Dubbo - 2830

Hairy panic weeds are piled up almost head-high against the exit door at the Dubbo Airport.

Huge piles of tumbleweeds are surrounding houses, frustrating farmers and heightening fire risk in rural areas. But academics say very little can be done to wipe them out.

Insectivorous bats are tiny, quiet and worth about $63 million to the cotton industry. A study of the creatures, some of which are under threat, has been expanded in NSW.

A girl seriously injured in a car crash that resulted in the death of her sister in a family road trip to a Taylor Swift concert is in a critical but stable condition, her godmother says.

The 61-year-old's opportunistic conduct against clients in their 20s became increasingly serious before he was arrested, a Dubbo court has heard.

In a western NSW sports hall, dozens of young people gather each week to hone their hooks, jabs and upper cuts. And while it might sound serious, the sessions at Bourke PCYC are also full of laughter and conversation.

Barley exports to China are booming after tariffs were lifted in August, but are Australian farmers just repeating the same mistake?

A new platypus haven at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo will aid conservation efforts by providing a home for up to 65 of the animals during drought, bushfire and flood.

Loneliness is now a public health priority for the World Health Organisation, and with one-third of Australians feeling lonely some or all of the time, there are growing calls for the federal government to do the same.

A man has died after the crop dusting aircraft he was in crashed into a paddock near Bourke in western New South Wales.

Most of the 1,000 different eucalyptus tree varieties are native to Australia but not all belong in a pristine wetland.

Thousands of Australians who collectively lost millions of dollars to failed funeral insurer Youpla could now get some of their money back, under a newly announced government scheme.

Newly released figures highlight a record-number of people in New South Wales prisons are being held on remand as they wait for their cases to be heard in court.

Ambitious climate targets are super-charging the race towards renewables in regional Australia, but in many communities, the pace and scale of change is causing anxiety and uncertainty.

The Wiradjuri and Muruwari man's unconventional journey to becoming a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force took a few different turns, but he now flies cargo and people, assists with humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and wants to inspire Indigenous youth to fly.

Large parts of northern NSW have been hit by heavy storms causing flash flooding. Some farmers are delighted to see the dams fill, but homes and businesses have been inundated.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says the trial is an opportunity to improve its relationship with farmers and share resources and responsibilities.

Indigenous people from different backgrounds and generations mark Australia Day in their own way, with some needing more time to reflect on last year's No vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum.

Clinton Beau Wrigley is accused of killing 59-year-old Nyngan farmer Joel Carter in January last year. He has also pleaded not guilty to theft and arson charges.

After a failed stint on a 1990s dating show, a sheep shearer from rural NSW found true love in the United States.

When George Isbester appeared on a 1980s television dating show, he never imagined it would later lead to him finding his wife on the other side of the world.

There are serious concerns for a population of endangered Macquarie perch at Bathurst after a deadly virus was confirmed to be behind a recent fish kill in Lithgow.

The ute also damaged "rare" panelling from India when it crashed into the building.

The owners of the Indian restaurant in Dubbo say the incident could have been much worse if it happened when the restaurant was open and in a normally busy period.

The one-year-old was flown to Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition and later died in hospital.