Fire rages as Vic braces for ‘worst day in four years’
A bushfire west of Ballarat is expected to burn for days if not weeks but firefighters are concerned about changing weather conditions on Wednesday.
Disaster and Accident
Welcome rain for WA as Lincoln heads south
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Lincoln, now a tropical low, is expected to dissipate as it moves across the WA interior.
Six homes destroyed, bushfire tipped to burn for weeks
Communities affected by a bushfire west of Ballarat have been warned it is not safe to return, with six homes confirmed to have been destroyed by the blaze.
Multiple communities in the path of raging bushfire
Almost 30 communities are expected to be impacted by a bushfire in western Victoria as authorities warn conditions will get worse before they get better.
Green light for review into Victoria’s biggest blackout
An expert-led review has been commissioned after storms cut power to 530,000 Victorian properties in the biggest mass blackout in state history.
Inquiry push to shine light on Victoria’s mass blackout
The Victorian opposition will push for an inquiry into the reliability of the state's transmission network after storms cut power to half a million properties.
Half of town lost to bushfire as residents count losses
Bushfire has destroyed more than 40 homes on the edge of a national park where residents are returning to take stock of the devastation.
Bushfire evacuees return to homes and businesses
Evacuees are starting to return to a town in Victoria's west where more than two dozen homes were lost to bushfires believed to have been sparked by lightning.
Victorians face third dark night as energy grid fixed
Crews are whittling down the number of Victorian homes and businesses without power but many residents face another night in the dark following wild storms.
Homes lost as bushfires continue to burn
Bushfires have destroyed an unknown number of homes and volunteer firefighters have suffered minor burns while battling blazes in Victoria's west.
Hot spell sweeps the nation, sparking trouble in Vic
Widespread hot weather has led to fires in Victoria and high temperatures plus rain storms in other parts of the nation.
Homes lost and firefighters injured as bushfires rage
Three fires are raging out of control in Victoria with people near the Grampians National Park ordered to shelter while those in Ballarat were told to evacuate.
Catastrophic fire danger warning as heatwave hits
Catastrophic fire conditions are tipped for parts of Victoria as the southern states brace for hot, windy and dry weather over coming days.
Schools closed over catastrophic fire danger warning
Dozens of schools have been closed in Victoria due to catastrophic fire conditions as southern states brace for hot, windy and dry weather over coming days.
Too late to leave fire zone in catastrophic conditions
People in western Victoria are being told to take shelter as it's too unsafe to evacuate as a bushfire emergency escalates in catastrophic conditions.
Evacuation warnings over fires in Victoria’s west
Two emergency warnings have been issued for people in the Grampians in Victoria's west, with out-of-control blazes raging at Bellfield and Mt Stapylton.
Residents told it’s too late to leave as bushfires rage
People in western Victoria are being told to take shelter as it's too unsafe to evacuate as a bushfire emergency escalates in catastrophic conditions.
Hundreds of thousands of Victorian homes without power
Thousands of households and businesses remain without power in Victoria after storms knocked down transmission towers afte a day of high temperatures.
Ex-tropical cyclone dumps months of rain in a day
NSW has been hit with a deluge thanks to ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily, while major flood warnings remain in Queensland after the wild weather moved offshore.
Hit-and-run investigation after body found on motorway
A man's body has been found on a major highway that connects NSW and Queensland, sparking a probe into the possibility he was killed in a hit-and-run incident.
‘Everyone deserves to arrive home’: plan for safer rail
Better technology and education are part of a new national strategy to eliminate deaths and injury at Australia's 22,000 level crossings.
E-scooter deaths remain a mystery, motoring group warns
The number of people killed or injured in e-scooter accidents in Australia remains unclear due to inconsistent reporting between states, a group has warned.
Tragic summer on track as drowning deaths surge
An increase in summer drownings has prompted a warning from lifesavers ahead of the long weekend, with a campaign calling on men to take water safety seriously.
Cyclone menace forming on doorstep of flood-hit region
A rapidly forming cyclone is forecast to unleash damaging winds and heavy rain on far north Queensland, barely a month after wild weather devastated the region.
‘Deceitful and deliberate’: transport exec jailed
Connect executive Cris Large will serve a minimum of one year in jail for systematic safety failures that ended in the deaths of four Victorian police officers.
Clean-up continues as region braces for another cyclone
Another cyclone could make a "severe impact" on far north Queensland as the region cleans up from record flooding caused by a system just weeks ago.
Northern Australia’s big wet continues, cyclone builds
The big wet continues across Australia's north as a cyclone builds in the Coral Sea but conditions have eased in the southeast.
Flood-hit regions brace for more rain, Cyclone Kirrily
Australia's flood-hit regions are bracing for a second natural disaster in barely a month as Cyclone Kirrily threatens to form off the coast.
More evacuations expected in flood-hit regions
Another cyclone is set to threaten flood-hit Australian regions, with more heavy rainfall and evacuations predicted.
No crystal ball for extreme weather events, boffins say
El Nino and other factors make extreme weather events more difficult to predict, say scholars following scrutiny in the wake of destructive floods and storms.
Flood-hit northern Australia braces for more storms
Another cyclone is set to threaten flood-hit Australian regions, but the timing of the wild weather and where it will pass over the coast, are still unknown.