Real stories, by real people, from the 'burbs to the bush.
The Grapevine Australia started with a simple belief: Local news matters. Good stories matter. The people who live in regional, rural and remote Australia know their communities better than any newsroom ever could. So, we built this platform to share their stories.
Our Mantra
Rural. Regional. Remote. Real.
"Nothing about us, without us."
The people behind
the platform
A small, passionate team of regional Australians, journalists, and digital advocates who believe community media matters.
Brooke Hargraves
EditorialFounder and Editor
Albany Creek, QLD
Brooke is the driving force behind The Grapevine Australia. An award-winning rural journalist who grew up in regional Queensland, she has worked in regional newsrooms and has a genuine passion about giving a voice to rural, regional and remote communities and building a platform with trusted local voices that can reflect the opportunities, challenges, the potential, the depth and diversity of experiences that lie outside Australia's capital cities.
Alexia Purcell
JournalismLocal Journalist & Editor
Noosa Hinterland, QLD
A lifelong storyteller, Alexia studied journalism at USC and has spent over 20 years in the media industry, including four years as editor of a local community newspaper. She is dedicated to giving communities a voice and telling the stories that matter.
Tyler Nguyen
Youth VoicesYouth Editor
Broome, WA
At 24, Tyler is our youngest team member and our most important compass. He makes sure we never talk down to young people — and that their stories get the same front-page treatment as anyone else's.
Want to join us?
We're always looking for passionate regional Australians — journalists, community workers, digital helpers, and storytellers — to join our growing team.
What we stand for
We're not trying to replace mainstream media — we're building something different. A platform where regional Australians aren't just the audience. They're the authors.
Community Voice First
Every editorial decision starts with one question: does this serve and represent our communities? Not advertisers, not algorithms.
Trust Over Traffic
We don't chase clicks or sensationalism. We publish what's true, fair, and useful — even when it's a slower path.
Radical Inclusion
Regional Australia is not one thing. We actively seek out underrepresented voices — young people, First Nations communities, recent arrivals, and everyone in between.
No Sensationalism
We don't do outrage-bait. If a story doesn't inform, connect, or empower — it doesn't belong here.
Accessible by Design
Built for low bandwidth. Readable on older phones. Available as audio. Designed for real regional life — not ideal city conditions.
It started with one unanswered question.
In late 2025 two 'former' journos, with a deep love of all things regional sat across from each other in a coffee shop and asked: 'what happened to local news?'
The answer wasn't a lack of stories. It was a lack of infrastructure. So we built it — a platform designed from the ground up for the people and communities that mainstream media had left behind.
2026
Founded
14k+
Stories
2,400+
Contributors
0
Paywalls
How to become
a contributor
You don't need media experience. You need a story worth telling and a community worth serving.
Sign up — it's free
Create a simple profile. No subscription, no paywall, no algorithm deciding what you see.
Write, record, or upload
Share your story in any format — a written article, a voice note, photos, or just key points. We help with the rest.
Community review
Our editors — themselves regional Australians — review your submission with care and respect within 48 hours.
Published & amplified
Your story goes live, available for your community and to share far and wide!
Ready to share your story?
Your community needs to hear what you know. Start with a sentence — we'll help you find the rest.