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.

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

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.

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.

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.

After watching their home burn on the news, Tina Hag, Robert Collier and their four children return to Rappville, wondering about the future of their northern New South Wales town, which lost 15 homes and 20,000 hectares of grazing land to a bushfire.

MORNING BRIEFING: A number of fish have died at a lake near Menindee as the Federal Government announces emergency funds to protect fish, while volunteers work to deliver supplies to farmers who are unwilling to leave their fire-ravaged properties.

Whale watchers off the north coast of New South Wales have held a front-row seat to the rarely witnessed and gruesome spectacle of a pod of killer whales devouring a juvenile humpback whale.

As ferocious blazes tore through Rappville last week, many of the community's young people displayed extraordinary bravery, rescuing their neighbours and animals while fighting tooth and nail to save homes.

The Vietnam vet, master of ceremonies at Currumbin's Elephant Rock dawn service for 25 years, says this year's Anzac Day cancellations prove we sometimes don't know what we've got till it's gone.

From phoning war widows and having a chat to ease isolation, to walking a service dog down the driveway, younger veterans are finding creative ways to make this Anzac Day count.

The southern Queensland town of Yelarbon is the latest to put itself on the map with a large-scale silo mural, but visitors will have to wait until COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer refuses to budge on a decision criticised as "bureaucratic overreach" after an Anzac Day flyover is banned due to coronavirus restrictions, with the state recording another two cases.

The shire's mayor says with more than 500,000 people from the Gold Coast having their beaches closed and all descending on the Tweed, it is a "pretty frightening prospect for our community".

Queenslanders find innovative ways to commemorate Anzac Day from home and online after coronavirus distancing restrictions forced the cancellation of gatherings.

The Last Post is played in a paddock at dawn to commemorate Anzac Day.

A veteran discovers 72 unmarked war graves at a cemetery west of Brisbane, working tirelessly to identify the lost servicemen who died in a mental asylum with most having no next of kin, to get plaques placed on their final resting place.

Researchers make some interesting discoveries about Fitzroy River humpback dolphins.

A pod of humpback dolphins in the Fitzroy River in central Queensland are using rare and risky behaviour to catch their prey.

Thousands of residents from across Far North Queensland embrace the region's proud Anzac legacy, despite COVID-19 restrictions.

On the Queensland–Northern Territory border, the Urandangi pub is one of the very few in the country that is a hive of activity during coronavirus shutdowns.

Queensland Cotton regional manager Rick Jones opens gin doors to explain how cotton is processed and what it means to the Emerald community.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces that some physical distancing measures will be wound back, but has urged Queenslanders to be responsible and sensible in their activities.

A hospital chartered a plane to get Sam Voss, four, to Brisbane for treatment. But he needs the infusion fortnightly to keep his motor skills.

People who deliberately spit, sneeze or cough on frontline workers will be fined up to $13,000, the Queensland Government announces as a new public health emergency order is introduced.

As beaches reopen on the Gold Coast, mayor Tom Tate has called on the Federal Government to allow the "gradual" return of the city's crippled hospitality industry.

Potatoes have a longer shelf life than petrol, so filling every container with fuel may not be such a good idea.