Up to 20 homes and structures are destroyed in the village of Rappville, as watch and act warnings are issued for several bushfires burning within 100km of each other in northern NSW.

Authorities say at least 30 homes have been damaged or destroyed as fast-moving bushfires burned in and around Rappville in northern NSW on October 8, 2019.

Strong winds and high temperatures fuelled bushfires that destroyed at least 30 homes in northern NSW on October 8, 2019.

Rappville residents share stories of survival after a bushfire swept through their small community in northern NSW, with one 82-year-old pensioner hiding in his shed in a bid to escape the inferno.

Police are investigating the "suspicious" origins of a devastating bushfire, which is believed to have started late Friday and yesterday destroyed 21 homes in northern NSW.

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.

The community of Rappville in northern NSW is banding together to make sure everyone gets back on their feet, but Allan Robertson is dreading having to tell his partner that their home is now just ashes.

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.

A student critical of the University of Queensland's ties to Chinese Government organisations says he is facing expulsion over his activism, but authorities say it's a matter of policy.

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.

The decision to not award several thousand Vietnam veterans the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal leaves some feeling ashamed in the company of decorated veterans.

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.

As southern parts of Australia look set for a wet winter, the northern part of the NT is grappling with its second poor wet season in as many years.

The lead-up to Anzac Day is usually a busy time for florists and volunteers, but this year is very different.

The SA Government is proposing new incentives for landholders to kill wild dogs on their properties, as well as allowing aerial baiting, but an ecologist says the new policy will inevitably target native dingoes.

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.

For Country Women's Association secretary and cookery judge Pam Wright, whose uncle died a POW and whose father succumbed to his war injuries, Anzac biscuits mean more than just a delicious treat.

Unemployment in one Queensland region soars to more than double the state figure as an expert warns it's the 'calm before the storm'.

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.

Many parents across the country are helping their children learn from home for the first time ever, but one man who has been home educating for years warns some parents might not like what they see.

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.

Driving 50km will be permitted, members of the same household will be able to go for picnics, and shopping for non-essential items like clothes and shoes will be allowed.

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

Like all zoos and wildlife parks around the country Townsville's Billabong Sanctuary is closed because of the coronavirus lockdown, but the important business of caring for the residents never stops.

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.

Queensland students won't return to school yet, despite calls for Year 11 and 12 classes to resume, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says as some coronavirus restrictions ease on Saturday.

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.

On one part of the Sunshine Coast, up to 116mm of rain is still needed to saturate the soil to reduce the risk of bushfires flaring.

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.

After handfeeding cattle through the drought, a Queensland grazier finds his cattle shot with a crossbow in two separate incidents.

With many people struggling to adapt to social isolation and other issues associated with coronavirus, a growing number are turning to mental health services to help them cope with anxiety.

When a former Australian solider saw a video of a colleague who'd lost three limbs in a landmine blast it sparked a new purpose in his life.

A Mount Isa medical professional has concerns a rise in unwanted pregnancies and people contracting sexually transmitted infections could result, as services demand drops since the coronavirus pandemic was declared.