A bushfire that was threatening homes at Peregian on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is brought under control, with firefighters surrounding the blaze to keep it contained.

Severe bushfire conditions are expected later in the week as residents describe their terror at having to evacuate when a fast-moving bushfire threatened a township north of Noosa overnight.

The Narrogin Town Council is calling on the Western Australian Government to support upgrades to a wastewater treatment system, which it says is costing nearly $100,000 annually to maintain.

The Yetta Dhinnakkal Centre, meaning "right pathway" in traditional language, was established as Australia's first prison exclusively for young Aboriginal men but next year it will close and locals are warning the impact will be disastrous.

A medieval re-enactment group says a growing number of people are choosing to ditch the chaos of modern life and return to a simpler time.

Flames fanned by strong winds caused extensive damage to the resort site, destroying the heritage-listed wooden lodge building that had stood since the 1930s.

Police say a pipe bomb found in Mullumbimby on the NSW far north coast has been rendered safe and has been taken away for forensic examination.

Rappville residents share stories of survival after a bushfire swept through their small community in northern NSW, with one 82-year-old pensioner hiding in his shed in a bid to escape the inferno.

Widespread soaking rain in the New South Wales Central West has upped farmers' confidence for a bumper winter cropping season.

Amber Christie, 49, has been reported missing by her family and friends after failing to return to her Evans Head home from a Sunday afternoon walk.

More than 40 people are searching the Evans Head area, which includes thick scrub and bushland.

Two dangerous fires near Tenterfield and Armidale are downgraded as firefighters keep properties out of danger, but the dwindling water supply and expected strong winds will make today challenging.

If you're spending more time at home lately, Gardening Australia's Tino Carnevale suggests you get planting. Here, he gives the drop on what grows best at this time of year, inside and out.

A CSIRO reconstruction of the Federation drought of 1891 to 1903 finds that if it were to occur again today, its effects would likely be even more devastating.

Business owners at Ivanhoe in outback NSW are staring down closure if a plan to shut the jail goes ahead, and say the jail inmates make a huge contribution to the community.

Hundreds of residents from three Victorian towns are told to evacuate from their homes as part of one of the state's biggest-ever fire drills, in preparation for what could be a devastating fire season.

Alison Whitehead ran up and down a local hill until she reached the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest's peak

Consumers are increasingly asking for it and Meat and Livestock Australia says it's achievable carbon neutrality by 2030.

A 21-year-old is flown to hospital after an axe hit his helmet while he was taking part in a mock medieval battle at Hawkesbury Showground in New South Wales.

Locals in the Victorian town of Daylesford say they are shocked and devastated by council's decision to remove an "aggressive" gaggle of geese from the area, describing them as "a bit of an icon" in the tourism hotspot.

MORNING BRIEFING: NSW police hunt for Sunjay Dayal, who escaped while undertaking maintenance work in Mount Kiera, while three cars set alight in a garage triggers the fire alarms inside a Liverpool unit block.

A man who had a container of railway detonators in his bag on a train on the New South Wales south coast pleads guilty to possessing an explosive device in public.

Dark Mofo art experience Hrafn: Conversations with Odin sees tourists returning to the fire-ravaged Huon Valley south of Hobart to spend money and boost the local communities.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch's comments at an Indigenous festival reveal Labor is divided on the Adani mine's recent approval, the State Opposition says.

World number one Ash Barty is locked in to headline the 2020 Adelaide International, joining a strong list of female players including world number five Simona Halep.

A high-rise in the Sydney suburb of Mascot was evacuated overnight after residents spotted cracks in building.

The future of one of Australia's most profitable gold mines appears to be on shaky ground after more than 100 seismic events were recorded in a single day.

Sam Bloomfield makes medieval-inspired armour and art in a process he says is a bit like dressmaking — only with metal, not cloth.

Part of the Port Augusta Prison has been evacuated after a letter containing a mystery white powder was opened by staff.

More than 3,000 World War II wrecks lie in the Pacific Ocean of which around 300 are oil tankers. There are fears of environmental devastation as they begin to rust and leak oil.

Former Anglican Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence "avoided" answering questions when giving his evidence about allegations he sexually assaulted a teenager at his home in the early 1990s, a court has heard.

Injured koalas receive life-saving treatment after surviving devastating bushfires on the New South Wales mid-north coast.

Australian farmers are grappling with the future of wheat exports as Black Sea nations like Russia and Ukraine increase shipments to Indonesia.

DAILY BRIEFING: Bushwalkers are rescued in two separate incidents in Tasmania's national parks, while road spikes are deployed after a driver evades police.

A draft report has found a $260 million development of Glenorchy's Wilkinson's Point would great 1,100 jobs and inject millions into Hobart, but it could come at a cost to locals.

The redevelopment of the Royal Hobart Hospital continues to be beset with problems, the latest involving $1 million in construction damage.

With only one in four Australians staying with the same employer for 10 years or more, there is a call for a national portable long service leave scheme in Australia.

A judge describes a man who ran down his fiance and mother of four, leaving her for dead after a heated argument, as cowardly and callous.

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.

An unlikely partnership involving scientists and the fishing industry is at the centre of efforts to restore seagrass stocks in Corner Inlet.

Campden BRI have begun a research project to evaluate how 3D printing could benefit the food industry.

Evacuations are ordered in coastal towns and communities in north Queensland as Tropical Cyclone Debbie bears down, with authorities warning of damaging tidal surges and an impact on a scale not seen since Cyclone Yasi in 2011.

The Federal Government's overhaul of billions of dollars in spending on Indigenous disadvantage is still only in the "early stages" of evaluation, five years after a funding shake-up that was found to be rushed and flawed.

There had been hopes of recovery at the site of Australia's worst recorded mangrove dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria. But during a recent visit to the area, traditional owner Patsy Evans said she was devastated by the scene.

A remote Cape York community is in the fight of its life to save a unique rainforest that was devastated by a cyclone.

Arthur Miller faced a demand for almost $4 million for breach of contract the day before his Gold Coast retirement village Earle Haven was abruptly shut, prompting the evacuation of 68 elderly residents, the aged care royal commission is told.

Police say the 18-year-old man lost control of the vehicle at Southport after an alleged crime spree, causing it to roll several times.