Hawthorn keeps its finals hopes alive by beating premiers West Coast, Geelong remains a chance of claiming the minor premiership, while the Giants, Swans and Kangaroos enjoy victories.

The Sea Eagles hang tough to defeat the Raiders 18-14 in a thrilling clash in Canberra, as the Storm consolidate top position on the ladder with a 24-8 win over the Titans.

It's described as Big Day Out on the beach, with promoters of Australia's latest music festival promising it will deliver the ultimate party on Coolangatta Beach, but community opposition is growing over the event.

Gold Coast residents will hear the roar of V8 Supercars through the streets of Surfers Paradise until 9:30pm within two years, the Queensland Government announces.

An interstate feud has erupted between NSW and Queensland beachgoers after Tweed Coast residents accused their Queensland neighbours of taking too much sand while their own beaches suffer from erosion.

The Adelaide Crows fan favourite says other clubs have shown interest in him, but he has not been offered a contract from a rival team, as the club continues to search for answers after missing the finals for a second year in a row.

One of the most expensive police cars used in Australia goes up in flames following a chase in north-eastern New South Wales.

In some of the darkest corners of the Gold Coast, a hug from police liaison officer Saga Selsby can be life-changing.

Melbourne Storm claim the minor premiership and bragging rights over Manly Sea Eagles, while the Sydney Roosters tune up with victory over Penrith and the Knights get a feel-good win over the Titans.

Whether it's poor merging or illegally remaining in the overtaking lane, drivers who break the law and behave badly are contributing to road congestion in Queensland, experts say.

Australian pro surfer Owen Wright says he hopes others will follow his lead and start wearing safety helmets in the surf, yet one neurologist warns of the "super-hero complex" and says helmets are not a magic bullet.

Millionaire Gold Coast businessman and self-described "philanthropist" John Chardon tells a Brisbane court he sometimes had sex with students he sponsored, but says he never "intentionally" hurt his wife, Novy.

A Gold Coast mother relives the horror of finding her young son with a pencil lodged in the roof of his mouth as she is reunited with the paramedics who helped save his life.

South East Queensland is expected to experience summer-like weather this week due to predicted hotter-than-average temperatures, with Ipswich set to hit 36C and Brisbane 33C.

Fire crews contain a blaze west of Kalbar on Queensland's Scenic Rim, as well as battling bushfires on multiple fronts near Canungra in the Gold Coast hinterland, with the Rural Fire Service saying resources are "stretched to the limit".

One of the region's major dams is already at half capacity and with another dry spring forecast, Seqwater warns mandatory water restrictions could be in place by mid next year.

An 18-year-old man is charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of teenager Harrison Geppert, the younger brother of former Hells Angel bikie Ben Geppert.

The Queensland Rural Fire Service says weather conditions indicate there will be an extreme to locally catastrophic fire danger in the Darling Downs, Granite Belt, Maranoa and Warrego today, as thick smoke hangs over the Gold Coast hinterland.

A research team is deployed in response to persistent smoke from a bushfire that has been burning for nearly two months in underground peat on the NSW Mid North Coast.

A novel idea to paint stairs the colours of a rainbow at Queensland's Rainbow Beach is at the centre of a two-year dispute after four words were added to the artwork.

More than 50 bushfires are burning in Queensland amid potentially catastrophic, hot and windy conditions. Emergency warnings are in place for fires near Stanthorpe in the state's south.

They may look clean and pristine at first glance, however one beachcomber says trash is littered along our treasured beaches as cigarette butts, dog poo, used tampons and straws clog our summer playgrounds.

Rubbish collected by a beach walker

An incredible show of community spirit brings locals together in the Gold Coast Hinterland with dozens of Canungra residents rescuing animals from the fire front at nearby Binna Burra.

The Raiders miss the chance to move up into third place by narrowly losing to the Warriors, while the Bulldogs knock off the Broncos and the Dragons pile even more pain on the Titans.

All fires across New South Wales and Queensland are downgraded to watch and act or advice as nightfall eases conditions somewhat. Look back at out coverage as firefighters battled blazes across two states.

Free fuel, meals, and animal feed are among the supplies donated to volunteer firefighters and people affected by bushfires, as the emergency continues to unfold in southern Queensland.

Crews are battling 57 fires across Queensland including one that is out of control on the Gold Coast hinterland, with the QFES declaring the "unprecedented" blazes are just the start of a very severe fire season.

Queenslanders recall the nights in the 60s spent dancing in the hall of the Binna Burra Lodge the same place where hundreds of others have married the love of their life after fire guts the heritage-listed resort.

Authorities and families are on high alert as homes are lost across the state with dozens of fires burning in places including the Gold Coast hinterland at Binna Burra, and Stanthorpe and Applethorpe on the Granite Belt.

A singed and injured koala and her joey, who have become a symbol of hope and resilience amid Queensland's bushfire emergency, are slowly recovering in a Brisbane wildlife hospital.

More people over 65 are looking for work than ever before but many are not finding jobs, despite their valuable experience.

Alarming footage shows high winds driving a large bushfire overnight on the Sunshine Coast, where 10 homes have been lost at Peregian Springs and Peregian Beach.

Acting Queensland Premier Jackie Trad says the Gold Coast hinterland fire that swept through the area over the weekend included areas of rainforest a highly unusual event, but one that experts say is occurring more frequently in recent times.

Police are speaking to a number of teenagers over a fire that damaged homes at Peregian Beach overnight, as authorities continue to battle a blaze threatening large areas of the Sunshine Coast. See how events unfolded in our live blog.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is returning early from a trip to Switzerland because of the ongoing bushfire threat, with more than 80 fires burning across the state and a blaze at Peregian on the Sunshine Coast that is still out of control.

Images from the scene of Queensland's recent bushfires capture the devastation as scores of fires sweep across the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast hinterland and the Granite Belt.

As bushfires continue across south-east Queensland, doubt is cast over this year's Riverfire event in Brisbane and whether fireworks have a place in today's society.

The high temperatures and winds that have fanned severe bushfires in southern Queensland ease on Wednesday, but some communities need to stay alert with about 70 blazes still burning. Despite the reprieve, conditions are expected to worsen again on Friday.

For 86 years the historic Gold Coast hinterland lodge was a beacon for bushwalkers, stressed executives and school children, but its chairman is now traumatised by the charred ruin with an uncertain future.