October 18, 2026
Refresh your knowledge and spot a koala on Water Week tour A tour group at MidCoast Council's Bootawa Dam. Photo: MidCoast Council.
Community, Government, Health, Local News

Refresh your knowledge and spot a koala on Water Week tour

RESIDENTS are invited to learn about the vital connection between water and their everyday lives this National Water Week with a tour of some of our region’s most important water and sewer facilities. National Water Week runs from 19-25 October. Two tours will be held at the region’s largest facility, Bootawa Water Treatment Plant, combining […]

Read More
Port Stephens Council plans pest rabbit eradication program A wild rabbit spotted in Nelson Bay. Photo: Nico Lombardo.
Community, Health, Local News, Regional

Port Stephens Council plans pest rabbit eradication program

A wild rabbit spotted in Nelson Bay. Photo: Nico Lombardo. Hole dug by a rabbit in Lorraine Broadway’s garden, Lemon Tree Passage. Photo: Lorraine Broadway. THEY may be cute, but rabbits are one of Australia’s most destructive pests. They cause significant damage to native plants and animals, dig dangerous holes and multiply uncontrollably. After receiving […]

Read More
You can help make NSW roads safer
Community, Government, Health, Local News, Police

You can help make NSW roads safer

MOTORCYCLISTS on NSW roads are at far greater risk of being killed in a crash than other motor vehicle users, according to the NSW Government’s Towards Zero campaign. Motorcycle fatalities accounted for 20.7 per cent of all road fatalities and nearly 4,500 injuries in 2024 despite motorcycles making up only 3.7 per cent of registered […]

Read More
Entries open for Humans of Aged Care photo contest Small moments, Big impact will be a celebration of everyday moments in aged care. Photo: magnific
Community, Health, Local News

Entries open for Humans of Aged Care photo contest

IT’S time for aged care workers around the country to strike a pose, because Ageing Australia is looking to showcase photographs of the best in the sector. So many people contribute in positive and amazing ways to the care of older Australians, and Ageing Australia is holding a Humans of Aged Care photo competition to […]

Read More
Screen-time restrictions set in NSW public schools
Health, Local News, School

Screen-time restrictions set in NSW public schools

SCREEN time in all NSW public schools will be capped from the beginning of Term 1, 2027, as the NSW Government takes action to help curb excessive screen use, improve students’ attention, and lift educational outcomes. Public schools will limit Kindergarten to Year 2 students to 15 minutes a day on laptops, tablets or desktop […]

Read More
Pressure mounts at Manning Base Hospital Manning Base Hospital is in the throes of redevelopment, but some believe it will not be enough. Photo: A W Edwards.
Community, Health

Pressure mounts at Manning Base Hospital

MEMBER for Myall Lakes Tanya Thompson is calling on the NSW Government to urgently commit to adding a fourth floor of inpatient beds to the Manning Base Hospital redevelopment. Recent figures highlight the pressure on the hospital, with 19 patients at Manning Base medically ready to leave hospital but unable to be discharged while they […]

Read More
First case of bird flu in endangered sea lion A sea lion has tested positive for bird flu, sparking fears of a possible extinction event. Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS.
Health, Local News, National, Regional

First case of bird flu in endangered sea lion

AUSTRALIA’S rarest seal species has recorded a case of bird flu for the first time, with an animal dying from the disease while recovering from a shark attack. The first case in an Australian sea lion has raised concerns for the species’ already dwindling population. A sea lion at South Australia’s Seal Bay on Kangaroo […]

Read More
Keep the lifeline flying On the ground in Gloucester. Photo: Supplied.
Community, Government, Health, Local News

Keep the lifeline flying

Helicopter approaching Gloucester. Photo: Supplied. On the ground in Gloucester. Photo: Supplied. MANY regional residents are accustomed to hearing or seeing the Westpac helicopter in the skies above or near their town. Unfortunately, the presence of the helicopter indicates that someone is in urgent need of medical care. Over the past three years, the Westpac […]

Read More
New dads in NSW set for more support
Government, Health

New dads in NSW set for more support

NEW fathers in NSW will benefit from new health and mental health checks thanks to a $1 million donation from the NSW Government to men’s health charity Movember. The funding will allow NSW Health to partner with Movember to pilot health and wellbeing checks for new and expecting dads. The initiative will focus on the […]

Read More