, where he reached speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.

He turned the buggy around and drove back into the paddock to perform another donut when he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped, flinging the toddler.

The court heard the buggy was estimated to be traveling at 45kph at the time.

The event was witnessed by Michael Hart, the partner of Browne’s sister.

“Lincoln fell out … and went straight under. The buggy landed straight on top of him,” he later told investigators.

The two-year-old died at the scene.

Lincoln smiles as he is held by his father in a family photo outdoors.
The court heard Browne has been overwhelmed by post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of his son’s death.(Facebook)

Browne later told investigators that he was trying to “scare” his sister.

“I tried to show my sister my new car … My brother-in-law, her partner, said not to go too hard to scare her ’cause he wanted to get one, which her being my sister made me feel like I wanted to ,” he said.

He told police that he had one mid-strength beer during lunch and a pre-mixed drink before and during brunch, but tests revealed he had no alcohol in his system after the crash.

“Mr Brown has been overwhelmed by his post-traumatic stress,” Judge Cahill said.

“At times, the only thing that keeps him going is his sense of responsibility to look after his wife and the younger child.”

None of Browne’s family members made victim impact statements to the court and he was supported by his wife during the hearing.

Prosecutor Erin Ramsay initially pushed for jail time but ultimately accepted that a community-based order was an appropriate sentence.

“There should be a very significant amount of unpaid community work attached to such an order given that the order’s really being made in lieu of what would otherwise be imprisonment,” she said.

Browne’s bail was extended ahead of his sentence next week.

He will be assessed for a community-based order.

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Australia

Defense review warranted but suitability of Stephen Smith questioned as former minister

Defense review warranted but suitability of Stephen Smith questioned as former minister

That report’s author, Paul Dibb, said on Wednesday the task before Houston and Smith was a big challenge, particularly given the short timeframe.

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There was an urgency both to finalize the review and to set the ADF up for the new strategic environment, he said.

“Time is not on our side, there’s some urgency about this. And in my experience … it is very difficult to get Defense to recognize that some things are urgent,” Dibb said.

“What we need is a long-range strike… capability – and it’s got to be something that’s quicker than ordering large amounts of new fighter aircraft, warships and submarines.”

Australian Strategic Policy Institute defense and strategy director Michael Shoebridge said the review had to consider the “disturbing” new direct security challenge through China pushing into our region, as well as the lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine about the importance of self-reliance.

“Like the Ukrainians, we need to be able to look after ourselves to bring the support of partners, allies and friends,” he said.

“And the fracturing world means relying on global systems to supply what you need in times of crisis is a bad plan.”

Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defense Association, agreed the review was sensitive.

“If the situation is as bad as they fear, they need to increase the defense budget substantially. And they’ve got to actually sell that to the Australian people,” he said.

However, he said it was not ideal to have a former defense minister leading the review, saying there was a “legacy protection risk” since some delays plaguing defense projects now were a result of decisions made during Smith’s time in the portfolio.

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The opposition echoed these concerns.

“When Mr Smith was last in government, he cut and canceled defense projects, delayed decisions, and dismissed warnings about the strategic environment Australia was heading into a decade ago,” opposition defense spokesman Andrew Hastie said.

Albanese said the government had found the best people to conduct the review, and he and Marles recommitted to at least maintaining defense spending.

Shoebridge said Smith and Houston brought a detailed understanding of how defense operated as an organization but warned they would have to revisit assumptions they may have held while in office about how the world works.

“This review isn’t about either of them defending their legacies. It’s about looking with clear eyes at the world we have today, Australia’s security challenges in it, and the kind of military that we need to deal with that,” he said.

“And I think they’re both smart enough.”

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

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Perth weather: Rain forecast as WA counts the cost of wild storms

Perth weather: Rain forecast as WA counts the cost of wild storms

Perth is mopping up and counting the cost after days of wild storms left homes damaged.

While conditions eased overnight, emergency services answered more than 102 calls for help since 5am yesterday.

Millions of dollars of insurance claims have already been lodged after the storms wreaked havoc from Butler to Mandurah and down into the South West from Monday to Wednesday. Insurer RAC says it has received around $5 million worth of damages claims.

The super storms which lashed WA for days were accompanied by destructive gale force winds, with the worst of it recorded early Tuesday. Cape Leeuwin recorded a 135km/h wind gust at 12.47am, Bickley 117km/h at 2.47am, Cape Naturaliste 115km/h at 6.47 pm, Mandurah 109km/h at 2.59am, Gingin Airport 109 km/h at 2.11 am.

Storm conditions in North Beach today.
Camera IconStorm conditions in North Beach. Credit: michael wilson/The West Australian

In good news, most power has been restored to homes and businesses left in the dark after trees topped multiple power lines. At the height of the chaos 35,000 homes were without power but Western Power crews have worked through the night to get the lights back on.

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