Step Outside with Paul Burt

The government is making shark-spotting drones permanent at 20 beaches, but even the best tech has a battery life and a bedtime.  Paul Burt weighed up the "mental" safety of traditional nets against the high-tech eyes in the sky that still can’t patrol 24/7.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

This week, we’re heading back to 1894 off the coast of Queensland and to Stradbroke Island. The Cambus Wallace was a Scottish barque that smashed into a sandbank during a cyclone off Stradbroke Island and it has now become a story of Queensland folklore. Research Volunteer at the Queensland Maritime Museum Library, David Jones, joins Burty to delve more into it's history.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

A local Sunshine Coast man, Logan Adams, was in the news after completing a full 42.2 kilometre marathon inside the Sunshine Plaza shopping centre! Yes a shopping centre…Not along the beach…Not through the hinterland…Not even on a treadmill… Through the food court. Yesterday he even completed a marathon inside Bunnings warehouse. Logan joins Burty to talk about the method behind the madness, and possibly teeing up a marathon around the 4BC studios!

ET joins Burty to chat about flake, travel and the upcoming 27th season of his loved TV show "Escape with ET".

Burty chats to Chris Carney as he is kayaking just off of Burleigh Heads. Chris talks about his set up and some of his most memorable moments and catches on his kayak.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

On February 10, 1964, tragedy struck the Royal Australian Navy when HMAS Voyager collided with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne during night exercises off Jervis Bay. It was a moonless night. Just before 9pm, the two ships collided - Voyager was cut in two and her forward section sank quickly, the stern following hours later. Of the 314 men on board, 82 lost their lives — 14 officers, 67 sailors and one civilian dock worker. It remains one of the most significant peacetime naval disasters in Australian history…. Sixty years on, we pause to remember those who served, those who were lost, and the families whose lives were forever changed. Their sacrifice is part of our nation’s naval story — and it is never forgotten. Jayne Keogh from the Queensland Naval Association joins Burty to reflect.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

The inshore flats project is calling on the Queensland Government to block any expansion of tunnel net fishing in the states inshore flats across Central and North Queensland. But what even are tunnel nets? Fly-fisher, writer and advocate of the Inshore Flats Project, Chris Burgess, joins Burty to unpack this divisive move by the Government.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

CEO of the Queensland Seafood industry Association, David Bobberman, chats to Burty about netting issues including calls to stop gill netting in the Logan and Albert rivers and if aquaculture will overtake the commercial net/line fishing sector in the future.

Last week, our listener Sally gave us an update on her Bribie Island Australia Day Mullet Toss event and told us about 92-year-old Marjorie Voss who took part in the contest. Burty tracked her down this incredible athlete and she tells us more about her life growing up fishing in Queensland.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Fishing for scallops is set to resume in parts of north Queensland for the first time in four years — but southern waters remain firmly off limits. The state government shut down the inshore scallop fishery back in 2021 fearing the stocks had collapsed nearly 90% but southern fishers say the closure has cost local communities millions, with scallops caught as by-catch still required to be dumped back overboard.  New surveys show numbers have recovered enough to reopen waters between Townsville and Yeppoon from March — but the key southern grounds between Yeppoon and Hervey Bay have failed to meet the threshold for reopening. Queensland Seafood Industry Association’s CEO David Bobberman joins Burty to talk more about the re-opening.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Surf Season is in full swing and next weekend at the Gold Coast is a very special event. The Break the Silence Charity Surf Competition is on, and it’s going to be a huge day in support of Mental Health. Event organiser, Taj Bischa, joins to chat more about it.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Queensland's shark control program, which has caused a bit of controversy, is back under the spotlight. According to reports in the Courier Mail, Shark catch numbers more than doubled along the state’s coastline last year, with Mackay being crowned the "shark capital" of Queensland.  Andrew Camilleri is the co-owner of Reef Marine Mackay and joins Burty to chat more about this issue.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

If you looked up at the night sky across much of Australia last week, from Tasmania right up to Queensland, you might’ve seen something pretty incredible! The Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, put on a rare light show. The night sky was lit up in pinks, purples and greens — and in places where you’d normally never expect to see it. But how was it triggered? And why was it here in Australia? To help us understand what caused it — and why it showed up over Australia — we’re joined by Dr Benjamin Pope, Associate Professor at Macquarie University.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.  

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

There is no lie that North Queensland has been hammered with rain over the past week with widespread flooding, rivers at record highs and it looks like there is much more on the way. Last week on the program, we had a number of listeners texting in about the Bradfield Scheme - a long-debated plan to capture floodwaters and redirect them inland to drought-proof Australia. Member for Traeger, Rob Katter, joins Burty to discuss the scheme and why it's just "common sense".

A 26-Year-old Brisbane man is preparing for an extraordinary challenge. His name is Oliver Foran and he is aiming to become the fastest person to travel from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest. A journey that tests the human body to the max, but this journey isn’t all about breaking records - It’s about honouring his late mother. Oliver chats to Burty about his motivations and the preparation needed for such a feat. 

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Queensland has shark nets and are currently trialing shark spotting drones to keep more people safe from sharks. But a product based out of the US has become very popular here in Australia. Burty chats with Sharkbanz co-founder Nathan Garrison about how their product helps deter sharks and keep people safer in the water.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

The state of WA could not escape the headlines this week. From fishing laws hurting local tackle shops and caravan parks in fishing towns, to three men being charged after allegedly dumping 200 kg of shark heads outside the Fisheries minister's office. It is clear that anglers aren’t happy in WA. Burty chats to Shane Younger, a small business owner from Seaport Tackle in Jurien Bay about what is going on and the lessons we can learn here in QLD.

Burty catches up with Garmin's Gordon Triplett to cover all the must have gear for the new year

Burty talks new developments and the must have gear for 2026 with Shimano's Josh Carpenter.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Kodi Matthews, founder of Krab King, talks to Burty about their wildly popular and effective invention, the 'Krab Cuff'.

After talking about Shark Drones yesterday with SLSQ's Darren Everard, Burty wants to know how much further this new technology can go. State Member for the Burnett Region, Stephen Bennett joins the program to discuss why Burnett was chosen and what he thinks a successful trial will look like.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Darren Everard, Operations Manager of the Wide Bay Capricorn Region for Surf Life Saving Queensland, joins Burty to discuss being on the front lines patrolling and seeing these Shark Drones in action. 

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Burty chats to Eden Craft Boats Marketing Manager Joel Ryan about their Australian-made boats and their history.

Last week there was a big announcement made from the Crisafulli Government, confirming it’s moving to stop commercial net fishing for barramundi south of Tin Can Bay. According to the minister, Labor's decision “entirely based on ideology - with no scientific basis”. We hear from Minister of Primary Industries Tony Perrett on this move, plus get comment from local fisherman, publisher, tournament angler and content creator: Steve Morgan.

Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Sam Leckie filling in for Paul Burt. Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

Sam Leckie filling in for Paul Burt this weekend. Tune into Step Outside with Paul Burt every Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8am for all the information you need to make the most of your weekends in the Sunshine State.

FULL SHOW: Step Outside with Sam Leckie, December 7th, 2025  

FULL SHOW: Step Outside with Sam Leckie, December 6th, 2025