Many believed there must be a big water source in the continent's centre but attempts to find it inevitably ended in disaster. Now we can see Australia in satellite photos the idea of an inland sea might seem ridiculous. The West Australian mining giant Anaconda says it's found an underground inland sea, and it estimates there's at least enough water to supply Perth for 4,000 years. Last week a New Zealand group called Doctor Global, which offers medical consultations over the internet for a fee, launched a website aimed specifically at the Australian market. There are concerns that this new type of service will create a range of new medico-legal problems.
Some private eyes do marital work, some spy on welfare cheats.
But now a possible new line of work for private investigators - Tasmanian bee keepers are trying to find out who's responsible for a spate of beehive thefts that's threatening the local industry.