Building a casino empire was always a high-stakes game for billionaire James Packer. Now, a city awaits his next move.

A council had twice sought government funding for a regional skydiving facility before it was awarded $11 million from a bushfire economic relief fund.

The listing, which includes landmarks such as the Hyde Park Barracks and the Mint, means that any future development applications deemed to put at risk any identified heritage values, which include early interactions between Aboriginal people and colonisers, would go before the federal minister.

Heather Hesterman retraced Charles Sturt’s search for an inland sea, with a trolley of exotic plants in tow. The results are startling.

The Productivity Commission has found governments could spend $10m a year to secure the same amount of water they’ll get from the costly Dungowan Dam.