Natural disasters can have devastating effects on communities, with the ensuing financial and psychological pain taking years to ease, but being prepared can reduce the impact.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

Sydney FC go back on top of the ladder with a 3-1 win over Brisbane, after the Mariners surprise the Phoenix in Wellington.

The Video Assistant Referee has again been a focal point as the Western Sydney Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win over nine-man Central Coast Mariners.

Review systems in sport are always controversial but Central Coast Mariners' coach Paul Okon's broadside against the Video Assistant Referee this weekend should not be dismissed out of hand, Richard Hinds writes.

Three men with links to the Rebels bikie gang are refused bail after being charged with the murder of a Central Coast man who was beaten so severely he spent two months in a coma before dying.

Two men are injured and thousands forced to evacuate after a barge catches fire during a New Year's Eve fireworks display at Terrigal Beach, on the New South Wales central coast.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance admits it will be impossible to find alternatives to move more than 1 million passengers on Sydney's train strike day.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

For Edward Daly, who was at a rehab centre on the NSW Central Coast to get over his ice, alcohol and gambling addictions, having his partner involved in his recovery made all the difference.

Footage of the man punching a 21-year-old woman in the face was viewed thousands of times on social media and led to the motorist being handed a good behaviour bond and a $900 fine.

Commuters can expect long delays heading north from Sydney on the M1, with two lanes closed and traffic stretching back 21 kilometres after a man died in a crash between a ute and semi-trailer at Mt White, north of Sydney.

The sizzle of a steak on a barbecue may soon sound a little different as Australia's $16.8 billion beef industry prepares to adapt to demands from 'locavores' and technological change.

Do you know how long to rest a steak? Who predicted lab meat in 1931? And do you really know what a heifer is? Dig in to our beef quiz.

The growing demand for transparency and ethically, socially and environmentally sustainable food is one of the hot topics at Beef Australia 2018.

A look under the brims at Australia's biggest beef industry event, Beef Australia 2018, reveals there are many things to consider when choosing a hat.

Tricia Fortier remembers two things about the time her granddaughter Marlei was in hospital: worrying and smiling. Now she's made it her mission to bring more laughs to her local hospital.

Colin Crane, a life member of the Rebels bikie club, appears in court charged with the murder of Clint Starkey at a Peats Ridge service station last year.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist did not set the world alight at his first training session, but will be given all the time he needs to prove himself from Mariners coach Mike Mulvey.

A Berejiklian Government MP has revolted against his own party's policy, backing his "local fishing community" over his Government's plan to introduce 25 new marine park sites across the state.

One retirement village on the NSW Central Coast is home to half a dozen women who have all celebrated their 100th birthday.

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

She's been described as "the friendliest dog in the world", but Lucy was rejected by three families before she found her forever home. The affectionate labrador is now helping others face their own stressful situations.

A man who stabbed and tried to set alight a woman he met on a dating app led police on a wild chase before lunging at them with a knife, a NSW coroner has heard.

A NSW woman has started an anti-discrimination campaign demanding changes to the way people in wheelchairs can buy tickets to major events and access good seating.

A man is charged with supplying the drugs police believe 19-year-old Alex Ross-King took before she died from a suspected fatal overdose at a dance festival in western Sydney at the weekend.

A patent application has been granted which Meat and Livestock Australia fears will have a chilling effect on genomic research in Australia's cattle industries.

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.

ABC Rural asks a group of industry leaders at this year's NT Cattlemen's Association conference to share their views on challenges and opportunities in 2019.

Families are increasingly taking caravan and camping holidays, enjoying a sense of community and a temporary return to a more carefree parenting style and a childhood freedom reminiscent of decades gone by.

The Quaker religion was founded on political protest. Today its followers are keeping that tradition alive from nannas knitting against gas to American farmers saving refugees.

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

MORNING BRIEFING: A pair of boys are "met by their parents and spoken to by police" after climbing a 111-metre communications tower, and 21 people are charged after a violent riot and police siege at a youth detention centre.

The Melbourne derby ends in a scoreless draw as the Victory host City at Docklands in the opening round of the A-League, while the Wanderers celebrate a 2-1 triumph over the Mariners at their new home ground.

A ride-share driver is charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm after he allegedly ran down a group of teenagers while under the influence of alcohol on the central coast in the early hours of the morning.

Although the State Government is investigating the pollution as an issue of "grave concern", Terrigal Beach will not be fixed before summer.

Industry groups estimate a majority of sheep farmers are using pain relief when mulesing stock, but Victoria looks set to become the first state to make the practice mandatory.