Though no machinery arrived at Wallum this morning, contractors and police were on the development site at Brunswick Heads as well as dozens of Save Wallum protesters. 

Richmond Valley Council says the upgraded Casino Showground and Racecourse will be a major hub for events in regional NSW, with a focus on horse-related activities.

I feel trapped. There isn’t a single time I attend where I don’t check my proximity to the exits, or imagine what I’d do if there was a fire, or worse, a shooter. The sense of being enclosed is unnatural, I can’t tell what time of day it is, I lose my sense of direction. It’s designed to be disorienting. It feels otherworldly. And never in a good way. They are designed to make you stay longer. They are by design, disorienting.

Around eight people have been arrested so far, since almost fifty police arrived at the Wallum development in Brunswick Heads this morning to escort machinery and other work vehicles on to the site. Police include local officers, members of the NSW Public Order and Riot Squad, and Police Rescue.

Four years ago, Guido and Natalia Annoni decided to swap the rat race for the jungle – heading north...