MANDURAH, WA: A man is dead and a woman remains in hospital following a violent incident in Halls Head. Read more.

ALBURY, NSW: Jason Akermanis has stood down as coach of North Albury. Read more.

BALLARAT, VIC: A kangaroo stuck down an old mineshaft has been saved thanks to the efforts of two passersby and wildlife rescuers. Read more.

WUULUMAN, NSW: Firefighters and aircraft are continuing efforts to prevent an out-of-control bushfire between Wellington and Mudgee from crossing the Cudgegong River. Read more.

ILLAWARRA, NSW: Police are appealing for information after a small wrecking bar and claw hammer were used to break into a Shellharbour shopping centre on Sunday. Read more.

BENDIGO, VIC: An “explosion” of weeds at Lake Weeroona in the final months of last year is threatening the existence of one of Bendigo’s oldest sports clubs. Read more.

WAGGA, NSW: A grief-riddled family member of a local legend fighting for life after a vicious nursing home bashing has shared his harrowing experience at length. Read more.

TASMANIA: One Nation candidate in the Queensland state election Peter Rogers has offered to resign after a post on his website, which he said he did not write, said the Port Arthur massacre was a fabrication. Read more.

► THAILAND: A pilot has died after his fighter jet crashed at a children's air show in southern Thailand on Saturday. Read more.

► EUROPE: A massive freeze is exposing the precarious state of refugees in camps in south-east Europe. Read more.

UNITED STATES: Before we get to spies, shadowy Russian cyber attacks and Donald Trump's scorn for even a whiff of a suggestion that Moscow helped him win the US election, have you heard about the Christmas crisis sparked by the Robin Hoodhacker? Read more.

When Phillip Noyce first drove into the Wollombi Valley almost half a century ago, he recalled how he clattered over colonial history.

“Parts of the road were stone, built by chain-gang convict labour,” said the acclaimed film director and Wollombi vineyard owner.

Yet as he drove into Wollombi, Phillip Noyce was also heading deep into much older history.

Read more here.