Samantha Goerling
Samantha Goerling is a producer for WA Regional Drive. She has previously worked as a reporter for the ABC and as a presenter/reporter in finance news.
Latest by Samantha Goerling
In the clouds over regional Australia a different kind of fly-in fly-out workforce is taking to the skies
An airport that once serviced the defunct Ravensthorpe nickel mine in WA has replaced hi-vis-clad workers with medical specialists in blue polo shirts and it's changing the regional healthcare landscape.
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'Fair go mate': Council still pursuing pensioner living in bus despite ministerial intervention
Danny Reinhold will be allowed to keep living in his rented bus after Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley granted him a permit — but the Shire of West Arthur will continue its legal action against him.
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In Australia's smallest footy league, these two teams face off every week
Before bounce-down even begins in the first round of the season, the Ravensthorpe Tigers and Hopetoun Sharks know they'll face each other in the grand final.
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Men's shed cash-a-can program funds medical equipment library in retirement town
Hopetoun locals had to travel up to 100kms to get crutches, wheelchairs and commodes before its Men in Sheds Containers for Change program raised $100,000 for the community.
This country town's replica Leaning Tower has brought joy to generations
In the biggest city on WA's southern coast, a scale replica of the Italian icon has brought joy to generations of locals and visitors.
Drug trial allows man with rare sunlight 'allergy' to take first pain-free steps outside
A rare condition kept Dan Buss in the shadows his entire life. But thanks to an investigational drug, he can now literally step into the sunlight.
Council takes legal action to evict pensioner living on converted bus
A West Australian council is taking legal action against Danny Reinhold to stop him living in his bus, parked on a friend's block.
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Nature takes centre stage in album recorded in WA's towering karri forests
Knee-deep in an inlet is not the first place most people would think of when it comes to a recording studio, but it's where Robert Zielinski's music came to life.
Julieanne wants human composting to be legalised so she can return to the earth when she dies
Julieanne Hilbers spends much of her life with her hands in the dirt, planting native shrubs in her garden, so she thinks it makes sense for her body to be turned into human compost after she dies.
Firefighters fear lingering dry conditions could cause a 'major' bushfire, urge people to be cautious
Firefighters say even though temperatures have gone down, the bush across the south of Western Australia is "very, very tinder dry" and even a small spark could set things off.
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Researchers unleash 'teacher toads' in bid to stop goannas eating deadly pest
The cane toad is spreading in northern Australia, but researchers have found a way to protect apex predators from the toxic pest and it's all a matter of taste.
Did you know Western Australia has more than one time zone?
It's the sort of question that comes up at a quiz night — where is Western Australia's second time zone? But for those living in a small patch of land on the Nullarbor near the South Australian border, "Eucla time" is just a part of day-to-day life.
Chocolate prices continue to rise ahead of Easter amid worldwide cocoa shortage
Problems in Africa are leading to big increases in the prices of cocoa and chocolate — but consumers are still stocking up on eggs and bunnies for Easter.
Insurance 'crisis' hits indoor adventure businesses, forcing popular WA ninja gym to close its doors
The business is the latest to shut up shop due to what has been dubbed the "amusement insurance crisis", with caravan parks, community events and pubs also finding it increasingly difficult to secure public liability insurance.
Flying doctor landing on Eyre Highway in dramatic Nullarbor rescue prompts calls for airstrip upgrade
There are renewed calls to upgrade the flood-prone Eucla airstrip after the Royal Flying Doctor Service performed a rare highway landing to evacuate a seriously injured patient on the Nullarbor Plain.
Police recover body from house destroyed by fire in country WA
Police recover at least one body after fire destroys a home in Gnowangerup, in WA's Great Southern region.
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Whales euthanised after becoming stranded again, despite desperate attempts to save them
Veterinarians have euthanised pilot whales that re-stranded on a beach in southern Western Australia, despite painstaking attempts to herd them out to deeper water.
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Hikers brave icy conditions to take in spectacular sight of snow in WA
Snow has fallen on the Stirling Range for the first time this year, attracting a handful of delighted hikers.
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Ocean swimming lessons ban, citing 'irrelevant' risks, could leave kids high and dry
Parents say ocean swimming is crucial to water safety in Western Australia and are angry that beach lessons have been cancelled due to safety risks such as gravel roads, poor mobile reception, and fish guts in the water.
Red Cross denies blood shortages in regional WA, despite cancer patient turned away
The Australian Red Cross's Lifeblood service strongly denies there are blood shortages in regional Western Australia, despite a cancer patient on the Goldfields being turned away from transfusion appointments for the second time this month.
Eclipse-chasers warned of blindness risk as experts say glasses aren't protection
Health authorities warn against directly looking at the upcoming total solar eclipse in WA — even with eclipse glasses — due to the risk of permanent eye damage.
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Wake up call for FIFO workers as study finds lack of sleep reduces miners' alertness by 20 per cent
By Louise Miolin, Andrew Collins, and Samantha Goerling
Researchers tracking the sleep of fly-in fly-out workers find most are "barely scraping" the threshold for adequate rest on days off — let alone days on shift — in the largest study of its kind.
From the Tropic of Capricorn to the north, 1,500km stock route heritage listed in WA
A major stock route, along which more livestock are thought to be overlanded than all other routes in Western Australia combined, is added to the state's heritage register.
Forrests turn eye to producing one of Australia's first tequila-like spirits
Forrest family agricultural food product business is looking to distil a tequila-like spirit after trialling agave plants on a Gascoyne cattle station.
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'Second chance' school in town struggling with disengaged youth faces closure
A school in Carnarvon that specialises in flexible learning arrangements is set to close at a time when the town is struggling with youth crime.