Robert Burgin

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Jessica Ross |Robert Burgin

Kev Franzi is in his element as he directs a group of film buffs into the 55-seat theatre he created at his Kenilworth home, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The sprightly 94-year-old filmmaker has had plenty of practice entertaining visitors since opening his CinemaWorks museum in 1990. "Thirty-two-thousand people came in the first 10 years, we never had to advertise," Mr Franzi said.

Jan 16, 2025 | abc.net.au | Robert Burgin

The family of Sunshine Coast man Luke Gourlay, who disappeared on Boxing Day 2023, is disheartened there have been no leads about his location in more than a year. Mr Gourlay, 29, was last seen near Steve Irwin Way, Glenview, close to Ewen Maddock Dam about 4pm on December 26, 2023. His family said he visited the Landsborough Pub earlier that day, withdrew $500 and walked towards the Bruce Highway.

Dec 31, 2024 | abc.net.au | Robert Burgin

A wry observation among Mary Valley locals is the Dickabram Bridge took less than two years to build in the 1880s but may require close to a decade for maintenance in the 2020s. Queensland's oldest road-and-rail bridge, found north-west of Gympie at Miva, pre-dates Brisbane's famed Story Bridge and Walter Taylor Bridge by half a century. However, the imposing 207-metre-long structure, started in 1885 and opened in 1886, needs ongoing love and care before its 140th birthday.

Dec 27, 2024 | abc.net.au | Robert Burgin

The Puddleduck is a one-of-a-kind vessel in Australian waters, but opportunities for the public to step aboard are limited as authorities clamp down on maritime accommodation. A Florida bay coaster, the boat is owned by former North Sydney Bears rugby league player Peter Cross and partner Suzy McEwen, and anchored at Noosa Marina. They purchased the boat in 2022, believing it could be offered for short-term rental on platforms such as Airbnb.

Dec 25, 2024 | abc.net.au | Amy E. Sheehan |Robert Burgin

When Wendy Bourke reads the pages of her biography her face lights up. "It makes me happy that I smiled when they took my photo," she says while glancing at the book cover. The former Queensland physician and psychiatrist recalls the details in each chapter like they were yesterday. The pages reveal stories of how she worked her way from poverty to medical school, becoming a makeshift midwife in remote Queensland and helping impoverished communities in Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Canada.