Acting detective Eric Walsh sought advice from police colleagues on ways to silence online criticism of Universal Medicine, a group found by a jury to be a "dangerous cult", the ABC can reveal.

The magistrate who sentenced a man over the assault of a champion surfer says she took into account the public scolding he's received when deciding his punishment.

In 1979, protesters blocked the path of bulldozers to stop the logging of a rainforest on the New South Wales north coast, the first blockade of its kind in Australia.

THE NIGHTCAP NATIONAL PARK, NORTH OF LISMORE, IS AN ANCIENT AND WORLD-HERITAGE RAINFOREST THAT'S HOME TO HUNDREDS OF RARE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.

A father who lost his son in a shocking crash 13 years ago channels his grief into a mission for better road safety with a driver-training centre that could save countless lives.

The 18-year-old has been missing for over three months, and was last seen in Byron Bay at the end of May.

Dramatic footage from the NSW Rural Fire Service shows the treacherous conditions firefighters are dealing with at Shark Creek, which remains under emergency alert.

At least 11 homes had already been destroyed at Binna Burra.

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.

A Brisbane multi-millionaire who donated $300,000 to a charity associated with a group later found in court to be an "exploitative cult" says he gave the money freely as a reward for treating his chronic pain.

The hunt for the missing Belgian backpacker, who disappeared after a night out on May 31, is formally referred to the NSW coroner in a move that ends the official police search.

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.

For nine long months, the main road into Byron Bay was adorned by one of Australia's most controversial pieces of public art. Until last night.

Pool blogger Simon Duffin says Yamba is in his top four ocean pools in Australia

Pool blogger Simon Duffin says Yamba is in his top four ocean pools in Australia

The tourist mecca's potholes are legendary, and locals are taking matters into their own hands as the mayor laments that the town's affluent profile means little to its financially-struggling council.

Up to 20 homes and structures are destroyed in the village of Rappville, as watch and act warnings are issued for several bushfires burning within 100km of each other in northern NSW.

Authorities say at least 30 homes have been damaged or destroyed as fast-moving bushfires burned in and around Rappville in northern NSW on October 8, 2019.