We take a trip down memory lane with a 'now and then' look at pools and baths all around Australia, contributed by the ABC audience.

The Queensland Government is expected to pass a bill today to introduce new mandatory farm run-off regulations to protect the reef, despite opposition from agricultural groups.

The rate of deliberately lit fires escalates rapidly during the school holiday period, according to an expert in arson investigations, as Queensland authorities reveal action has been taken against 21 juveniles and nine adults in recent weeks.

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.

Fewer cyclones are forecast but the Bureau of Meteorology warns a "pretty dangerous cocktail" is brewing for the remainder of Queensland's fire season.

Far north Queensland's largest and oldest piggery is closing after 49 years, impacted by drought, cheap imports, and rising costs as the agricultural profile of the area changes.

As the school year wraps up, staff, students, alumni, and rural industries are saying a final farewell to agricultural colleges in central Queensland.

A 24-year-old man covered in fake tattoos drawn on with a black marker who robbed a service station with a replica gun in Rockhampton in central Queensland is sentenced to nearly four years in jail.

A world-first trial to grow Taiwanese lychee super varieties is underway in Central Queensland.

A leading science institute finds Queensland must move more quickly towards renewable energy and away from coal-fired power by 2030 to meet its share of the nation's emissions reduction targets.

LIVExchange 2019, an annual live exporters conference and themed 'welfare beyond borders', acknowledges of the public relations problems the trade faces.

The mayor of Woorabinda, a small Indigenous community in central Queensland, says until their land is converted from a government lease to freehold, it is still like living on a mission.

A fake doctor working at a Sydney hospital was detected as a fraud but allowed to continue working in the health system, an independent inquiry is told.

A man is hit and killed by a garbage truck on the NSW Central Coast, with the driver left "significantly traumatised" as the men had become good friends over the years.

Take a peak inside the pouch of the world's friendliest animal, with a baby quokka born far away from its native West Australian home Rottnest Island.

One side of the tracks has brick homes with pools and watered lawns. Just 100 metres to the other side, generations have lived in an pre-war bush block labelled a "shantytown" with no water, sewerage or roads, underlining two-tier disadvantage in peri-urban Australia.

STAN GRANT, PRESENTER: Now, when I say the word shanty town, what springs to mind? A slum in India, a refugee camp?

Check your public transport timetable before leaving the house this week in Sydney and NSW as more than 9,000 new weekly train, bus and ferry services launch for the Greater Sydney network.

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.

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.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama is let off with a two-match ban for his tackle that left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

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.

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.

Brendan Russell's body modification work includes tongue splitting and scarification, but court documents allege he used a branding iron to burn a woman's genitals, who later complained to police.

A fast train network connecting greater Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle as a "mega region" could create more than 10,000 new jobs, according to a new report.

Young men detained for assault, theft and drug offences are training guide dogs in a program they say is changing their lives.

A District Court judge warns jurors deliberating in the trial of a Newcastle doctor not to bully each other as they deliberate on dozens of sexual abuse allegations.

Football loves a sugar hit and the tabloid frenzy created by images of Usain Bolt in a Mariners shirt had the capacity to give the entire A-League Type 2 diabetes. But the FFA was right not to fund his Central Coast trial, Richard Hinds writes.

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.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating allegations of unconscionable conduct towards growers by one of the country's major vegetable processors.

The former fastest-man-in-the-world makes his professional football debut for the Central Coast, but in 19 minutes he wasn't able to make much of an impact.

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.

The fishing industry and enthusiasts are warning a NSW Government's plan to designate the Hawkesbury Shelf marine area a marine park could destroy their livelihoods and lifestyles.

The A-League confirms Usain Bolt has been offered a contract with the Central Coast Mariners, but it'sfor "much, much less" than what the Olympic great's camp has requested.

Usain Bolt's time with the Central Coast Mariners could soon be coming to an end, with the A-League club revealing any potential deal will need to include "financial contribution" from a third party.

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.

NSW Police say they had worked extensively with the organisers of Lost Paradise to ensure the festival was drug-free. They say they're frustrated that drugs were still able to be taken into the event where a 22-year-old man has died.

A 22-year-old Queensland man dies after attending the Lost Paradise music festival on the NSW Central Coast as police reveal the sophisticated and bizarre ways revellers attempt to smuggle drugs in including inside a barbecue chicken.

Perth Glory ends 2018 three points clear at the A-League summit after beating the Mariners 4-1 following a 40-minute mid-match delay over snapped goalposts.

Music festival organisers and the NSW Police lock horns over the reason for the sudden cancellation of a Central Coast event, with organisers denying it was plagued by "mismanagement".

A disease that could potentially wipe out Australia's multi-billion-dollar livestock industry has been detected at Australian airports.

Police are describing a deceased baby boy's injuries as 'horrific' and 'horrendous' following his death on Sunday. A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and reckless grievous bodily harm.

Alen Stajcic vows to leave the baggage from his controversial Matildas axing at the door, as he takes on the role of caretaker coach at A-League strugglers Central Coast Mariners.

Another Bupa aged care home is sanctioned over what the Department of Health identified as a "severe risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of care recipients".

A far-right activist who restrained a teenager after he egged Senator Fraser Anning is wanted by police on charges of disturbing a place of religious worship.