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.

Another international raider grabs the last automatic spot in the Melbourne Cup, with the Joseph O'Brien-trained Downdraft earning his spot with a win in the Hotham Handicap on Derby Day.

Japanese Caulfield Cup winner Mer De Glace is the new favourite for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup after the barrier draw is completed at Flemington.

High-density developments are cropping up in almost every Melbourne suburb and local resident groups have had enough.

Benalla man Joseph McDonald is charged with one count of murder after handing himself into police on Saturday evening.

Betting on horse races has taken a dive amid a slew of scandals that hit the industry this year, but racing experts say a combination of factors are coming together at the wrong time for Racing Victoria.

Whips will likely be banned from horseracing in the next 10 to 15 years, the CEO of Racing Victoria says, as rain and animal activists dampen the annual Melbourne Cup parade.

An 11-year-old boy who was missing since Sunday night on a 150-acre farm north-west of Melbourne returns home safe and well. Police say he was checked out by ambulance officers and was given the all clear.

Are you feeling torn about celebrating the Melbourne Cup today? We asked our ABC Messenger audience how they felt about the race that stops the nation and what they loved (and hated) about it.

In the closest of finishes, jockey Craig Williams rides the winner but an upheld protest sees a change to the final placings in the race that stops a nation. Look back on how it unfolded at Flemington Racecourse.

Pastels and bold patterns are in this year, but is racing out? As the industry deals with issues around the treatment of horses, punters continue to embrace the Cup in dazzling style.

The 2019 Melbourne Cup has been won by Australian-owned, trained and bred horse Vow And Declare in a dramatic finish at Flemington, but last-placed Rostropovich is taken to Werribee with a pelvis injury.

As Vow and Declare stormed to his thrilling Melbourne Cup victory, a group of novice part-owners in the Queensland town of Gympie were celebrating a dream come true.

The long-term boyfriend of a Dutch woman who died in Melbourne last year after a hit-and-run tells her killer's court hearing that he feels completely alone and mourns the children they would have had.

If you were at Albion Park on March 8 this year, you'll never forget the sight of the enormous Qantas 747 flying over the crowds and landing on the small regional airstrip. Now it's comfortably retired and on display, what does having a 747 jumbo jet do for tourism?

The Norfolk Pines along Albany's Ellen Cove are looking snug this winter, thanks to the antics of local yarn bombers, the Purly Queens. The fuzzy activists are encouraging locals to hug a pine for the 20th anniversary of National Tree Day.

Merryn Apma is an Aboriginal artist who has been a major force in Aboriginal issues since the famous Long Walk led by former AFL footballer Michael Long from Melbourne to Canberra in 2004. She's made the move to Tilba to return to art practise and to open a gallery for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists. She brings a powerful creativity and sense of spirit to a welcoming community.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who continues to be held in an Iranian prison throughout this pandemic, despite more than 85,000 prisoners being temporarily released in Iran.

Young people of Western Australia see a climate crisis developing and inappropriate action from decision makers.

Rob Minshull produces Weekend with Warren and is an avid reader.

The Storm hold on in a tight encounter against the Dragons to win 16-14 in Wollongong, as both sides struggle to cover for their missing State of Origin stars.

A cold front moving across NSW dumps snow around Goulburn and the Blue Mountains, while erratic winds and lightning may hamper firefighting efforts in the north of the state.

RBG is the oldest justice on the Supreme Court bench and her return to work will allay fears of a vacancy that would have allowed President Donald Trump to appoint another conservative judge.

It's been 50 years since the Beatles released their final album, Let It Be. Now, a new film will look back on its making, and the deep divisions that led to the band's breakup. But just how accurately will it portray what really went on?

Drought sees Pilbara stations sell off their entire herds, but this manager says it's not the end.

An online petition and Facebook page to negotiate better deals on high-cost airfares for regional West Australians is gaining traction.

Six Malaysian men visit Perth seeking $1.5 million they lost when an alleged Ponzi property scheme masterminded by WA businesswoman Veronica Macpherson collapsed three years ago.

Polluting heavy metals may be leaking into an outback river system in WA's Pilbara and the problem has been made worse by the massive deluge that accompanied Tropical Cyclone Veronica in March.

Once the scene of entrenched, intergenerational alcohol abuse, a historical hotel in WA's remote Pilbara region is now a symbol of hope and cultural pride.

Kimberly De Pledge is found guilty of dangerous driving after his loaded cattle truck slammed into a caravan, killing two people on a remote WA highway.

A Pilbara man is granted bail after allegedly being found with more than 40,000 child exploitation images following a sting by authorities in the United States.

A 37-year-old woman is in custody on charges of murder and attempted murder after a fatal head-on collision in Western Australia's north-west.

A cattle station in outback Western Australia proves popular with stargazers and now hopes to become internationally recognised for its starry nights.

A well-known WA pastoralist is jailed for almost four years for causing a crash on a remote Pilbara highway that claimed the lives of a couple and left their two children orphaned.

Many Australians are dissatisfied with the narrow economic focus of politics, research by the University of Melbourne’s ANDI Project confirms. They want the progress of their society to be measured by a much broader range of factors, like health, environmental standards and youth wellbeing. They’re not alone. Across the globe there’s a growing movement to move “beyond GDP”, to start planning for the future based on wider models of societal progress.

The Giants move up to second, denying the Kangaroos a third-straight win under caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw with a victory in Hobart.

Police announce a $500,000 reward for information about the rape of an 18-year-old woman in Melbourne's CBD last year, as the victim speaks about the "traumatic" attack for the first time.

Two brothers charged with intentionally causing serious injury over an alleged attack on a a senior Victoria Police officer displayed aggressive and threatening behaviour and were "attempting to engage in a fight" a Melbourne court is told.

Stunning footage of a security guard at Bellerive Oval attempting to enter the field of play to separate two tussling players has former players shaking their heads.

Feisty little Mila is more her father's daughter than anyone might guess. The one-year-old's failing liver was entirely replaced with a section of her dad's, after Victoria's first father-child organ donation.

A teenager who can be named for the first time pleads not guilty to the murder of a 61-year-old woman in Adelaide's inner north in December last year.

Al Hassan Toure only made his senior debut for Adelaide United in August, but scores one goal and set up another as the Reds thumped Melbourne City to claim a third FFA Cup title in six years.

Tents were set up to protect evidence at a crime scene outside the Glen Waverley Police Station in Melbourne's south-east, after a man was stabbed during a road rage altercation between two drivers.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese announces he will contest the party's leadership.

CCTV footage from Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula captures the moment a meteor lit up the night sky over the bay. (Supplied: Martha Cove Owners Corporation)

The Member for Grayndler is the only declared candidate currently contesting the opposition leadership position.