Courtney and Sev reached an agreement with their landscaper, Troy Lovett, over their dwindling budget on The Block. The three agreed to remove a water feature, delete some decking and choose less mature trees. Troy said he would absorb some of the extra costs. Elsewhere in the episode, Jolene and Adam argued over access to their side yard, and Jolene said she had put the feud with Courtney and Sev behind her. Wyatt complained about hauling soil, and Chantel was caught out on a sports trivia question.
Janet Swain, a Labor candidate for Ballina at the next state election, is drawing on years of community music work to connect with voters. A Byron Shire councillor, musician, songwriter and former teacher, she launched her campaign with support from senior Labor figures, including Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib and federal MP Justine Elliot. Swain says politics was never her plan, but she has built community choirs and taught music across her working life.
Amileka, the Byron Bay hinterland home used as the villa in the 2021 Love Island Australia series, has sold. Its most recent price guide was $6 million, down from the $8 million to $9 million guide set when it was first listed in October 2024. The owners, Mikaela Lancaster and Mark Britt, paid $9.5 million for the 10-hectare property in 2022. Nearby, The Ranch at Talofa sold before auction for an undisclosed price, understood to be $10 million.
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Asking rents for houses in regional New South Wales have risen over the past year, led by smaller towns, according to Domain data. The median weekly rent reached $640 in the September quarter, up 4.9 per cent. Berrigan recorded the steepest rise at 18.5 per cent, followed by Bellingen at 18.2 per cent. Experts say tenants priced out of nearby areas are moving further afield, while new workers and limited housing supply add pressure. Local agents report strong demand and few available rentals.
Two exhibitions honour the legacy of late queer Asian-Australian artist Andrew Hau Ewing. Ancestor Spirits is the first major retrospective of Ewing’s work, spanning his career in Sydney, Byron Bay, Indonesia, Cairns, Darwin and Adelaide. In the Half Light is a new exhibition by Kirthana Selvaraj, the inaugural recipient of the Andrew Ewing Fellowship. Both exhibitions are on display at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Haymarket until 13 December 2026.
Media figure Antony Catalano, accused of choking and threatening to kill his wife, will be allowed to move his family overseas. Appearing in person in the Melbourne Magistrates Court for the first time since being charged in March, his barrister said the family wants to reconcile and a plea deal showing remorse is possible. Catalano faces eight charges, which he has not yet answered in court, over alleged attacks at a St Kilda property. The magistrate approved a bail condition requiring 24 hours' notice of any change of address. The matter returns to court on December 14.
Four authors will speak at the inaugural Murrumburrah-Harden Writers' Festival on Saturday 28 November at the historic Barnes Store in Murrumburrah. Organised by the Rotary Club of Murrumburrah-Harden, the event features crime writer Chris Hammer, fantasy writer Juliet Lautenbach, journalist Gabrielle Chan and memoirist Macy Henderson. Each author will take part in a casual conversation of about an hour, followed by audience questions. Tickets cost $50, plus booking fees, and about a third had sold, with places limited to 60 people.
Lyndall Murray is selling her Evans Head home to invest in Indonesia, citing changes to property tax rules. The new rules replace the 50% capital gains tax discount with inflation indexation and abolish negative gearing for established dwellings. Ms Murray had planned to buy investment properties in Australia. She said she now has the equity to do so, but the tax changes had removed the benefits she expected. She plans to buy a villa in Lombok, where she says her money would generate more rental income, and to return to Australia later without a mortgage.
