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.

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.

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.

A senior Victorian Liberal Party figure admits in court that signs used in May's federal election in Josh Frydenberg and Gladys Liu's electorates were designed to "convey" the appearance of official electoral commission material.

Spring and summer are the busiest times of year for dog attacks, so what should you do to avoid your pup becoming a victim, and who's to blame if it's attacked?

The Australian Electoral Commission's solicitor tells a court it's "hard to imagine any adult citizen being so naive and gullible" to be influenced by Chinese-language signs telling people to vote Liberal, simply because they used AEC colours.

An array of Pacific Island communities converged on the Mackay Botanical Gardens last weekend to take part in the region's first Pasifika Festival. The event highlighted Mackay's diverse cultures by showcasing traditional artwork, food and performances.

At Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston a group of young netballers have set a new world record or the longest continuous game of netball. But they couldn't have done it without their support team.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast the coldest morning of the year today, but that didn't stop Toowoomba exercisers from rugging up and getting on with it.

A number of businesses in Mackay's city heart are struggling to keep afloat since the Mackay Regional Council's City Centre Revitalisation Project commenced in August last year. The project aims to give the CBD an $18.6 million makeover by revitalising footpaths, street furniture and underground storm water drains, and is due to be completed by the end of 2015.

Copier Jam is a new exhibition at the Childers Art Space. It brings the underground world of self-published zines out of the bedroom and into the light.

About 300 people took part in Saturday's Reclaim the Night rally, where women and girls marched through the town to Victory Park, sang and carried banners.

Milk bottles, plastic bags and electrical wire bound for the rubbish tip have been given a second life as part of Warwick's Jumpers and Jazz in July festival.

The Eden Aboriginal community don't just talk about closing the gap they make it happen. The Monaroo Bubberer Gudu Keeping Place is an impressive symbol of the Aboriginal community's determination to find their own solutions for preserving and teaching their culture, and creating education and employment opportunities.

Each Thursday in a back-alley warehouse, a group of volunteers come together to meticulously clean, repair and catalogue artefacts collected from the remnants of a Chinese temple that once stood proud in the Cairns CBD.

A Toowoomba-based environmental scientist says finding a small population of a threatened grass in the middle of the city was exciting, as is the process of conserving it in another park.

Sale College science students swapped the indoors for the outdoors to take part in the Bug Blitz program and create an art installation for Lake Guyatt.

Hours of meticulous preparation go into every appearance on stage.

In the early hours of Friday morning when most people were waking and getting ready for work or school, 200 military personnel in north Queensland were close to finishing 24 hours of hard work.

On a soft, misty morning, all was quiet and still on the swamp except for a piercing whistle and splashing of water.

Peter Aspinall fought in the battle of Long Tan. He is now President of the Albany RSL but for many years, he would not even attend an Anzac Day commemoration

A 7-year stint in the Navy wasn't enough to stop a Kalgoorlie-Boulder race horse trainer following in the family trade. Paddy Birmingham doesn't mind the early mornings when he gets to see his horses cross the line.

The saddlery and produce business is a fixture of Bunbury. It has sat opposite the old railway station for 120 years and hardly seems to have changed at all.

An unsealed road leading to a family farm between Albany and Denmark reveals an unexpected treasure trove of military artefacts.

The latest tool in weed eradication in New South Wales and possibly Australia has a wet nose, a wagging tail and is called Sally.

At the far end of the campsite and caravan city in the Amamoor State forest at the Great Australian Music Hall, ABC Local Radio helped to kick off the 2015 Gympie Muster with the inaugural Muster Showcase. Eight different musical acts took to the stage giving gathered crowds a taste of what is to come at the four day music festival.

Spring is the busy season for WA Sea Bird Rescue rehabilitator Carol Biddulph, who cares for a menagerie of injured and orphaned birds at her Torbay home.

A quirky, German-styled house at Orange in central west New South Wales tells of the city's heritage of migrants and their close ties with the Electrolux refrigeration factory.

Shoppers and workers could try their hand at tapestry, badge making, and flag making during the first Art Break event organised by the City of Bunbury

Spraying graffiti on heritage listed buildings is something that is usually frowned upon. But when it is done in an environmentally sound way, does no actual damage and delivers an important message about sustainability, the results are surprisingly well received.

As thousands gathered across the country for the Light the Dark vigils in support of Syrian asylum seekers, more than 100 people gathered in the small town of Castlemaine in central Victoria.

The life of colonial military leader Edward Charles Close is a story that stretches from England to the Illawarra, with a long legacy for the Hunter. Southern Highlands historian Ann Beaumont has delved deep into his history as she writes his biography and publishes his comprehensive diary.

For the first time ever, environmental water is being pumped into the dry and extremely saline wetland at Lyrup Forest near Berri in the hope it will turn into a 'sea monkey soup' that will provide a food source for bird and marine life.

The shearers' quarters on Barenya Station, between Hughenden and Muttaburra in north west Queensland, was filled with talk and laughter recently, when local grazing families took some time out to have health checks, de-stress and socialise for a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) field day.

A young New Zealand fur seal has taken a shining to the Walpole Town Jetty just days after it was opened for public use. Frankland District authorities have asked locals to keep a respectful distance until the marine mammal decides to move on.

The Nurses Union is putting pressure on the health board to act on IRC recommendations

When horse racing began in the outback Queensland town of Longreach in 1890 Australia had never had a Prime Minister, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was still decades away from being built and motorcars were just a dream for the future of the country. One hundred and twenty-five years later the Longreach Jockey Club has survived and prospered - and even made history when it appointed Australia's first female racing club president.

In Maffra's memorial hall almost a million Lego pieces are being constructed into dragons, landmarks and streetscapes in an exhibition to raise money for the Central Gippsland Health Service.

Australia and New Zealand share a long history of sporting rivalry. Last weekend both nations' competitive sides were brought to light in a basketball game between Indigenous Australian and Maori players.

What began as a small campaign protesting against the proposed Bendigo mosque has gained the support of far-right anti-Islamic groups, spilling from social media to the streets and into a council meeting. Four Muslims from Bendigo talk about how it has affected them.

From late August every year, wildflowers blanket the south west corner of Western Australia. The ABC Great Southern's wildflower photo competition showcases the most beautiful blooms of the season, submitted by audience members.

Bonalbo Memorial Hall, Broadwater Riley's Hill Community Hall, Eatonsville Hall, Eureka Hall, Meerschaum Vale Hall, The Channon Hall and Tumbulgum Hall have all been announced as the lucky winners of the Arts Northern Rivers project called 'If These Halls Could Talk'.

When Jean-Luc Devere's elderly mum ran over his beloved motorbike, he thought it was time to reveal his love of the controversial Japanese subculture, Bosozoku. But he is reluctant to take it too seriously when he travels to Japan this year.

Step inside one of the beautiful open gardens on show during the Renmark Rose Festival. Artemis and Harry Ppiros are Greek immigrants who kept their green thumbs busy after retiring from their Riverland fruit block.

It's been two years in construction at a cost of $91.3 million but the first phase of the redevelopment of Dubbo Base Hospital is about to open.

After the rest day, we've climbed back onto our bikes to brave the heat and pedal from Bendigo to Heathcote.