Meghan Dansie
Mount Isa, QLD
Meghan Dansie is a multi-platform journalist with ABC North West Queensland based in the outback town of Mount Isa. She previously worked for the ABC in Cairns. Before joining the ABC she completed a Master of Journalism at the University of Melbourne and has written for The New York Times and The Age.
Latest by Meghan Dansie
We're not the fireworks 'fun police', say authorities after NT cracker night crackdown at outback border
Authorities patrolled a remote part of the Queensland-Nothern Territory border this week following the NT's "Cracker Night", and say many people are unaware of the jail time they could face.
The final days of a ghost uranium mining town, shuttered and sold for parts
Now a ghost town, the community of Mary Kathleen disappeared after the nearby uranium mine closed in 1982. But in its heyday, it was an oasis in outback Queensland.
'Digital detox' and a life in the saddle is a dream come true for these backpackers-turned-cowgirls
Working on a cattle station in one of the most remote parts of Australia, these backpackers say outback life is an opportunity that more young Australians should be taking up.
Outback fossil find confirms giant 'demonic pelicans' filled Australia's skies 100 million years ago
Fossilised remains thought to be 100 million years old have been identified as a new species of pterosaur, a powerful flying predator with a wingspan of up to 12 metres.
Outback Queensland parents desperate for childcare mind each other's kids to keep jobs
With outback towns stuck in a cycle of workforce shortages and a dire need for childcare, parents are taking care of each other's children so they can keep their jobs.
Can community policing solve this outback youth crime problem?
Gangalidda man Barry Walden says the community policing team he was part of "ran a tight ship" in the north-western Queensland town before the initiative fell away. He says it is time to bring it back in his outback home.
Outback kids waiting months to see a dentist as experts warn of rural oral health decline
Bush communities are being forced to trek thousands of kilometres and face year-long waitlists for basic dental health services as industry leaders and locals call for urgent action from the government to attract more dentists to the outback.
Darrell was a ticking time bomb but climbing the stairs onto this truck saved his life
Getting access to critical health care is difficult for people in rural areas, so medical professionals hit the road and took to the skies to bring the services to them.
Sugar mill closure leaves 150 workers without jobs after buy-out falls through
A rescue package promised earlier this year has failed to materialise for one of Australia's oldest sugar mills that will close in Far North Queensland.
Zipline company director defends alleged work health and safety failures after man fell to death
A trial in Cairns is uncovering what happened in the lead-up to the terrifying moment father-of-three Dean Sanderson fell from a zipline in the Daintree Rainforest in 2019.
Australian child sex offender allegedly sails to PNG with plans to fly to Thailand
A Queensland man registered as a child sex offender has been repatriated after allegedly breaching reporting conditions by sailing to the island of Daru in Papua New Guinea.
In this flood-hit valley, residents are debating whether to rebuild their homes on higher ground
Two months after the flooding in far north Queensland, communities in isolated townships ask whether it is wise to rebuild in the same places.
Deckhands swam through crocodile-infested waters to escape being tortured, Queensland police allege
A man has been charged with torture and slavery offences, following a police investigation in a remote part of Far North Queensland.
'Here we go again': Monsoon could bring 'menacing' thunderstorms, more rain to Far North Queensland
Weary residents in storm-ravaged towns, who had just started to get on top of clean-up efforts, are facing the possibility of more rain.
Woman charged over alleged stabbing murder of 80-year-old man north of Cairns
A woman is expected to face court Thursday morning after being charged with the murder of an elderly man who was allegedly stabbed inside his unit at Palm Cove overnight.
Several people injured in Great Barrier Reef island plane crash
Several people are being treated after a light plane crashed while landing on remote Lizard Island.
Palmerston Highway closure lifts the cost of bringing Far North produce to consumers
Far North Queensland farmers say their transport costs have skyrocketed due to flood damage closing the Palmerston Highway and, while some are trying to absorb the costs, they warn it is not sustainable in the long term.
Queensland rain brings out all creatures great and small as water displaces crocodiles, snakes
Snakes, crocodiles, cane toads, crown-of-thorns starfish and venomous jellyfish are among creatures on the move in the wake of heavy rainfall in Queensland.
The Cairns rental crisis means flood victims consider leaving town for Christmas
Some flood victims are living in limbo, facing weeks and months of displacement. The Cairns rental crisis means there are no homes available to accommodate those in unlivable housing, while local leaders urge Airbnb hosts to step up.
Residents begin to assess damage from ex-Cyclone Jasper as heavy rain and flood threat persist — as it happened
Several people have been evacuated and the extent of the damage is beginning to emerge in Far North Queensland as ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper continues to cause widespread heavy rain and flooding.
Stricken pelican that evaded capture for months finally rescued thanks to Cyclone Jasper
A pelican with a fishing hook stuck in its head that Cairns residents have been desperately trying to help is finally in the hands of carers after a group effort that one local says has restored her faith in humanity.
Far North Queensland 'like a movie scene' ahead of Cyclone Jasper's arrival
Ominous dark clouds have moved across Cairns and rain has begun to fall in Far North Queensland ahead of the storm, expected to make landfall as a category two cyclone.
Paramedic says shark bite victim 'really lucky' crew members had tourniquet with them
A man is lucky to be alive after being bitten by a shark off the coast of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland while diving for sea cucumbers.
Antibiotic shortage sparks fears for Indigenous kids amid disease outbreak in remote community
Six children from an Aboriginal community in Far North Queensland have been hospitalised as doctors grapple with a shortage of the preferred medication to treat the inflammatory disease.
Bikie club colours, cash, drugs and weapons confiscated in police crackdown on nascent Cairns group
Members of an international motorcycle club have been arrested in a coordinated police raid across Cairns in a bid to crack down on emerging crime syndicates.