July 28, 2026
Peter Gambrill and Mia Finch claim top honours at Stroud Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition
Community, Local News, Regional

Peter Gambrill and Mia Finch claim top honours at Stroud Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition

PETER Gambrill and Mia Finch claimed the Men’s Open and Women’s Open titles as hundreds of competitors and spectators gathered for the annual Stroud Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition during the town’s bicentenary celebrations. The pair emerged as the day’s top throwers at the Stroud Showground, where one of regional Australia’s most distinctive sporting […]

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Citizen scientists photograph and catalogue fungi A stinkhorn, one of many fungi that may be found in Australia. This one smells very, very bad, as the name suggests. Photo: Nico Lombardo.
Community, Event, Local News, Regional

Citizen scientists photograph and catalogue fungi

THE Great Aussie Fungi Hunt 2026 is on, and community members are playing their part in a worldwide effort to catalogue mushroom species. The Great Aussie Fungi Hunt is a yearly event organised by Fungimap, a not for profit, citizen-science organisation dedicated to researching and protecting Australian fungi. One of the chief goals of the […]

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Seven suspected bird flu cases in native species Seven suspected cases of bird flu have been detected in greater crested terns, a common coastal species in Australia. Photo: AAP Image/Andrew Stafford.
Business, Community, Health, Local News, National, Regional

Seven suspected bird flu cases in native species

THE poultry industry is on alert after seven suspected bird flu cases were found in native species, potentially marking a new phase for the outbreak. The poultry industry is on alert after seven sick greater crested terns were found in South Australia’s southeast, sparking fears of a local transmission. Five were collected from Southend in […]

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New editor for News Of The Area newspaper group Eve with a few of her favourite things - eight different mastheads of News Of The Area. Photo: Angus Cheetham.
Business, Community, Local News, Regional

New editor for News Of The Area newspaper group

Eve with a few of her favourite things – eight different mastheads of News Of The Area. Photo: Angus Cheetham. Freckle, the sick little bird who grew up and identified as a homing pigeon, with his rescuer. Photo: Angus Cheetham. EVE Nesmith has been named Editor of News Of The Area, the family-owned independent local […]

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UTS Students make a big difference in Paterson and Gresford Mayor Digby Raywood at the Paterson Hub and Harvest community gardens with UTS students.
Regional, School

UTS Students make a big difference in Paterson and Gresford

Kings Wharf Park UTS student plantings. UTS Big Lift 2026 students in Paterson with locals. Mayor Digby Raywood at the Paterson Hub and Harvest community gardens with UTS students. MORE than 80 student volunteers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) rolled up their sleeves over the weekend as part of The Big Lift, delivering […]

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Mobile Service NSW Centres hit the road The new fleet of Service NSW vehicles offers “branch in a box” technology. Photo: Supplied by Service NSW.
Government, Regional

Mobile Service NSW Centres hit the road

REGIONAL and remote communities across NSW are set to benefit from a major boost in access to government services, with new Service NSW Mobile Service Centres hitting the road this month. Four tough new four-wheel-drive single-cab utes will replace the existing Mobile Service Centres, which have reached their end of life after covering more than […]

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Council to bring the world-class airshow back to Taree Regional Airport World-class event returns to the region. Photo: supplied
Regional

Council to bring the world-class airshow back to Taree Regional Airport

SKIES above Taree are set to roar back to life this November as the spectacular Barrington Coast Airshow returns, promising breathtaking aerial displays, family entertainment and a major boost for the MidCoast economy. MidCoast Council has once again partnered with Paul Bennet Airshows to bring the world-class event back to Taree Regional Airport on Saturday, […]

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Upper Hunter Hidden Treasures revealed
Regional

Upper Hunter Hidden Treasures revealed

SIX Upper Hunter electorate women are among the 80 outstanding regional women volunteers named on the 2025 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll. In his State Matters newsletter, Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell congratulated Winifred Wilson of Limeburners Creek, Rosslyn Sherlock from Lorn, Singleton’s Lyn MacBain, Carol Johnstone from Clarence Town, Joan Hart of Bolwarra and Dungog’s […]

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Australian records first case of H5 bird flu
Health, National, Regional

Australian records first case of H5 bird flu

THE deadly H5 bird flu has been detected in Australia, the Australian Government confirmed on 20 June, 2026. A detection of H5 high-pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) was confirmed by the CSIRO Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in a single brown skua (migratory seabird) in an isolated area in southern Western Australia. This is the […]

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