Rachael Merritt
Townsville, QLD
Rachael Merritt is a reporter for ABC North Queensland, based in Townsville. She previously worked at ABC Melbourne as a producer for News Breakfast and The World
Latest by Rachael Merritt
Cultural program that tackles youth crime by sending repeat offenders to remote places is extended
The Queensland government has extended a program which sends serial repeat offenders to remote locations in a bid to address the state's youth crime issues and take pressure off the juvenile detention system.
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First glimpse of historic rocket set to launch Australia into the space age
A Queensland-built rocket will strive to reach orbit from the northern town of Bowen in what company bosses say is the first locally made craft to lift-off from Australian soil.
Former school principal used access to children to make child exploitation material, court hears
Photographs a North Queensland principal took of unknowing students showed "clear sexual intent", a court has heard.
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Researchers use CT scans to peer inside the 100-million-year-old jaws of an ancient marine reptile
The rare Australian elasmosaur fossil gained global attention when it was discovered on an outback Queensland property in 2022.
Six students from Townsville high school rushed to hospital after ingesting 'brownish' powder
An ambulance spokesman says the students reportedly ingested an unknown substance from a bag, and paramedics arrived to find one of the teens vomiting.
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Case against Queensland casino dismissed after 'no evidence' found
The charges against the Ville Resort-Casino have been dropped at the beginning of what was expected to be a five-day hearing in Townsville.
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Five teenagers taken to hospital after stolen car crashes into tree in Townsville
Police say one of the girls seriously injured in the Garbutt crash could be left permanently disfigured.
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Charity forced to shift mouldy, damaged donations with forklift after dumping spike
Vinnies stores across Queensland have been swamped with unsaleable donations, which the charity says are causing "chaos" for busy volunteers.
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Queensland is expanding its solar battery network. What will it mean for the average household?
The battery network harvests solar energy collected by rooftop panels during the day, and allows homes in the network to use the power at night.
Great-nephew of Australian poet Henry Lawson describes 'inspiration' behind his own 60-year artistic career
Artist Peter Lawson has travelled the world selling his paintings, and says it all began with a stroke of inspiration from his great-uncle and famous Australian poet Henry Lawson.
Unlike their multimillion-dollar competitors this Sydney to Hobart crew is on a shoestring budget
Skipper Peter Webster has sailed the Sydney to Hobart three times, but this year he has dreamt up an idea that is "outside the box".
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Mystery, mutiny and a missing ship, but what happened to the HMAS Matafele?
HMAS Matafele disappeared without a trace during a treacherous sea voyage in 1944, but a stroke of fortune meant a 19-year-old crewman missed the boat.
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Townsville paramedics shaken as car thieves run ambulances off the road
As the city is branded a "real-life version of Mad Max", two ambulances have been forced into evasive action, including one on an emergency call, raising concerns about the impact on crews and patients.
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Townsville reeling after week-long crime wave of ram raids, car thefts and attacks on police
Dozens of extra officers have been deployed to the North Queensland city after a shocking spate of crimes, mostly committed by minors, that residents say have left them traumatised.
Emergency wait times blow-out as 106 Townsville hospital staff test positive to COVID-19
Patients are waiting longer in emergency departments and some surgeries have been cancelled at a public hospital where more than 100 staff have tested positive to COVID-19.
Two arrested, man on the run after Queensland prison escape
Two prisoners who walked out of a north Queensland prison have been arrested while a third remains on the run.
Woman, 80, injured after being pushed from vehicle during 'atrocious' carjacking
An elderly woman is found by police on the side of the road after two women she helped with a drink of water and a lift on a hot day stole her car in Townsville.
Why this first-of-its-kind Australian defence posting is a 'big deal'
In Australia's largest garrison city a foreign defence official will become second-in-command of a combat brigade in a historic appointment.
Dr Claus Bader helps Queenslanders legally end their lives. He's been inundated with enquiries
North Queensland doctors say the number of patients seeking voluntary assisted dying consultations has been underestimated and they need more practitioners to meet demand.
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Small businesses weigh up the costs of going cashless after armed robberies, theft
Crime-affected businesses in Queensland's north consider no longer accepting cash in a bid to protect their workers. But some worry the financial impacts could be crippling.
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$35,000 fine after child's screams alert passing parent to daycare bus failure
A four-year-old girl was found strapped into a minibus seat outside a Townsville daycare centre after being left there for just over an hour.
Weighing 60kg, these colourful birds should be easy to spot. But they are eluding researchers
Only about a dozen southern cassowaries are believed to be living in this north Queensland rainforest. Researchers are piecing together a theory about their movements.
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Former race car driver redefines his comfort zone high above the track at 450kph
Hayden Pullen, 55, was no stranger to speed when he took a joy-flight with an ex-military pilot and decided he didn't want to "fly straight ever again". These days the race track tends to be somewhere below him — but he hasn't forgotten the thrill of burning rubber.
Man charged with child sexual offences granted bail after two years in pre-trial custody
A man allegedly involved in a child exploitation network in north Queensland has been granted bail after spending two years in pre-trial custody.
Alleged child sexual abuser offered mother money for access to children, court hears
A North Queensland court has heard how police broke an alleged child exploitation network after a three-month investigation.
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