The Mount Pleasant coal mine west of Muswellbrook.
PLANS by mining company MACH Energy to substantially expand its Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley have stalled. The NSW Court of Appeal has found that the Independent Planning Commission’s approval of the mine’s expansion in 2022 was legally flawed. The approval would have allowed the mine to continue operating until 2048, and […]
A man has been arrested by the Australian Border Force for attempting to import child-like sex dolls Photo: Australian Border Force/AAP PHOTOS.
SEVERAL middle-aged men have been arrested for trying to get child-like sex dolls shipped to their homes in rural towns. Australian Border Force officers raided and searched properties around the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area arresting four people over the span of about a year in their crackdown on the “disturbing rise in attempted importations.” […]
NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos. Photo: NPWS.
NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos. Photo: NPWS. NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos. Photo: NPWS. NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos. […]
Lyne MP Alison Penfold recently met with NDIS providers from across the region.
FEDERAL Member for Lyne Alison Penfold is calling on the Federal Government to urgently revoke the latest National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pricing changes, warning of the “significant negative impacts on people with a disability living in regional and remote areas”. The changes, announced following the Government’s NDIS Annual Pricing Review, came into effect on […]
The Annual Land and Stock Return helps paint a picture of agricultural land use and livestock across NSW. Photo: Leanda Connor.
NSW LANDHOLDERS are being asked to report their livestock numbers and land use information as part of Local Land Services’ annual farm census. The Annual Land and Stock Return collects information that helps shape the delivery of animal health and biosecurity services and prepare for emergencies such as bushfires and biosecurity outbreaks. Landholders must lodge […]
The beginning of the storm from Shoal Bay Beach.
THE POWERFUL low-pressure system that hit the NSW coast this week resulted in flooding and power outages across Port Stephens. The extreme weather event comes just over a month after Port Stephens was last impacted by severe flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology warned of large waves on the coastline. “We saw fairly significant wave action […]
A recently received scam email. A Commonwealth Bank infographic illustrates that Aussies are scam-aware, but a third of us still miss the clues. Image: CBA. THE clock is now ticking to get annual tax returns in before the 31 October deadline. Sadly, this window provides a veritable hunting ground for scammers, prompting warnings from the […]
Shoal Bay’s Zenith Beach from Tomaree Mountain viewpoint.
PORT Stephens has been named a trending winter school holiday destination by travel booking site Wotif. “Port Stephens’ popularity is well and truly booming this year,” said travel expert Rebecca Hurley. “It’s great to see the momentum continue into the winter school holidays as a trending destination, especially following its crowning as the 2025 Aussie […]
Keerly Newton with the JL Trailblazers vehicle.
UNCLE and niece duo Keerly and Richard are getting ready to set off across the Australian Outback in a car held together by zip ties. A convoy of teams will make the journey later this year in the “Shitbox Rally” – Australia’s largest independently run fundraiser for Cancer Council Australia. Participants set off from Alice […]
A family runs towards the sea at Booti Booti National Park, where park entry fees for motor vehicles apply. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE.
THE Minns Government is extending free vehicle access to National Parks to all Commonwealth Veteran Card holders. Park entry fees for motor vehicles apply at 45 of NSW’s 895 national parks and reserves. A 2025-26 budget measure will enable veterans from around Australia to apply for a pass to enter for free. The pass is […]
