Home to goat herds, dirt bike races and thousands of tourists, this tiny town’s big shared space reimagines an ancient concept Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast A sun-scorched sign at the entrance to Birdsville informs visitors the town’s population is 115 – plus or minus 7,000 people. The hordes of visitors who will flock to the far-flung town this week for its iconic horse races accounts for the numerical equivocation. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup ..read more

What makes Port Fairy so special? The pretty, historic cottages certainly play their part, as does the excellent food – but it’s the locals that really seal it Far away enough from Melbourne to deter day trippers and overwhelming crowds, but with enough of the trappings of a big city – Port Fairy may well be Australia’s most perfect holiday destination. Almost four hours from Melbourne, at the end of the Great Ocean Road, the coastal town was voted in 2012 as the most liveable community under 20,000 – in the world. There’s this incredible coastal environment, 180 degrees of sky over your head ..read more

Airbnb created an industry and changed the face of many neighbourhoods. Now it’s facing the challenge of the coronavirus Airbnb was built on the premise of bringing the world closer together. Tourists could travel like locals, while locals could cash in on their desirable neighbourhood properties by letting those visitors in. Last year the company was estimated to be worth more than US$30bn. It is scheduled to go public in 2020. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. Travel is suspended. Australians are almost entirely confined to their homes. Now the once heralded disruptor is seeing a collapse in ..read more