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Regional Communities

Extension cord running across a footpath to charge an EV sparks fierce debate

A morning walker posted a photo to social media of the electrical cord stretching from the top floor of a unit block to the car parked at the curb side.  A debate about EV etiquette followed.
Extension cord running along pavement and grass charging an Electric vehicle

'Up-and-coming Barossa Valley' pushes back against large solar farm

Residents in the regional Victorian community are concerned a proposed 665-hectare solar farm would change the microclimate of the renowned grape-growing region and drive away tourism.
Four people standing in front of a vineyard, green paddocks, and a blue sky.

Popular alpine tourist towns buck trend of rising rents as city workers head back to office

Rental prices have dropped by more than 10 per cent in the past year at a Victorian alpine hub but business owners say more still needs to be done to make housing affordable for workers.
A view of a pine plantation with snow in the background.

Will and Michael have found a full life in country Australia. Can other millennials follow in their footsteps?

After swapping life in the city for sheep and a vegetable garden, the couple is running a thriving gin distillery. Demographers believe more people in their age bracket could make the move to country areas as lower property prices offer more opportunities.
Updated
Two men stand behind a bar

Desperately seeking skipper: Hunt for paddle steamer captain to steer town's key tourist draw

The paddlesteamer PV Jandra, which meanders along the Darling River, is out of operation because there is no-one to take the helm.
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A paddle steamer tied up at a jetty on a river, with blue sky overhead.

Thousands of Victorians escalate rallying cry against potential hospital mergers, funding cuts

North-east Victorian residents express their anger about possible hospital service mergers as discussions about the future of the state's healthcare system intensify.
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A crowd cheers at a rally.

You don't think pole dancing's for you? That's what Stacey thought too and now she's 'obsessed'

Pole dancing has a raunchy reputation, but fitness instructor Stacey Windsor says its physical and mental health benefits can transform lives — and she's starting with her small home town. 
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A woman holding on to a dancing pole inside a studio.

Two German women among those who died in Greyhound bus crash on notorious highway

Grey nomads, backpackers, and locals question the safety of roads in regional Australia after a devastating crash that killed three women, including two German nationals.
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First responders arrive at the scene of a Greyhound bus collision on Bruce Highway.

This 77-year-old is thriving alongside his Gen Z colleagues. Here's his secret to career longevity

More people are retiring later in life. Here's how these Australians stay happy and engaged at work.
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Barry Foreman leans on a box inside a Fedex warehouse

Cultural, mental health training unlikely to have prevented fatal shooting of Aboriginal woman, inquiry told

A policewoman who saw a fellow officer fatally shoot an Aboriginal woman with known mental health issues tells a coronial inquiry additional training was unlikely to have prevented the victim's death. 
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A woman places crosses in front of Geraldton Courthouse on the first day of the inquest into the death of JC.

For Hailey, being homeless and in high school felt like 'hell on Earth'

Without anywhere safe and secure to call home, Hailey felt like she didn't have a future. Her grades crashed and her mental health suffered. She's not alone. 
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A young woman with light brown hair looking at camera. Black background.

Initial investigations show Greyhound bus travelled on wrong side of road before fatal collision, police say

Police say initial investigations into a fatal bus crash in north Queensland show the Greyhound bus travelled onto the wrong side of the road before colliding with a four-wheel drive towing a caravan.
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Muddy tyre tracks coming off a highway.

Three-year labour of love results in memory-filled model of country town's history

When Morrie Russell returned to the town he once lived in, a lot had changed. He spent more than three years capturing his beloved WA Wheatbelt town of Narrogin in miniature.
Replica of a main street with cars and businesses on both sides.

Rollicking times at the Captains Flat pub are the stuff of legend and the new owner wants to bring them back

It used to be famous for having the longest bar in the southern hemisphere until a disgruntled patron hacked a bit of it off with an axe one night. Now the much-loved Captains Flat Hotel is getting dusted off and reopened for a new era.
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A bunch of men pose for a photo on the street in front of the pub. They look happy.

When Ben left Germany, he only planned to stay in the bush for four weeks. That was 14 years ago

Ben Olschewsky was heading to the bush for a four-week building maintenance contract. Fourteen years later, he can't imagine living anywhere else.
Man wearing brown shirt and black cap standing at fence at sunset

Are FIFO doctors the future of healthcare in regional Australia?

Regional residents often travel hours for specialised health care or go without, now a new model of healthcare is bringing help via the skies.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 47 seconds

Former country WA basketballer Alex Ducas lands NBA deal

The basketballer from country Western Australia signs a contract with Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA after missing out on draft night.
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Man in Australian basketball uniform holding ball with defender in blue

After a year-long wait, birthing services return to Whyalla Hospital

After being shuttered for a year due to a critical shortage of midwives, the Woonabie Birthing Unit will be available to women with low-risk pregnancies who are at 37 weeks or more gestation.
A hospital building with car park out the front

For these Lake Nash Giants, bush footy is serious business

Alpurrurulam, on the Northern Territory-Queensland border is a long way from anything but not even distance can keep the newly formed girl's footy team from playing.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 2 seconds

Country footy club to let raffle winner pick stadium name — no matter how ridiculous

Albany football club Railways say it's even willing to let its rivals choose the name if they win an upcoming raffle to raise money for a major redevelopment at its home ground.
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Scaffolding with a sign saying "Go Tigers" over fencing.

Childcare centre investment the 'best $100k' this country council has ever spent

After five years of lobbying and a significant investment, the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River hopes a local childcare centre will be open by the end of the year.
Adults and children raise their arms and smile while standing in front of a body of water.

A couple spent weekends transforming this old police barracks into their family home. Here's how they did it

This 140-year-old police barracks had no running water, electricity or doors, but it wasn't enough to put Kim and Alan off transforming it into their family home.
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Wide view of cottages in the foreground with a new timber extension at the far side. A bridge over a river is visible

Naturist says Byron Bay nudist beach closure unlikely to stop visitors stripping down

A popular nudist beach on the NSW far north coast will soon close after the state's National Parks and Wildlife Service found no alternative for a clothing-optional area.
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Naked protesters at a recent rally at Tyagarah Beach near Byron Bay.

Native plants bring life back to garden and a rejuvenated home owner

Carmel Marks is among a growing number of people making a transition from traditional gardens, saying the planting of natives on her property was the self-sustaining answer she had been searching for.
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a woman in a blue-purple cardigan, with white hair and glasses, squatting next to a tree in her garden

Vital history or political tool? How local heritage battles are affecting the housing crisis

A two-hour commute from the Sydney CBD, Wollondilly Shire seems an unlikely place for a battle between new housing and heritage laws. But a plan to protect a local landmark is causing division.
image of placard reading "think of the five sarrive alive" with post office in background