A sea of children wearing decorated socks rippled through the school gates at Mackay Central State School to witness the launch of a new statewide road safety campaign.

It's hoped that a fossil hunting expedition to Lightning Ridge will lead to the discovery of new Australian dinosaurs.

Some of the participants were ten years old while others were pushing 90, but the age gap did not seem to matter when primary school students and nursing home residents came together for a dance class in western Queensland.

Spring is in the air in Newcastle, with the season's racing carnival officially launched.

Ex-dance cast member from the film Strictly Ballroom, Dede Williams, takes the locals through not only new dance steps, but the psychology and communication required when mastering the art of dancing.

It has been three years in the making: Justyn Atkins from Launceston is now putting the finishing touches on his trusty ute in preparation for the 2015 Deni Ute Muster.

A young New Zealand fur seal has taken a shining to the Walpole Town Jetty just days after it was opened for public use. Frankland District authorities have asked locals to keep a respectful distance until the marine mammal decides to move on.

While their families celebrated back home, Papua New Guinean students marked the 40th anniversary of their country's independence from Australia with a colourful performance at TAFE Queensland North in Townsville.

The sound of soft chatter and the occasional clink as a ball is hit across the short green turf is what fills the air at the St Leonards Croquet Club in Launceston for part of the national championships of the sport.

An array of spectacular orchid displays attracted more than 2,500 people from across Queensland to the Australian Orchid Council conference and show in Mackay at the weekend.

The Mallee Park Peckers have taken out the 2015 A Grade football premiership in Port Lincoln, getting up over the Boston Tigers by 7 goals at Centenary oval.

Launceston Country Women's Association (CWA) shop in Launceston is celebrating 60 years of operation in 2015.

A hospital corridor is not where you would normally find an art exhibition, but Busted is not a normal exhibition.

What began as a small campaign protesting against the proposed Bendigo mosque has gained the support of far-right anti-Islamic groups, spilling from social media to the streets and into a council meeting. Four Muslims from Bendigo talk about how it has affected them.

The importance of empowering women worldwide was at the forefront of discussion when hundreds of women gathered in north Queensland recently. Many of them said education was the key.

Leigh and Geoff Coggins' garden is a mixture of formal areas, rare plants, and relaxing spaces, and this weekend it will be open to visitors.

Visitors to the City of Greater Geraldton's council chambers earlier this week were greeted with a display of more than 200 pink silhouettes strategically placed on the grassed area near the main entrance .

Want to grow herbs and keep fish in your kitchen? Aquaculture could be for you.

Treasury forecasting an 85 per cent plunge in net arrivals next financial year if border restrictions continue beyond Christmas.

The COVID-19 death toll at the Newmarch nursing home rose to 14 over the weekend, while a further 63 infections have been linked to staff and other residents.

There are questions around Indonesia's coronavirus death toll following reports thousands of people have died with COVID-19 symptoms but not recorded as victims of the disease.

A study of riverbank sediment found there used to be a massive lake in the Lower Murray Darling, spanning hundreds of kilometres.

The ANU study has found that two-thirds of Australians feel anxious or worried about their own and others' safety, and a substantial number believe they'll contract the virus in the next six months.

Certain sounds called spherics and whistlers, which are electromagnetic waves, recorded in Antarctica by scientists, have been used in a new music piece called 'Aurora Musicalis'.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who continues to be held in an Iranian prison throughout this pandemic, despite more than 85,000 prisoners being temporarily released in Iran.

Cardinal Pell said in a statement yesterday that he was "surprised" by some of the views of the royal commission about his actions, and that "these views are not supported by evidence".

For this new segment, we've been asking Australian artists to read something for us: a passage, a poem or some lines that has inspired them during the time of coronavirus.

As heated debate about water policy continues, native fish are continuing to die in the lower Darling River in shrinking residual pools.

Detectives charge a man with murdering a woman who was found shot dead at a house in north-west Victoria at the weekend.

While a Victorian council rejects drought funding it says isn't needed, farmers in far-west New South Wales say they feel like they're in a "forgotten corner".

A 21-year-old who intentionally drove through a mob of emus at 80 kph, has had his prison sentence cut in half but told to volunteer with an animal charity.

If given the chance, which means protecting the waters and ecosystems, oceans can help in our challenge of turning around climate change.

Simon DeDeo looks at the evolution of culture and institutions and uses his findings to predict our species’ future. He describes his work to Pauline Newman.

This year's flood event at Lake Eyre delivers a spectacular natural wonder, and brings new life to Central Australia and a crucial economic boost to remote businesses.

One of Australia's most remote communities incorporates renewable energy and cutting-edge technology as a way of reducing reliance on diesel generators to produce electricity.

Kym Lynch from Mount Isa trains for extreme sports events around work

Ultra athletes like Kym Lynch push their body and mind for a challenge

Newly-elected Labor MP Libby Coker says ensuring the Government delivers on their expensive election commitments in Corangamite even though they lost the seat will be her first priority after claiming victory in the Victorian electorate.

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell will not seek a reduced sentence if the Court of Appeal upholds his conviction for sexually abusing two Melbourne choirboys in the 1990s.

It felt as if the winds of change were blowing through the Catholic Church after the royal commission. But a new defence has rejected some of its key findings in relation to one of its most notorious paedophile priests, writes Louise Milligan.

George Pell's lawyer tells an appeals court there are "questions of probability" over whether the child sex abuse offences the Cardinal is convicted of occurred, and a jury should have found him not guilty even if they believed his victim.

A Ballarat magistrate dismisses an assault charge against a police sergeant, agreeing his use of force was "reasonable" during an altercation in which he punched his neighbour in the face.

Hundreds of abuse survivors could benefit from reforms that will allow them to sue their abusers, even if they signed "unfair" agreements not to take legal action.

Budget cuts, funding freezes, and tight rental markets put pressure on homeless services as more people end up on the street.

A rise in the number of assaults against local government employees prompts Victorian councils to call for a change in sentencing laws to better protect their staff.

This gaggle of geese is beloved by Instagrammers, but the local council says the abandoned birds are destroying the environment and must be rehomed.

Locals in the Victorian town of Daylesford say they are shocked and devastated by council's decision to remove an "aggressive" gaggle of geese from the area, describing them as "a bit of an icon" in the tourism hotspot.