| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | BOTTLEBRUSH | |
| Botanical region brought back grass – an Australian native (11) | BOT + (BELT reversed) + RUSH | |
| 9 | HERRING | |
| Hotel messing up fish (7) | H + ERRING | |
| 10 | SUBSIDE | |
| Replacement’s idea not backed by a moderate (7) | SUBS + (IDEA minus A) | |
| 11 | EVENSONG | |
| Regular family member connected with head of Greek church service (8) | EVEN + SON + (G)reek | |
| 12 | JAMIES | |
| Nightwear that is wedged in tight spots (6) | IE inside JAMS | |
| 14 | SIDE | |
| Team selection of professionals ideally (4) | professionalS IDEally | |
| 15 | BEFRIENDED | |
| Brief shuffled over and helped (10) | Anagram of BRIEF + ENDED | |
| 18 | PARAPHRASE | |
| Expected rash developed in ape, say, in a different way (10) | PAR + (anagram of RASH inside APE) | |
| 19 | OPAL | |
| New hospital not built with this stone (4) | Anagram of HOSPITAL minus THIS | |
| 22 | ABSORB | |
| Stomach muscles, struck with ball, pull in (6) | ABS + ORB | |
| 24 | SHOOTING | |
| Frightening cry can start to generate gunfire (8) | SHOO + TIN + (G)enerate | |
| 26 | EPISODE | |
| Incident is linked to verse at end of recording (7) | (IS + ODE) after EP | |
| 27 | TWO PAIR | |
| Reasonable hand was primarily featured in top broadcast (3,4) | (W)as inside (TOP + AIR) | |
| 28 | DISENTANGLE | |
| Resolve is needed in depression – a point of view (11) | (IS inside DENT) + ANGLE | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | BARTENDER | |
| Local worker’s ingenuity demonstrated in drinking spree (9) | ART inside BENDER | |
| 2 | THIRST | |
| Drought this time broken by end of September (6) | (THIS + T) outside septembe(R) | |
| 3 | LOGANBERRY | |
| Fruit began in poor condition inside truck (10) | Anagram of BEGAN inside LORRY | |
| 4 | BUSY | |
| Long ride back to city is tiring (4) | BUS + cit(Y) | |
| 5 | UNBEATEN | |
| Bun, cooked and consumed, is second to none (8) | Anagram of BUN + EATEN | |
| 6 | HAITI | |
| Country that’s content with one backing IT? (5) | t(HA)t + I + (IT reversed) | |
| 7 | CHEERS | |
| All the best Roman drivers avoiding a riot (6) | CHARIOTEERS minus (A + RIOT) | |
| 8 | TEASED | |
| Dinner parties given by senior journalist wound up (6) | TEAS + ED | |
| 13 | BRUSCHETTA | |
| Clarified butter has set on outside of cold Italian dish (10) | Anagram of BUTTER HAS outside C | |
| 16 | DUPLICATE | |
| Facsimile finished in strange dialect (9) | UP inside anagram of DIALECT | |
| 17 | SPURIOUS | |
| Forged acknowledgement of debt received by London soccer club (8) | IOU inside SPURS | |
| 18 | PLACED | |
| Ranked leader of platoon backed transfer (6) | (P)latoon + (DECAL reversed) | |
| 20 | LAGERS | |
| Royal tipped over first of several drinks (6) | REGAL reversed + (S)everal | |
| 21 | BOGONG | |
| Marshy area providing shelter for nearly extinct Australian moth (6) | BOG outside (GON)e | |
| 23 | SHIED | |
| Tossed one in outhouse (5) | I inside SHED | |
| 25 | TERN | |
| Sea-bird’s offspring spotted in winter nest? (4) | winTER Nest |
