To me, the Northern Territory feels like one of the last wild
places left in the world.
My work takes me across these vast landscapes.
And out here you've got to get used to being by yourself.
I'm Jon Daly, and I'm based in the NT town of Katherine, which
is about 300 kilometers south of Darwin.
My office is here at the local Visitors Center and I'm going to
take you inside for a bit of a look around.
So this isn't my office.
This is it here.
The office space — and I'll introduce you to the team.
Noone, it's just me here.
Today, I'm on the road to the remote community of Wadeye.
So I'm the only ABC reporter for hundreds of kilometers.
It's a pretty unique job that involves a lot of dusty driving.
The landscape is beautiful, but it's bloody hot and unforgiving
if I get into trouble, so I do risk assessments that have to
get approved, and I also carry a hell of a lot of water and my
sat phone.
My first stop is the remote outstation of Woodycupildiya to
talk about a bush food business picking native Kakadu plum to
sell to the superfood market.
The future plan is to find markets for other native fruits
and provide full-time work for locals.
They'll be greenhouses setup so we'll be picking picking fruit.
We'd be propagating and planting seeds in greenhouses, and then
we'll be taking them out in the field also to to grow as well.
My final stop on this trip is Wadeye, about 240 kilometers
southwest of Darwin.
It's one of Australia's largest remote indigenous communities
and about 2500, mostly Aboriginal people, call this
place home.
I'm gathering local stories for an outside broadcast on ABC
Radio.
It's five minutes to four o'clock and I'm getting up extra
early to set up for the Rural report.
I was actually a butcher during my journalism studies at
.
university, and I've been with ABC Rural for about three years
now.
The Rural Report.
G'day, Jon Daly here, broadcasting live from Wadeye
this morning.
So what'd you say more than 10 years of having it in the fleet
is probably, you know, you probably want to see it go to a
good home.
You're listening to Jon Daly on the rural report live from
Wadeye.
It is 20 past six.
Yeah, good morning.
I'm Craig, I'm a ranger with the Thamarrurr Rangers here, coming
to you live from Wadeye on the Rural Report.
Today I'm talking to rangers about a new carbon abatement
project across the Daly River Land Trust.
Rangers across the region are doing early burns to prevent big
destructive wildfires.
And eventually they'll earn an income from carbon credits.
We need like — creating more jobs for other outstations,
community, like more rangers and to work out country, you know.
Get them out bush.
Dominic, what do you love about this job?
Give my experience, show the little kids now, like when they
are finishing school, and we'll end up teaching them.
I started this job in regional WA before moving up to the
Territory earlier this year.
And you've really got to be a jack of all trades up here.
In any given day I film for TV, I get on the radio, or I write
articles.
But it's the variety that I really love about this job.
Being able to explore these remote communities gives me a
better understanding of the complexity of modern Australia.
It's a privilege to be a rural reporter in the north.