Like most country racetracks, Tomingley's isn't irrigated.

Michael Hackett doesn't remember much about his first race. He doesn't remember a thing about his last either.

How do you fight fires in a state that is 98 per cent in drought and short on water? It's a question being pondered by firefighters on the verge of fire season.

Three quarters of a century after hundreds of Japanese prisoners of war escaped from a detention camp in Cowra, New South Wales, the town has forged a friendship with Japan centred on peace and respect.

Golf clubs around the country are failing to meet the needs of modern consumers and as a result memberships are at an all-time low.

The Tristar Medical Group's chain of 50 clinics across regional Australia has been under "significant financial stress for 18 months" resulting in doctors often not being paid for weeks or months.

Lambs have died of hypothermia and orchards are ready for a fruitful spring following a snow event in regional New South Wales.

The death of one of the fiercest advocates for changing the name of the Mid Western Highway to Wiradjuri Way prompts renewed calls for change.

The wool market has plummeted a massive 163 cents a kilogram this week, or more than 10 per cent, prompting an industry leader to call for a halt to trading.

Very few young people think about the health risks of drinking but research is proving that alcohol is bad for your health.

She already had years of experience in humanitarian work, but Carly Learson describes her Myanmar role as "probably the toughest job I've ever had".

The NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro says "green tape" is standing in the way of long-term solutions to the drought crisis, and suggests the state could borrow money to reshape water infrastructure.

The founder of an online discussion supporting hundreds trying to go dry believes drought, financial hardship, uncertainty, and isolation are causing more rural people to self-medicate with alcohol.

After four decades, a rural community farewells the family behind the town's first and only Chinese restaurant and celebrates their role in diversifying its culinary palate.

In 1969 a young Australian shearer travelled to Israel to orchestrate an arson attack he believed would prompt the return of Jesus and usher in the end of the world. The consequences still ring today.

While many grain silos around Australia are getting large-scale mural makeovers, one century-old structure is still operational, little-known and unadorned.

Police ask for public help to identify a man caught on CCTV leaving crime scenes in a cape in central west New South Wales.

For years Waryk Holmes was bullied while trying to be like his able-bodied classmates. Now he's teaching them a thing or two as a wheelchair racer.

What goes on inside a busy NSW local court from police pursuits to a letter from jail to a stolen vibrator.

MORNING BRIEFING: A new video of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez is released as his family attempt to solve what happened to the 18-year-old, last seen in Byron Bay.

Australian scientists develop a drought-tolerant beer grain they hope will be a saving grace for some Australian farmers.

Women face a number of hurdles when it comes to working in manual trades, but overcoming the barriers as some have done could be the answer to the skills shortage.

The Federal Government's former special drought envoy says he sent "an awful lot" of reports to the Prime Minister, after a letter tabled in the Senate notes he did not compile a final report during his tenure.

NSW has no 'standard definition' for water restrictions, leaving it to councils to work out for themselves.

Farmers and contractors rush to spend up to $350,000 for hay-baling equipment to make the most of grain crops and strong demand for fodder as the drought rolls on.

Some of the bridal gowns awaiting to be picked up from this dry-cleaning business date back almost two decades.

The romance and lifestyle of winemaking do not match the reality of hard work and tough business, says an international wine writer.

A major program to combat fruit fly is underway in two Australian states where the Queensland fruit fly is not native to those areas.

Residents in a NSW central-west town where the dam has dried up will now receive truckloads of water.

The Dalys say they are not "competition-enterers", so you might be able to imagine their surprise to find out they have been crowned Australia's Farmers of the Year.

The wine industry emerges from a decade-long grape glut, with exports playing a big role in the sector's turnaround.

This family has a rare condition called ectodermal dysplasia, which means their sweat glands don't function properly and they can easily overheat.

Young people across Australia are being hit hard by the drought now they want to be heard and be part of a solution.