The Bulldogs have gone above the Titans at the bottom of the NRL table, after the former upset the Knights in Newcastle and the latter was comfortably beaten by Penrith.

He's a top fighter who made international headlines during the 2018 Commonwealth Games because he fled the athletes' village, and now he wants to fight for Australia.

When photos of the wrong destination appear in tourism ads, is it humorous or a ploy? Esperance in WA has become Hawaii and Melbourne the Gold Coast, but false advertising is being exposed.

Helicopter vision shows a catamaran burning and sinking off Main Beach on the Gold Coast after eight people are rescued while whale watching.

The Bulldogs held on to beat the Wests Tigers at the Olympic stadium, after the Dragons broke their losing streak with a win over the Titans and the Eels pipped the Knights.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

Firefighters from South Australia arrive in Queensland to give local crews a rest from battling bushfires, but the break may be short-lived with conditions forecast to get worse in the state later in the week.

A jockey who rode War Ends for a year and made numerous attempts to rehome him says she recognised the horse being slaughtered in an abattoir on the ABC's 7.30 program and laments she "failed" him.

Police believe a body found in a Gold Coast park is that of missing man Shane Ross, with detectives saying the death is suspicious and possibly related to the death of another man on Friday night.

Two sex workers charged with working illegally on the Gold Coast tell the ABC they thought the agency had been a legal operation.

Accountants based in regional areas receive mental health training to help them work with clients whose financial pressures are causing emotional distress.

Cowboys from around the country will be unable to compete at the National Rodeo Finals this year, after the event was cancelled.

As Stanthorpe faces running dry within months the local council discusses its options with the Queensland Government and gets set to impose heavy water restrictions.

A slumping sugar price and demand for reliable irrigation areas for cotton is spurring new interest in growing it in the tropics.

The youngest daughter of a Tamil asylum seeker family facing deportation to Sri Lanka will remain in Australia until Wednesday after a ruling by the Federal Court.

The Tamil family facing deportation from Australia has been relocated to the Christmas Island detention centre, their lawyer says.

The Tamil family fighting deportation from Australia has been given a further reprieve in its fight to remain in the country, with the Federal Court ordering the Immigration Minister to provide more evidence to support claims the youngest child has no right to protection.

Controversial changes enforcing quotas on Queensland fisheries have led to a critical breakdown in the relationship between industry and government.

The NSW Swifts claim the Super Netball title with a perfectly executed 64-47 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Brisbane.

Volunteer firefighters in central Queensland say the bureaucracy involved in fighting a bushfire has reached dangerous levels.

More than a fortnight after running away into the bush when owner Simon Hannan was killed in a car crash, Merlin the kelpie cross turns up alive and well.

A drenching is on its way for Queensland, with parts of the state set to receive their best rainfall in months today and on Saturday, with the potential for severe thunderstorms and damaging hail in some areas.

The father of a young girl who uses medicinal cannabis to treat her severe form of epilepsy vows to continue lobbying for law reform, after being found guilty of charges of possession and cultivation.

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.

A farmer near Gunnedah is feeding his cattle orange peel, donated by a juice factory, in a bid to keep them alive as the drought wears on.

Clown doctors in Outback Australia medicate paediatric patients with a regular dose of humour.

Betty, the piglet born with just two hind hooves, is saved from slaughter just in time for the Lunar Year of the Pig.

Two regional Australian doctors are at the forefront of an international effort to eliminate a horrendous childbirth injury, and say they could succeed within a decade.

A man in his 40s is in a critical condition, and four people are on the run, after a "horrific" stabbing in a convenience store on the NSW Central Coast.

The daughter of former NSW premier Neville Wran avoids jail after pleading guilty to carrying ice in early April, two years after she was released for her role in the murder of a Sydney drug dealer.

Evans Head topped a New South Wales drone trial for shark sightings last summer. Where does your beach sit on therankings?

MORNING BRIEFING: A bushfire that threatened homes near Newcastle last night is brought under control, and nine detainees at a juvenile detention centre are charged over a June riot.

MORNING BRIEFING: Dozens of firefighters from South Australia head to New South Wales as back-up for weary RFS workers, and two people are fined after a banner is hung from the Harbour Bridge.

Water allocations for farmers and communities in western NSW are reduced in new plans released today.

Freezing temperatures across New South Wales bring heavy frosts, sapping moisture from crops as farmers struggle with water shortages, but are good news for some growers

A Victorian dairy lobby group calls for the New South Wales Government to stop subsidising the cost of transporting fodder.

A pilot killed in a plane crash that also claimed the life of his passenger in South Australia's outback is a south Queensland businessman and horse stud owner.

The niche sport, which puts leads on rabbits to guide them through horse-jumping-style events, is growing in popularity and it is hoped may soon reach an elite level.