New data shows dolphins, turtles and stingrays made up 94 per cent of the marine life caught by shark nets on some of New South Wales's most popular beaches.

Firefighters are protecting properties in Belmont, south of Newcastle, as a bushfire fanned by strong winds continues to burn near homes.

He established some of Australia's best-known national parks and fought for World Heritage listings across the globe. But for the late Peter Hitchcock, conservation was no walk in the park.

A study reveals a visit from a rare bird to a tiny NSW town generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the economy, highlighting the untapped potential of birdwatching tourism.

A plea made by a group of patchworkers to help find their stolen quilts has been heard internationally.

The NSW Rural Fire Service downgrades an emergency warning for a fire at Backwater near Armidale, as hot and dry conditions continue to fuel bushfires in the area.

Four Corners has obtained exclusive video of the police interrogation of washing machine repairman Bill Spedding, who was wrongly accused of abducting three-year-old William Tyrrell from outside a home on on the NSW mid-north coast.

Months after being given new powers, corporate watchdog ASIC is taking action against Gold Coast payday lender Cigno Loans, which is accused of exploiting vulnerable Australians.

More than 2.7 million Australians live in a house with a swimming pool and with growing environmental awareness, residents across the country are converting their pools to ponds.

A husband and wife team one a butcher, the other a wildlife carer is doing wonders for injured and orphaned wildlife in WA's remote Kimberley region.

As it makes what could be a last-ditch effort to ensure its future, collapsed wave energy hopeful Carnegie Clean Energy is still not disclosing the performance of its most valuable asset, its CETOwave technology.

A West Australian man has captured on camera what may be one of the first documented cases of a redback spider capturing a mouse.

A water scientist is backing Hamilton farmers' concerns about threats to a local lake from a proposed fish hatchery, including the threat of algal blooms.

DAILY BRIEFING: Two bushfires are burning near the small communities of Glen Huon and Miena, but authorities say there is no immediate threat to people and property, and seven little penguins injured in a dog attack have been released into the wild.

DAILY BRIEFING: On a day of total fire ban in Tasmania's south, the fire service is being kept busy dealing with several outbreaks, including at Elderslie and Lachlan, where communities are on watch-and act-alerts.

Port Lincoln, on South Australia's west coast, celebrates four decades of a tuna-tossing competition that commemorates the city's fishing history and is proving popular with hammer throwers.

A police officer helps save a worker who jumped into the ocean for his own safety when the Whyalla jetty caught fire on Wednesday afternoon.

A GPS clock rollover, which experts predicted would have little impact because of years of advance notice, causes the grounding of the Bureau of Meteorology's weather balloons.

A Victorian woman who entered a sexualised relationship with a 14-year-old WA boy has been jailed but immediately released after a judge deemed her past had left her with "clouded boundaries".

World jousting champion Phillip Leitch of Kryal Castle, near Ballarat, defeats challengers from as far away as the Netherlands, Russia and Canada to claim the title for another year.

Key's Matchstick Grasshopper

Swedish metal giant Sandvik has unveiled what was described as “the world’s first smash-proof 3D printed guitar.”

The Mitchell Shire Council invests $5,000 towards books for people with dyslexia.

Farms across North Queensland have suffered stock and crop losses of up to 50 per cent in the wake of unprecedented flooding.

Cronulla snaps a five-match losing streak with a 16-14 win over an injury-hit North Queensland to remain in the hunt for the NRL finals.

More payday lending practice stories are coming out of the woodwork as ASIC says it is "building a casebook" for a possible ban.

The custody notification system, designed to help prevent Aboriginal deaths in custody, has been rolled out in the Northern Territory but there are concerns the people most at risk of harm have been excluded from its operation.

The program sees Indonesian agriculture students immerse themselves in NT cattle stations, learning how to ride horses, handle cattle, and conduct bore runs.

The family of brutally murdered woman Karen Chetcuti, whose killer was a rapist on parole, is suing the Victorian Government for her wrongful death.