The sister of murdered exchange student Aiia Maasarwe says she does not feel safe in Melbourne, as she returns to the city of her sister's death to help launch a fellowship in her honour.

One of three peregrine falcon chicks that hatched, in front of thousands of online fans, has died in a nest perched high on a Melbourne skyscraper, marking the third year in a row the nest has suffered such a loss.

St Kilda's former number-one draft pick Paddy McCartin's problems with concussion reach a critical point, with the forward de-listed and sitting out the 2020 season to get his health in order.

A judge describes the attack on 21-year-old Aiia Maasarwe as "unsophisticated and opportunistic" in sentencing her killer to 36 years' prison, with a non-parole period of 30, as the victim's father and sister watch on in court.

Police arrest more than 40 demonstrators who were blockading the entrance to an international mining conference in Melbourne, while two officers who were injured during an arrest are taken to hospital for treatment.

The owner of racehorse Thought of That defends himself against claims of sexism after dropping jockey Linda Meech in favour of Mark Zahra for Saturday's Victoria Derby at Flemington.

Senior Victorian police defend their tactics, including the pushing of a journalist and the use of pepper spray, during protests outside a mining conference, saying officers are ready to respond the same way tomorrow.

Rather than Michelle Payne's 2015 win being the game-changing moment it seemed, female jockeys still beg for the crumbs from the tables of owners and trainers who remain dubious about their capabilities, writes Richard Hinds.

After suffering a stroke as a baby, Adyan bin Hasan's left hand is weak. And while it doesn't stop the five-year-old playing basketball and cricket, his disability is the reason his family's permanent visa application has been rejected.

After being dropped from the Victoria Derby in controversial circumstances, Linda Meech has earned a Derby Day reprieve and a chance at some revenge.

A lewd sticker on a police body camera lands a Victoria Police officer in hot water, with the force launching an investigation into the "extremely disappointing" incident.

Japanese Caulfield Cup winner Mer De Glace is the new favourite for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup after the barrier draw is completed at Flemington.

For the second time in two days, Victoria Police expresses "extreme disappointment" in one of its officers, this time after alt-right material shared on social media was connected to an officer accused of using a hand gesture associated with white power.

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.

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.

The 2019 Melbourne Cup has been won by Australian-owned, trained and bred horse Vow And Declare in a dramatic finish at Flemington, but last-placed Rostropovich is taken to Werribee with a pelvis injury.

Vow and Declare co-owner Bob Leitch said his "emotions flowed over" as a horse part-owned by a novice syndicate from Queensland stormed to Melbourne Cup victory.

Vow and Declare became the first Australian bred and trained winner of the Melbourne Cup in a decade.

As Vow and Declare stormed to his thrilling Melbourne Cup victory, a group of novice part-owners in the Queensland town of Gympie were celebrating a dream come true.

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.

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.

Around two dozen Koorie art unit students have compiled their own art exhibition in Bairnsdale and have been reaping the awards from their hard work.

The threat of rain didn't stop hundreds joining the activities at the NAIDOC week Family Fun Day.

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.

It was a bright crisp Queensland winter's day when Costa Georgiadis, host of ABC's Gardening Australia program, visited Tin Can Bay to celebrate 12 months of hard work by the local school in building, maintaining, and expanding their very own veggie plot.

Meagan Kite overcame a drug addiction and devastating house fire. Cheryl Norris struggled to find the truth about her ancestor, an Aboriginal woman called No Name. Their stories form part of a unique art project called Women's Stories on display in the Riverland.

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.

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.

South coast photographer, Nic Duncan, has been named Western Australia's 2015 Portrait Photographer of the Year by industry body, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP). Her environmental portraits offer a glimpse into the lives of diverse individuals, centred around a unique Great Southern town.

Members of the Toowoomba Photographic Society are celebrating their 110th anniversary. President John Stewart says the garden city has provided wonderful inspiration and subject material for more than a century.

Once a lavish home to a mining magnate in the 19th century then a covert map-making location during WWII, Bendigo's Fortuna Villa is filled with tales. Six people who have a long association with its history talk of the mysteries and celebrations surrounding the place.

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.

As wisps of fog settled on the township of Eungella, bike riders emerged from the muddy tracks within the rainforest. The Eungella National Park rarely fails to live up to its Indigenous name 'Land of the Clouds' and once a year the town attracts athletes who are eager to compete in its mountain bike marathon.

Hours of meticulous preparation go into every appearance on stage.

A Toowoomba artist says art has a valuable part to play in helping understand scientific concepts.

Duneira is a late Nineteenth Century country house in Mt Macedon - but it has a curious history.

Tulips, daffodils, tulips and more tulips. You know you're at the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival in August when there are tulips everywhere

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

On a bitter winters night in north west Queensland, a small rural community braved the cold to support the finals of local touch football competition's return.

Memories of sporting glory, last-minute comebacks, old friendships and rivalries are hidden in plain sight behind a few coats of paint.

Students from Launceston's Newstead College have been given the opportunity to rehearse and perform in the historic Princess Theatre for their production of Pippin.

New species of spider orchids have been discovered near Busselton by the WA Herbarium. They add to the already spectacular array of wildflowers which thrive in the biodiversity hot spot of the South West.

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

When the race track light's changed from yellow to green students witnessed months of hard work flash before their eyes, and the only evidence left behind was a cloud of smoke at the starting line.