This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and

tools together in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity,

enable flexibility and automate workflows. Plus, Slack is full of game-changing features,

like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners

inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at Slack.com

slash DHQ.

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any

time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone

numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on

your app or on our website.

The Merchyson is a large bio region in the state of Western Australia that's known for its

agricultural and mining prospects. Spenning across 281,000 square kilometres, the region

is home to many small, sparsely populated towns, but consists mostly of rugged upback and

arid bushland. During the Western Australian Gold Rush of the late 1800s, many people

flocked to the area in the hopes of securing a fortune, which resulted in the construction

of several towns that were later abandoned when the short-lived Gold Rush ended.

Afterwards, there was little work available, except for agricultural workers, sheep shearers,

camel and horse-breakers, blacksmiths and deboundary writers, who were employed to maintain the

outer edges of sheep and cattle stations. By the turn of the 20th century, rabbits from

the country's eastern states had made their way across the desert and into Western Australia's

agricultural areas. European settlers had introduced rabbits to Australia more than 100 years earlier,

and today eventually became an invasive pest that caused significant damage to the country's

...