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• Geography Writing Competition

  • Start
    Wednesday, April 01, 2026
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    Monday, June 01, 2026
  •  
    11:30 PM
  • Location
    Online

  Register

  Geography Writing Competition

  This is your opportunity to write a short story using imagination and creativity, and with a wide interpretation of the theme – Changing Environments in Queensland.

  Opening date: 1 April 2026
  Closing Date: 1 June 2026

  Entrance fee: $10.00

  This competition is open to all writers, nationally and internationally, at any stage of their writing career.

  Prizes:

  • First Place - $300   + 1-year RGSQ membership
  • Second Place - $150 + 1-year RGSQ membership
  • Third Place - 1-year Queensland Writers Centre membership + 1-year RGSQ membership

  Length: Short story up to 500 words

  Download the Competition Terms and Conditions.

  Download the GWC Registration Instructions for further details about the registration process.

  Download the Competition Flyer if you want to publicise the competition.

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• Should we name extreme heatwaves like we name tropical cyclones? The anatomy of the January 19 - February 1 record-breaking southeast Australian heatwave

  • When
    Tuesday, April 14, 2026
  •  
    7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Gregory Place, 1/28 Fortescue St, Spring Hill and via Zoom
  • Spaces left
    40

  Register

  RGSQ Lecture Series

  Stephen M. Turton PhD, DFIAG

  Adjunct Professor of Environmental

  Geography (Climatology), Research Division,

  Central Queensland University

  
  

  Southeastern Australia has experienced an exceptional and historic heatwave, with hundreds of thousands of people exposed to prolonged and extreme temperatures. Beginning on January 24, the event has broken multiple all-time temperature records across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. New 50°C records were recorded in South Australia at Andamooka and Port Augusta, followed by 49.8°C at Marree also in South Australia, and 49.7°C  at Pooncarie in New South Wales. The Australian record of 50.7°C is shared with Oodnadatta in South Australia (January 2, 1960) and Onslow in Western Australia (Jan 13, 2022). The latest heatwave was the most severe since the Black Summer of 2019–20, when intense heat played a critical role in catastrophic bushfires that burned 21% of Australia’s forests. While formal attribution studies are pending, an earlier heatwave in southeast Australia (January 5-10) was found to be more than five times more likely due to global heating, suggesting climate change is amplifying the severity of current conditions. The recent heatwave was undoubtedly more severe and prolonged.

  The latest heatwave was driven by a combination of intense heat generation that began in the Pilbara before shifting southeast, active monsoonal activity in northern Australia, and a persistent blocking high-pressure system several km above the surface, centred over the southeast inland. This configuration funnelled hot, dry air from Australia’s arid interior into the south and southeast, displacing cooler Southern Ocean air and suppressing rainfall. Subsiding air within the blocking high formed a "heat dome", that intensified surface temperatures, producing dangerously hot days and nights. As global air and ocean temperatures continue to rise, events of this scale are expected to become more frequent and severe, highlighting the urgent need for improved heatwave preparedness, public health responses and long-term climate adaptation alongside carbon emissions reduction.

  Biography: Stephen Turton is an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography at Central Queensland University, Australia. Formerly Professor of Geography at James Cook University, he has over four decades of academic, research and leadership experience. His research spans climate change impacts and adaptation across tourism, agriculture, natural resource management and protected areas, particularly in Australia and the Asia–Pacific. Turton has published more than 140 scientific papers, supervised over 40 graduate research students, contributed to IPCC assessments, and is a regular media commentator and author for The Conversation. He is the author of Surviving the Climate Crisis: Australian Perspectives and Solutions (Taylor and Francis, London and New York, published in 2023). The title of his forthcoming book is Shifting Climate Zones: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for Australia (Anthem Press, London and New York).

  Please note: If you have registered to attend the lecture via Zoom, the lecture link will be emailed to all registrants closer to the lecture date. This lecture may be recorded. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au.

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• Northshore Hamilton- an urban geography transformation

  • When
    Thursday, April 23, 2026
  •  
    9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Hamilton
  • Spaces left
    4

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  RGSQ Traveller

  Northshore Hamilton- an urban geography transformation. 

  Once an area populated by wharves and a variety of maritime industries, the 304ha, 2.5km riverfront precinct only 6km from the Brisbane CBD- Northshore Hamilton- is undergoing transformation as Queensland’s largest waterfront urban renewal project.

  Under the management of Economic Development Queensland (a State Government body), plans for mixed use re-development into residential, office, retail, hospitality and parkland purposes are taking shape, and RGSQ members are invited to participate in a group visit and tour of the site (with supporting commentary) hosted by Economic Development Queensland, to hear about (and see some) of what is underway, and planned.

  This is a walking tour, in the open, for 1 /1¼ hours. There is little opportunity for seating and limited shade during the tour. Water, hats, sunscreen, umbrella and an appropriate level of fitness and mobility are suggested.

  The Event will commence at 9.45am (assembly 9.30-9.45am) adjacent to the Northshore City Cat ferry terminal and conclude (at the same location) around 11.00am.

  Getting there: (a) by City Cat on the service that arrives at 9.23am.

  (b) Drive. There is ample free parking close to the City Cat ferry terminal. Access off MacArthur Lane, at Dock D driveway. Park at the eastern end of the car park.

  The Riva Café is adjacent to the ferry terminal, and is a pleasant venue for coffee (before and/or after) and lunch following the Event.

  Cost: $5.00 members $10.00 non-members

  Please register your interest in participating by 17th April 2026. Group size is limited to 20.

  If event is fully booked, please join the wait-list. It is quite possible that spaces become available.

  Photo credit: A Catalyst Riverfront Land Release - Northshore Hamilton

  Roger Grimley on behalf of RGSQ Traveller

  Enquiries contact the RSGQ office +61 7 3368 2066 or email info@rgsq.org.au

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• Topographic Anomalies - Impact Craters at Mt Moffatt?

  • When
    Tuesday, May 05, 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Gregory Place, Level 1/28 Fortescue St, Spring Hill, Qld
  • Spaces left
    35

  Register

  Map Group Presentation
  

  Presenter: Neil Simson, RGSQ Member

  

  Neil is a former Town Planner, now retired and has over 50 years orienteering experience. He has lived and breathed maps for most of his life. He can spot topographic anomalies very quickly and use maps to navigate in complex terrain. Terrain that is different also means that the formation process has changed.  Sometimes that is due to changes in rock types, sometimes fractures and sometimes something external.

  His research is an investigation into the ring structures at the Mt Moffatt Section of Carnarvon National Park to determine which are likely to be impact structures. The initial desktop analysis used existing mapping resources to identify locations for investigation by applying geomorphological principles to identify anomalous features. These have then been inspected in the field by looking for features consistent with an impact origin. This has resulted in the identification of a high probability impact site where specimen collection and analysis is required.

  Register and pay via the website.

  Coordinator: Len Lowry

  Photographs and videos may be taken during RGSQ events for use in promotional materials including, but not limited to, the RGSQ website, social media channels, newsletters and other publications. By attending an RGSQ event, you consent to the use of your likeness for these purposes, unless you inform the event organizer or photographer otherwise.

  
  

  
  

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• Thomson Medal Presentation and Thomson Oration: Changes in Australia’s wet tropics over the last 200,000 years: key contributions of the pollen record from Lynch’s Crater to the history and controverses

  • When
    Tuesday, May 05, 2026
  •  
    7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Gregory Place, 1/28 Fortescue St, Spring Hill and Zoom
  • Spaces left
    90

  Register

  Thomson Oration 2026

  We are pleased to announce that the 2026 J P Thomson Medal will be awarded to Emeritus Professor Peter Kershaw. The J P Thomson Medal is the most prestigious award given by The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland. It was established in 1900 to honour Dr James Park Thomson, the Society’s founder. The award recognises Peter's high qualities of scholarship and his contribution to the discipline of geography.

  Following the medal presentation, Peter will deliver the Thomson Oration - Changes in Australia’s wet tropics over the last 200,000 years: key contributions of the pollen record from Lynch’s Crater to the history and controverses

  The origin of modern pollen analysis, focused on the reconstruction and interpretation of past vegetation from pollen and associated micro-plant remains preserved mainly in swamp and lake sediments, was initiated in NW Europe where numerous swamps and lakes resulting from glacial and periglacial processes were ideal for recording the subsequent history of landscape development, climate conditions and human activity. The analysis of one of these sites for production of a minor thesis in northern England was my introduction to the research area that was continued within the Australasian/ Southeast Asian region with a project on the Wet Tropics of NE Queensland in which I am still involved, to some extent, almost 60 years later.

  The British study, although providing very valuable background and a career path, was limited in what it could provide to a project that extended way beyond the last glacial period and included one site, Lynch’s Crater, that revealed a continuous record through some 2 glacial-interglacial cycles but of greatest interest has been the cause of the decline of a drier rainforest around 40,000 years ago that does not appear to relate to a time of significant climate change. The postulation of Aboriginal burning rather than natural climate change as the cause of this vegetation change received some support from the intriguing idea of ‘firestick farming” in northern Australia and by similarly and remarkably old dates for human skeletons from Lake Mungo. However, debate continues and this presentation will conclude with an assessment of most recent ideas or controversies on the extent, causation, and degree of validity of the “Lynch’s Crater” 40ka event in Australia involving patterns and timing of human migration, megafaunal extinction and a geomagnetic reversal.

  Brief Biography

  Peter Kershaw was appointed Emeritus Professor in the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment after working for nearly 40 years at Monash as a Lecturer, Reader and Professor, mainly in The School of Geography and Environmental Science. His research, and that of his research students and post-doctoral fellows, has focused on the reconstruction of past natural and human-modified landscapes in the Australasian-SE Asian region, largely through the analysis of fossil pollen but with a significant palaeolimnological component, and applications to the understanding of present-day environments and predictions of future environmental change.

  Qualifications

  • PhD Vegetation History, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1973
  • MSc Ecology, University of Durham, UK, 1967
  • BSc Geography, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth 1966.
  • University appointments
  • Professor Emeritus, School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, 2014-
  • Professor Emeritus, School of Geography and Environmental Science, 2010-2014
  • Professor of Physical Geography 1994-2010
  • Director, Centre for Palynology and Palaeoecology, 1990-2014
  • Reader in Geography and Environmental Science, 1990-1994
  • Senior Lecturer in Geography, 1980-89
  • Lecturer in Geography, 1973-1978
  • Research Assistant, Dept. of Geography, subsequently Dept. of  Biogeography and Geomorphology, Australian National University. November 1967-April 1970

   Notable other positions

  • Editor-in-Chief, Elsevier Journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2005-2013 and periods as editorial board member of 3 other journals.
  • President. Australasian Association of Palynology and Palaeobotany, 1988-1992
  • Secretary then Vice President, International Quaternary Association, 2003-2011.
  • Life Member, International Quaternary Association - from 2011.
  • Life Member, Australasian Quaternary Association - from 2014.
  • Member, Scientific Steering Committee of IGBP (International Geological Biological Program) -Pages (Past Global Changes), 2004-2009, and Fellow from 2024

  Please note: If you registered to attend the lecture via Zoom, the meeting link will be emailed to you closer to the lecture date. This lecture may be recorded. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au.

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• Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens – African plant safari

  • When
    Wednesday, July 15, 2026
  •  
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  RGSQ Traveller

  Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens – African plant safari

  9.30-10.30 Introductory presentation and BYO morning tea
  10.30am - 12.30 pm guided walk.

  Join us for an “African Plant Safari” at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha, one of the best collections of African plants in Australia. The walk will be initially downhill from the lookout, zigzag through the African zone, proceed via the Tropical Dome and finish in the Arid Zone and Cactus House. The visit will mostly be devoted to plants from southern Africa, together with a few species from Namibia, East & West Africa, the horn of Africa, Egypt and one offshore island, depending on time constraints. The visit will be guided by RGSQ member Charles Naylor, a trained volunteer guide at the Gardens, who has been leading this walk since 2022, based on his experiences while a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe in 1983-85 and a member of the Tree Society of Zimbabwe.

  $5.00 members; $15.00 non-members
  Max 20 persons

  • Meet by 9.30am at the large picnic shelter Lookout located on the ring road within the Gardens (see map attached),
  • Wear sunhats and stout walking shoes and bring walking sticks or poles if desired.

  Over morning tea there will be:

  • an introductory presentation covering a brief history and layout of the Mt Coot-tha Gardens,
  • a small display of African wooden and other artefacts,
  • an overview of the African collections at Mt Coot-tha – and a little botany!

  Parking: The 3-hour visit involves self-drive to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha. On weekdays the Gardens are less crowded and participants can drive onto the ring road within the Gardens to park in one of the two areas adjacent to the Lookout, or near the National Freedom Wall (see map attached – the Freedom Wall is a 5-minute walk from the Lookout).

  Walk rating: The walk is along sealed paths. Distances up to 2 km, gentle slopes, some stairs, some uneven surfaces and 5-minute standing periods for guide explanations.

  Enquiries contact the RSGQ office +61 7 3368 2066 or email info@rgsq.org.au

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• Immigration in Australia

  • When
    Friday, August 28, 2026
  •  
    1:30 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    The University of Queensland, Room TBA
  • Spaces left
    92

  Register

  RGSQ & The University of Queensland School of the Environment
  

  The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland and the University of Queensland School of the Environment have organised a public forum with an excellent panel of speakers to present some critical perspectives on Immigration in Australia. We hope you can join us for this important event.

  Friday 28 August, 2026
  1:45-5pm; please arrive by 1.30pm
  followed by St Lucy’s café for social drinks 5-7pm

  VENUE: The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, room TBA

  CHAIRS: Dr Iraphne Childs, RGSQ; Assoc. Prof. Thomas Sigler, UQ-SENV

  KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Associate Prof. Elin Charles-Edwards UQ SENV
  Australian Immigration Trends: Composition, Sources and Prospects

  SPEAKERS:
  Assoc. Prof. Aude Bernard UQ-SENV
  Migration and Population Ageing: Evaluating Policy Trade-offs

  Assoc. Prof. Thomas Sigler UQ-SENV
  Four Brisbanes, Three Melbournes: Exploring Clustering in International Migration Populations

  Dr. Rennie Lee UQ-ISSR
  Longitudinal Pathways of Student Visa Holders

  ATTENDANCE COST (includes afternoon tea)
  General public $20, $10 Zoom
  RGSQ $5, $5 zoom
  UQ Staff free
  Students free

  MORE INFORMATION
  w www.rgsq.org.au
  e info@rgsq.org.au
  p (07) 3368 2066

  Photographs and videos may be taken during RGSQ events for use in promotional materials including, but not limited to, the RGSQ website, social media channels, newsletters and other publications. By attending an RGSQ event, you consent to the use of your likeness for these purposes, unless you inform the event organizer or photographer otherwise.

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