Take a peak inside the pouch of the world's friendliest animal, with a baby quokka born far away from its native West Australian home Rottnest Island.

NSW Police say Lance Pearce is found dead inside his prison cell at Silverwater jail after being accused of strangling his ex-partner Blair Dalton, who later died in hospital.

One side of the tracks has brick homes with pools and watered lawns. Just 100 metres to the other side, generations have lived in an pre-war bush block labelled a "shantytown" with no water, sewerage or roads, underlining two-tier disadvantage in peri-urban Australia.

STAN GRANT, PRESENTER: Now, when I say the word shanty town, what springs to mind? A slum in India, a refugee camp?

Defending champions Sydney FC get their title defence off to a perfect start a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory, while the Newcastle Jets demolish Central Coast Mariners 5-1.

The judge describes it as a murder "on a whim" as Rebels motorcycle club member John Richard Weston is sentenced to 34 years in jail for killing a man over a rare motorbike.

A woman suffers a suspected punctured lung after being stabbed by a man who breaks into her home on the New South Wales Central Coast.

Perth Glory get their first win of the season against the Mariners after Newcastle Jets beat Brisbane in a controversial game at Lang Park.

Natural disasters can have devastating effects on communities, with the ensuing financial and psychological pain taking years to ease, but being prepared can reduce the impact.

Sunday proves to be a day of A-League score draws as the Mariners hold Victory to a 1-1 draw after the Jets and Wanderers battle it out for the same scoreline.

The Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners are still waiting for their first A-League wins this season after playing out an unremarkable 0-0 draw.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

The principal of three alternative schools in New South Wales says she will run them illegally if she is forced to close following a scathing report into their compliance.

Adelaide United travels to Gosford to meet Central Coast Mariners as it looks to break a three-match losing streak in the A-League. Follow all the live scores, stats and commentary.

Sydney FC go back on top of the ladder with a 3-1 win over Brisbane, after the Mariners surprise the Phoenix in Wellington.

Check your public transport timetable before leaving the house this week in Sydney and NSW as more than 9,000 new weekly train, bus and ferry services launch for the Greater Sydney network.

The NSW Government allocates $3 million to fund nine new palliative care specialists in health districts across regional NSW.

She hits the water at speeds of up to 80km/h and it scares her every single time she does it, but fear hasn't stopped cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland making an impact on the world stage.

The Video Assistant Referee has again been a focal point as the Western Sydney Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win over nine-man Central Coast Mariners.

Angry Mariners coach Paul Okon pledges to appeal against red cards handed to Wout Brama and Jake McGing from Saturday night's controversial loss, as the Video Assistant Referee yet again comes under the spotlight.

Review systems in sport are always controversial but Central Coast Mariners' coach Paul Okon's broadside against the Video Assistant Referee this weekend should not be dismissed out of hand, Richard Hinds writes.

Three men with links to the Rebels bikie gang are refused bail after being charged with the murder of a Central Coast man who was beaten so severely he spent two months in a coma before dying.

It takes eight wranglers to force a 200 kilogram alligator in its most aggressive state away from a well-guarded nest of eggs, but they need to be taken to ensure their survival.

Neither side really looked like scoring in a dour New Year's Eve contest leaving the Wellington Phoenix last and the Central Coast Mariners in eighth.

Two men are injured and thousands forced to evacuate after a barge catches fire during a New Year's Eve fireworks display at Terrigal Beach, on the New South Wales central coast.

Melbourne Victory miss out on the maximum points after a 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners in their A-League encounter in Geelong.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance admits it will be impossible to find alternatives to move more than 1 million passengers on Sydney's train strike day.

In what's being described as an "extraordinary" move, train workers in New South Wales plan to strike for 24 hours later in the month, potentially plunging the struggling Sydney rail network into further chaos.

A highly contentious underground coal mine on the New South Wales Central Coast has been given the go-ahead, despite an election "guarantee" against coal mining in the region.

No agreement is reached to avert the planned train strike at the end of this month, despite four hours of negotiations between Sydney Trains and unions.

The tone of talks may have improved, but a pay deal is yet to be thrashed out ahead of a planned rail strike that will cause commuter chaos later this month.

Tamworth's population doubles as country music lovers move in at festival time.

Visually impaired children at a surfing event in the NSW Hunter region are encouraged to get into sports and not let their disability hold them back.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama is let off with a two-match ban for his tackle that left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

For Edward Daly, who was at a rehab centre on the NSW Central Coast to get over his ice, alcohol and gambling addictions, having his partner involved in his recovery made all the difference.

Sydney has lost nearly 20 per cent of its essential workers in the past decade because of the city's housing affordability crisis, a report finds.

Footage of the man punching a 21-year-old woman in the face was viewed thousands of times on social media and led to the motorist being handed a good behaviour bond and a $900 fine.

Commuters can expect long delays heading north from Sydney on the M1, with two lanes closed and traffic stretching back 21 kilometres after a man died in a crash between a ute and semi-trailer at Mt White, north of Sydney.