An exhibition and film exploring the future of post-mining landscapes is coming to the Upper Hunter as part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) funded project Mining Voids and Just Transition: Reimagining Post-Mining Landscapes.
The first stop is Scone, where the exhibition will be on display this weekend on 7 and 8 March at Scone Arts and Crafts Inc. The venue has historical significance, having hosted the Upper Hunter Valleyโs first environmental exhibition in 1979.
The exhibition launch and film screening will take place on Saturday from 5.30pm and will bring together local stories and perspectives about the future of the Valley.
Community members from , , , , , and across the UpperHunter are invited to attend, including mine workers, farmers, business representatives, students and anyone interested in the regionโs future.
Spending a Sunday afternoon looking at childhood photos with your family should totally be a thing ๐ฅฐ
I found this one, me posing with my baton as a majorette, full of excitement and confidence. I loved being part of the team, the music, the cheers, and the feeling of belonging somewhere special.
I saw the โThis is whoโ trend on my feed and thought Iโd join in ๐ธ
This is who I am. That little girl who loved marching with the team, leading, and connecting with people is still me today. The baton might be gone, and there may be 16,800km between my English home and my Australian home, but the passion and drive to bring people together live on in this little business I am proud to run and the people I am lucky enough to work with.
And yes, I can still twirlโฆ and strike a pose ๐คช
Alsoโฆ โA Kind of Magicโ was our main performance song one year!
I have a loveโhate relationship with my personal page. These days I mostly use it to check my โOn This Dayโ memories, and this one just popped up:
"Well, itโs time for this bird to spread her wingsโฆ After seven amazing years, Iโm leaving the Muswellbrook Chronicle/Hunter Valley News to start a new job in Queenstown, New Zealand, with Travel New Zealand Magazine. Once again, Iโm packing up my life and leaving family and friends behind to begin a new adventure in another country. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way. I learned so much from you all. xox"
I didnโt know it then, but that decision was laying the foundation for everything that came next. I wish I could tell 28-year-old me that those scary steps were vitalโฆ that a winter in the adventure capital, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, discovering a new community, and learning how tourism and storytelling can shape a place would become the defining chapter of my career โ๏ธ
Valentineโs Day usually centres around celebrating the people we love, but today I thought Iโd share a few things I love about what I get to do for work.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด through mentoring brings new ideas, networks, and approaches. I love sharing knowledge and supporting regional businesses as they grow.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ is a big barrier for small businesses. Helping people step out of their comfort zones and back themselves is incredibly rewarding.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ is powerful thing. Being called โa beacon of lightโ last year reinforced a little bit of optimism can make all the difference.
I'm always grateful for the work, the people, and the laughs behind it all. Happy Valentineโs Day ๐ฉท
โIf my Instagram feed were a diet, it would be one riddled with ultra-processed junk food and almost no vegetables or greens. All pleasure, zero nutrition.โ
I recently heard this on the ABC Long Read / Background Briefing episode How Social Media Algorithms Decide Who You Are, by journalist Priyanka Srinivasan, and wow, how true that is.
I love the notion of , choosing to use social media more intentionally and creating positive, curated feeds. As the algorithm responds, it shows more of what we choose to engage with and the positive emotions that content evokes โบ๏ธ
I honestly believe we will see more of this, especially as platforms introduce options to โsee lessโ and give users greater control over their feeds.
All of this is great for users, but it also challenges those posting to consider the emotional impact of their content and the possibility that it could drive disengagement๐ก
Great to be in Newcastle today after spending quite a bit of time up north. I had some fantastic conversations on big topics that continue to shape how we think about the future of industry in regional Australia ๐ก
Innovation has increasingly been a focus, and as someone reminded me recently, innovation can be small. It does not always have to be bigger. Sometimes it is about doing things better, even a tad.
I packed my walking shoes to enjoy the sunshine in the city, along with my new three piece bamboo laptop stand (thanks ALDI Australia!), which has proven very handy for working on the road ๐
On the way home, I squeezed in a call with a new Gladstone contact, who shared their work on all things decarbonisation and mapping carbon footprints in business. It was a fantastic conversation that deepened my own understanding of how even the smallest businesses can identify and measure their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and subsequently plan to reduce them. This fits perfectly with the energy education and business diversification programs I am working on, because before we can improve energy use or reduce emissions, we first need to understand our own contribution and footprint.
All in all, a great day topped off with the best bowl of ramen I've ever had ๐
Step out of daily operations, focus on potential, and build the next version of your business in Claire Quigley - Tech Team Whisperer, 10x Business Leader online and offline workshops this month โฌ๏ธ
05/02/2026
โ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ.โ
But nobody turned up.
โ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ.โ
But I didnโt know it was on.
This exchange plays out more often than many businesses would like to admit.
Relying on Facebook (or Instagram) as a primary channel for connecting with audiences is increasingly problematic, particularly in regional towns. Organic reach on Facebook posts in Australia has dropped dramatically, with pay-to-play models now dominant, yet many audiences remain wary of sponsored content.
When communication relies on social media, it can lead to low engagement and give the impression that audiences are disengaged. In reality, people may simply not have seen the message, not trusted the source, or not felt connected to it, which prevents online awareness from translating into participation.
Effective engagement is not algorithm driven. It is built on relationships, local context, trusted voices, and place-based approaches.
Social media can play a role, but it cannot carry the responsibility alone.
If social media is the engagement strategy, it may be time to rethink the approach.
Conservation through commerce is a term I had not heard until I visited Koorana Crocodile Farm, located in Coowonga south of Yeppoon.
It describes an approach where economic activity, including regulated trade, eco-tourism, and sustainable products, creates both funding and incentives to protect natural resources and biodiversity ๐
Koorana Crocodile Farm was Queenslandโs first commercial crocodile farm, opening in 1981 with just three crocodiles. Today it supports a population of more than 3,000 animals and plays a role in local employment, tourism, and supply chains.
Crocodile leather is the farmโs primary product, with visitors able to learn about the entire process and even select skins for custom R.M.Williams boots priced at $4,999. Crocodile meat, as a by-product, also features on the menu.
My biggest takeaway from this "snap-decision" visit was a reminder that industry, regardless of sector, has the potential to be transformed into a tourism experience through integrated storytelling, education and visitor access, showing how regional economies can diversify ๐ก
As for all my travel: 1) Iโm living my working road trip dream, and 2) Iโm gathering insights to support regional businesses, all while working away on my very own diversification venture.
Oh, and my favourite croc was not one of the absolute monsters, but AMI, short for Anger Management Issues.
Well, itโs been an entire week since my impromptu stay in , and while the visit itself was short, itโs certainly left a lasting impression and made my return workload in the Hunter a little busier.
Iโve finally had a moment to gather my thoughts and give this post the justice it deserves, because there was a lot to take in ๐ญ
Iโve been fortunate to meet Bec from the Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce through The Regional Australia Institute leadership program Iโm currently participating in, alongside peers from across the country.
What started as a quick in-person hello while I was in Bec's neck of the woods quickly turned into an overnight stay on Tuesday in the cutest cottage, a more-than-century-old shearersโ hut turned ๐พ
The following morning, Bec kindly picked me up and took me on a tour of the town, sharing local history, pointing out a stack of businesses doing great things, and offering the kind of insight you only get from someone who genuinely loves their community.
That was followed by a very insightful business breakfast with Will from Growth Agriculture, and Angela from the Future Care Project, both doing awesome things in their respective industries ๐
For a town of just over 6,000 people, Goondiwindi is absolutely punching above its weight.
It is home to a microalgae production facility, and the region is developing a hydrogen project linked to wastewater treatment. The local cotton industry has explored circular solutions by trialling shredded cotton garments returned to paddocks to benefit soil health. Bob Geldof even performed there in the 1990s ๐ค
Regional , , and a are happening in real-time, making Goondiwindi a remarkable example of what smaller communities can achieve.
Talk about a warm welcome ๐ฅฐ
Sharing knowledge between regional communities has never been more important, because the challenges we face are rarely unique. If one community is looking for a solution, chances are another has already found it or is well on the way.
21/01/2026
Literally standing on the border of Queensland and NSW while working across both ๐ฒ
Yesterday I planned a quick stop in to meet the amazing Bec from Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce in person and ended up booking a farm stay and meeting local businesses for breakfast, all thanks to her. Iโm so excited by those conversations and where theyโll lead.
Watch this space for a more insightful update (I do love a short story long!) once Iโve finished a drive that should have been a lot quicker ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ป
Last week was a big one on the road, travelling around Central Queensland with a full day of meetings in . The work we do involves understanding solutions and opportunities in similar regions so we can use this knowledge to support our clients, particularly businesses in industry supply chains.
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of meeting with insightful representatives from the Gladstone Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Connecting Industry, and the Gladstone Engineering Alliance, with that final meeting offering a very impressive view of the NRG Power Station๐
I also managed to fit in catch-ups at some of the regionโs best hospitality spots, including .co (highly recommend the French Salad!) and . I loved hearing how this century-old site is thriving again as a craft brewery. It sounds like quite a familiar story ๐
Throughout the day, we collectively touched on many of the Hunter Valleyโs aligned key priorities:
โซ๏ธ Industry supply chains
โซ๏ธ Investment and attraction
โซ๏ธ Diversification and decarbonisation
โซ๏ธ Business capability and capacity
โซ๏ธ Sponsorships and donations
โซ๏ธ Community benefits
I am looking forward to sharing these insights with LIVMEDIA clients looking to diversify into new industries and, for some, expand into new areas๐
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LivMedia, your one-stop-shop for media, marketing and more! A full-service agency located in the Upper Hunter offering a wide range of services, expertise, knowledge and advice to help your business reach big goals. We'll work with you or for you, either way weโll assist you to connect and communicate with your customers.
Whether youโre a start-up business, looking to grow your company or break into new markets, then we can help. From pointing you in the right direction with well-considered marketing strategies and campaigns, negotiating media packages, executing promotional plans to showing you the โhow-toโ, we will help you to generate quality leads that you can turn into sales (and therefore dollars for your bottom-line).
The word marketing in itself is fairly vague, yet it covers an array of activities that are essential to your business. So, letโs break it down as to what we do that can help you.
Letโs start with your business, the service or product that you are selling. Youโve made a big investment in developing what you offer but how do you get customers to buy? Firstly, you need to look at your marketing strategy โ the who, the what, the where, the when and even the why! This is your foundation to reaching your target market. And how do you want to be perceived by your target audience? As part of your positioning and setting yourself apart from your competitors by clearly communicating your point of difference and developing your brand, we help you create meaningful copy and content with core messages, provide you with wow factor designs that align who you are with what your target audience are looking for plus ensure consistency across all your communications including traditional and digital media.
Talking about digital media โ how is your digital presence working for you? If you need a refresh or support in setting up, youโve come to the right place. Our digital team will build you a highly targeted and effective, aesthetically appealing website that gives you the competitive edge you need. Followed by the creation of digital strategies and campaigns for Google Ads, social media, e-newsletters or email campaigns to your database and so much more.
Then thereโs the more traditional advertising, weโre talking about signage, billboards, newspapers and industry-targeted publications. Our exclusive โAdvertisement Placement Servicesโ partnership, allows us to provide you with excellent advertising opportunities and better placements than if you were to go it alone - plus we do all the hard work for you, the phone calls, negotiations and even creating your ads.
Want to manage your marketing yourself or looking to learn more? Thatโs no problem either, we offer training and support packages, tailored to suit your business needs. From group social media workshops to showing you how to create and leverage your LinkedIn profile and build your personal brand, weโll work with you one-on-one or we can come to you and teach the entire team.
If youโd like to discuss how LivMedia can assist your business, feel free to pop us an email [email protected] - we look forward to hearing from you.
