Peter Barr

Jan 24, 2025 | abc.net.au | John Dobson |Peter Barr |Clare Negus

At least two houses have been lost with fears for more as a series of bushfires hit southern Western Australia. A home has been lost near Arthur River, south-east of Perth, after several fires broke out as gusty winds and hot weather hit the Great Southern and Wheatbelt. Emergency warnings remain in place for at least two bushfires burning in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt.

Jan 13, 2025 | abc.net.au | Peter Barr |Andrew Chounding

A widowed husband has honoured his late wife's memory by turning a rundown weatherboard cottage into a safe home for women and children escaping domestic violence. Russell Young, a specialist in emergency medicine in the city of Albany on WA's south coast, has spent half a million dollars of his own money renovating the 130-year-old house. He said his wife Giulia started the initiative after seeing firsthand the struggles many women faced in family violence situations.

Nov 4, 2024 | abc.net.au | Samantha Goerling |Jamie Thannoo |Peter Barr

The arrival of an emperor penguin in Denmark on Western Australia's southern coast has been described as the furthest north recording of the Antarctic species. Aaron Fowler spotted the animal when he went to Ocean Beach, 430 kilometres south of Perth, for a surf on Friday afternoon. "It was massive, it was way bigger than a sea bird and we're like, what is that thing coming out of the water? And it kind of had a tail sticking out like a duck," Mr Fowler said.

Oct 31, 2024 | abc.net.au | Peter Barr |Jamie Thannoo

Once hidden pieces of paradise, beaches on the West Australian south coast are becoming social media hotspots and the tourist influx has prompted major upgrades. One idyllic beach in the Great Southern region has recorded almost a 60 per cent visitor increase in two years. Some of the beaches have attained global renown and, for the managers of these places, it is now a question of balancing demand and maintaining the pristine conditions.

Oct 24, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mark Bennett |Peter Barr

When farmers think big, it's on an epic scale. In South Stirling, nestled near the base of the Stirling Range on Western Australia's south coast, farmer Mitchell Thomson wanted to do something massive to propose to his partner Sharnee Weaver. The 31-year-old grain farmer created a giant proposal message "Will U marry me?" in a paddock, only visible from the air. Spread over 40 hectares, which equates to about 10 Melbourne Cricket Grounds, the proposal is visible from the air for many kilometres.