Cooler-than-average temperatures are likely to be felt in southern and central Queensland from today as a cold front works its way through the state.

A man accused of murdering his 45-year-old ex-partner at a home north of Brisbane, picked up a sledgehammer and hit her over the back of the head, police allege.

This holiday hotspot has the potential of having zero active coronavirus cases by early May, but with fine weather and loosening restrictions the situation could prove otherwise.

International seafarers pose little risk to the public and port access restrictions imposed by some states are not in line with national recommendations, an industry lobby claims.

A Queensland family has bought a large cattle station on the Northern Territory/Queensland border from a Chinese billionaire for $53 million.

Suzanne Miller earnt a high wage but in a "gross abuse of high office" she also illegally spent a further $75,000 in taxpayer funds on personal purchases, a Brisbane court hears.

Some Queensland residents may find it too cold to enjoy the relaxed coronavirus restrictions that start today, as temperatures across in some areas in the state's south drop below zero.

Queenslanders hit the waterways and public spaces on the first day of relaxed restrictions, with residents able to picnic or visit national parks for the first time in weeks.

What have flash floods, bushfires and a pandemic taught the Gold Coast about its relationship with its beaches?

Friends, cake, presents and games are all essential experiences for a kid's birthday party, but in recent times these celebrations have been a casualty. One mum shares how she's throwing her son a virtual birthday party.

Falling temperatures on the Sunshine Coast may be leading to an increase in false fire alarms, experts say.

A 14-week coronavirus drug trial involving volunteer military personnel has resumed despite previous concerns from doctors and veterans about its ethics.

The former workers of a north-west Queensland mine, who have been waiting for their wages for more than six months, see a reprieve with the company put into liquidation.

It's an open-and-shut case of home invasion as a wildlife carer captures Novak the beak-and-enter artist refusing to accept the "no entry" rule.

A grand slam of a different kind has seen two Brisbane nurses take on the world's best tennis players high in the sky on a hospital rooftop.

Rowing machines and online coaching are keeping these teenage rowers motivated amid the coronavirus shutdown, and their coaches say many are even achieving personal best times.

A professional beekeeper appeals for public help to find thieves who stole beehives from Toolara State Forest, north-east of Gympie.

Sunshine Coast Council estimates that parts of the region are facing a mosquito population double the size of previous years.

The Templeton family, fourth-generation farmers who almost lost everything to a pest called pythium, turn to extreme cleaning — with the help of a $250,000 washing machine from Italy — and are recognised for their efforts.

A Torres Strait art centre has come up with a way for people to get involved from home with its internationally renowned artworks, using DIY kits, after all its exhibitions were cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions

Zulya is a singing, guitar playing, native of Tartazan in Russia

Genre jumping jive with a deep acoustic/roots heart

Chinese Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra

ABC North Coast resident arts reviewer, Jeanti St Clair looks at the latest music and theatre to hit the region.

Experts warn unemployment could soar to 20 per cent in the Shoalhaven, so how will a region that relies on tourism survive when no tourists are allowed in?

A Mid North Coast school is bucking the state trend planning to have all its students on campus by May 11 and says a previous COVID-19 case has adequately prepared it for any future outbreaks.

NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant has declared Lithgow to be a COVID-19 hotspot after an untraceable case emerged over the weekend.

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock labels Coffs Harbour's Cultural and Civic Space plan "foolish and rash", threatening to change laws to stop it.

A family warns that compassionate exemptions to the coronavirus ban on interstate travel are unclear after dad was turned back at the border.

People are being urged to batten down the hatches as the cold weather hits, including sheep graziers who could lose animals to the potentially deadly chill.

As zoos are closed to visitors due to coronavirus, zookeepers trying to exercise animals by talking them for walks around the zoo.

Police find NRL player Nathan Cleary committed no offence after videos emerged of a group of women at his home, but the five women have been slugged with $1,000 fines.

The Government's stimulus packages have been set up to get people through the COVID-19 pandemic, but how will unemployed Australians fare as we come out the other side?

There's no fuss, no entourage and no star ego, writes producer Vanessa Gorman, on filming with Sam Neill.

After soaking rains in February, for the first time in three years farmers have a real opportunity to sow a crop, but they must first face international importation issues and supply shortages of agricultural chemicals and fertiliser.

Graziers are set to appeal the finding that they used herbicide to remove critically endangered grasslands on a farm partly owned by MP Angus Taylor.

As temperatures plunge it is possible you are reviewing your home's heating and thinking 'could I be snugger?'"

A disability carer has been charged with 16 offences including counts of producing child abuse materials, after an investigation into a care home in Sydney's west.

Last week the ABC published the story behind a tiny 66-year-old handprint found in a garden shed. After seeing the story, family and friends have now filled in the details about the life, and tragic death of Ian Redman.

A Sydney school is shut after a student tests positive for COVID-19 but Gladys Berejiklian says all children could be back in classrooms full-time by the end of May.

A major redevelopment in Sydney's north west is given the go-ahead days after the announcement of an expedited approvals program — prompting criticism that the process seemed "predetermined".

Sick of isolation? It might be time to explore the slow TV genre. From the comfort of your lounge room you can cruise down the Manning River as video producers live stream their tranquil journey.

While the lucrative mud crab trade was all but halted by the impact of coronavirus, eels enable one commercial fisher to claw back some lost trade.

People with Tourette syndrome appeal for compassion as pandemic panic exacerbates their neurological condition, causing their anxieties and tics to worsen.

While hygiene and handwashing are on people's minds at present, there's hope that water conservation is right up there with it as parts of Australia come out of drought.

A drop in the number of domestic violence incidents reported in the NSW Central West in recent months sparks concern at a local support service.

The Ghost's Child is a haunting story that could become a classic, says ABC 720's cultural correspondent Victoria Laurie

Far from being the over-hyped sensation, this Ballarat six piece look set to upend more than one rock'n'roll convention.

Searching for Sugar Man is an engaging documentary centred around the quest by two middle aged South Africans to discover the fate of the enigmatic Rodriguez, the greatest 70s rock icon who never was.