Water is fast running out across the Macquarie Valley, with one town preparing for the possibility of closing the hospital

MORNING BRIEFING: Western Sydney residents concerned about the new 24/7 airport will have years to wait before they know proposed flight paths, while the enduring drought pushes Dubbo to cut water use even more.

The New South Wales Government is funding an aerial survey for water in the state's central west.

The Bureau of Meteorology says almost 30 millimetres has fallen at Bourke in the state's upper-west but the widespread, heavy rain needed to end the drought is unlikely in the near future.

Western Australia reports no new cases of COVID-19 overnight, marking a full week since its last positive test, with the Premier calling it an "amazing and incredible and terrific" result.

The southern Queensland town of Yelarbon is the latest to put itself on the map with a large-scale silo mural, but visitors will have to wait until COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.

A hospital in north-west Queensland says emergency department admissions have fallen by 20 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of thousands of "coffee table"-sized units will help power a renewable gas plant being built on the Western Downs.

It started with a "scratchy throat", but now almost every day at Newmarch House brings another death — here's what we know about the nursing home at the centre of a massive coronavirus outbreak.

Police hunt two men they believe broke into a Cherrybrook home and assaulted 86-year-old Colin Saliba, who sustained fatal head injuries in the attack, and his wife Josephine, who remains in hospital.

Transport NSW says the Metro West line take 20 minutes to travel from Parramatta to Sydney CBD.

Newmarch House records another death as cases there continue to climb, while more than 7,200 people were tested in NSW yesterday, the highest testing on a Saturday so far.

The native desert rice flower plant that appeared on New South Wales properties after widespread rainfall has caused death and serious illness in cattle

What distinguishes Fringe from mainstream? Whimsy and a touch of Circus Interruptus, says 720's cultural correspondent Victoria Laurie

Those who find opera difficult to get their head around may be pleasantly surprised by WA Opera's latest offering.

The Broncos answer a number of their critics by ending a four-match losing streak with a convincing victory over the Sharks, while the Tigers snare a win against the Titans in Tamworth.

A burst water main in the western Sydney suburb of Kingswood has spilled a million litres of water and inundated the streets.

A young Tasmanian father is dead and five people are in custody after police are called to an altercation in Ritchie Avenue in Burnie early on Sunday morning.

One of the two coronavirus cases confirmed in Tasmania is a staff member from the North West Regional Hospital, a day after two other staff cases were revealed.

Two more staff at the North West Regional Hospital test positive to coronavirus, taking the total to six, prompting a ban on visitors to the facility as well as the Mersey Community Hospital.

A coronavirus outbreak at Burnie's hospital has prompted a plea for Tasmania's north-west residents to do the right thing over the Easter break, as a drive-through testing station opens in Hobart.

Residents are finding ways to cope as a full lockdown looms over the region, with one woman banging pots and pans in support of essential workers, while another considers whether to shut up shop.

Tasmania's coronavirus tally reaches 133, with the director of Public Health confirming 11 new cases have been diagnosed in the state's north-west today.

A Tasmanian woman in her 70s has died of coronavirus, taking the state's death toll to five, as 11 more cases are diagnosed in the north-west.

Tasmania’s Premier Peter Gutwein has announced the North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital in Burnie will close because of the coronavirus outbreak. All staff and their households will go into quarantine. That’ll involve more than one thousand people.

The rise of the Aboriginal superhero continues with "total badass" Thylacine, a Pilbara hunter and Suicide Squad's newest recruit.

A 91-year-old woman becomes the sixth Tasmanian to die from coronavirus, as the state's overall tally jumps to 165 cases — with all of the new cases known to be from the disease hotspot of the north-west.

More cases of coronavirus are confirmed as being from Tasmania's north-west, on the day Premier Peter Gutwein urges residents with flu-like symptoms to get tested for the deadly disease.

A man who was a patient at a hospital at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak dies after contracting COVID-19, becoming the second death in two days as RAAF and ADF personnel begin work in the disease-hit region.

Another five coronavirus cases in Tasmania's troubled northwest take the tally to 200, as the Health Minister urges people to remain vigilant.

The number of coronavirus cases associated with an outbreak in Tasmania's north-west is "trailing off", the state's director of public health says, with additional retail restrictions in place in the region due to be lifted on Sunday night.

A day after authorities said the coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania may be "trailing off", the tally jumps to 205 with four new cases detected in the past 24 hours — all in the state's north-west.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer says a coronavirus cluster in Tasmania's north-west was likely sparked by a passenger from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, as the state marks 24 hours without a new case being found.

Retail restrictions are extended on Tasmania's north-west coast, as the state records its ninth coronavirus death and 207th case of the disease.

A female healthcare worker "in her 20s" is the latest case of coronavirus confirmed in Tasmania, on the day Australia's Chief Medical Officer apologises for alleging an "illegal dinner party" contributed to the state's outbreak.

Key dates in the outbreak which unfolded in two Tasmanian hospitals, according to a report released by Public Health.

Tighter retail restrictions imposed on Tasmania's north-west after a coronavirus outbreak will be lifted on Sunday night, with the situation "largely under control", Premier Peter Gutwein says, as the state records a day free of new cases.

One of Australia's largest food exporters, SunRice, cuts more than 30 regional staff after producing its second-lowest rice crop.

Perth Glory are held to a draw thanks to a controversial extra-time equaliser by Robbie Fowler's Brisbane Roar in the west, as A-League newcomers Western United enjoy a winning debut with a 1-0 win over the Phoenix in Wellington.

Melbourne City beats Western United 2-1 in the season's second Victorian derby, while Perth Glory enjoy a win over Phoenix by the same scoreline in Wellington.

South coast photographer, Nic Duncan, has been named Western Australia's 2015 Portrait Photographer of the Year by industry body, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP). Her environmental portraits offer a glimpse into the lives of diverse individuals, centred around a unique Great Southern town.

It was bitterly cold at Anzac Cove on the 25th April. In order to attend the Dawn Service marking 100 years since the landing at Gallipoli, Jeff Peirce went 34 hours without sleep.

A gallery of some of the best winter ocean-themed photos submitted by locals to ABC Open's Pic of the Week project.

New species of spider orchids have been discovered near Busselton by the WA Herbarium. They add to the already spectacular array of wildflowers which thrive in the biodiversity hot spot of the South West.

More than 20 volunteers will give their time every fortnight to monitor western hooded plovers on Busselton Shire beaches. Numbers may be declining but not enough is known about the birds to be sure.

A team of volunteer dog owners are faithfully visiting aged-care homes with their canine companions, bringing much joy and contentment to many of the residents.

While a Victorian council rejects drought funding it says isn't needed, farmers in far-west New South Wales say they feel like they're in a "forgotten corner".

Bats have been migrating earlier than usual this year due to inland drought and a lack of food in Queensland's south-east, with red flying foxes seen covering Mount Isa's sky.