Billen Cliffs News Today

Smoke sweeps through the treetops as a fire consumes the dense undergrowth of the Australian winter bush. To the uninitiated, this fire might appear to be dangerous, but it is actually a controlled, ‘cultural fire’, preparing the vegetation ahead of a looming bushfire season. The burn is part of a project in northern New South Wales showing how to use fire techniques that have been passed down by First Nations people over generations to manage land, plants and animals.

Premium Content Is there a panther skulking around the bush near Kyogle? Its been a local legend for years, but plenty of residents claim to have spotted one. Grayson Marychurch recently posted on Facebook about a "large black cat" spotted "just over the Ettrick range travelling to Ettrick". He wrote on the Kyogle (the friendly town) group that the animal was standing still on the side of the road, staring at the car. "Who else has spotted this creature, or knows anyone that has?" he asked...