NSW gun owners can book to surrender firearms under the National Gun Buyback from Monday, 2 November, before rules on keeping extra guns are finalised. Under a draft proposal, licence holders with genuine reasons such as sport shooting, pest control or business could apply to keep more than 10 guns, while recreational hunters are capped at four. Only six stations, none in the New England, will take surrenders at first. Eligible licence holders will receive letters and must book through the Gun Safe portal.
Gun owners on the North Coast will have to wait months to surrender firearms under the NSW National Gun Buyback. Grafton is the only North Coast station opening from November 2. Lismore, Ballina and Tweed Heads stations start on February 8, 2027. The limit of 10 guns per licence holder is still a draft proposal, with exemptions under consideration. Walk-ins are not accepted, and surrenders require a booking through the Gun Safe portal.
Six NSW police stations, including Penrith, will accept surrendered firearms from November 2 under a new national gun buyback scheme. Eligible licence holders will receive compensation at a fixed price schedule. More stations will join in December, and the scheme will run for 12 months. Participants must book through the Gun Safe portal, as walk-in surrenders will not be accepted. Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community would make it safer.
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Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has said he will absolutely not take part in the national gun buyback, arguing good people should keep their weapons. NSW police stations in six locations will accept surrendered guns from November 2, with 34 more sites opening from December 1. NSW is the only state so far to sign up, and the scheme will compensate people for firearms they can no longer legally own. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community means a safer community.
Eligible NSW firearms licence holders can surrender surplus and reclassified guns for compensation under a national buyback scheme. Bookings must be made through the Gun Safe portal, as walk-in surrenders at police stations will not be accepted. Holders with recreational hunting or vermin control reasons are limited to four guns each, while other eligible reasons allow up to 10. Metro stations, Grafton, Griffith and Dubbo accept surrenders first, with more stations joining from December 1 and January onwards. Bookings for later stages open on November 24.
Former investment banker Peter Hunt and his wife Tania de Jong, a soprano and social entrepreneur, have relisted their five-bedroom Manly penthouse with a $35 million price guide, down $5 million from February. Hunt said the couple are selling because they now spend more time at their home near Byron Bay, adding that the apartment is special and unlikely to be matched. A sale at or above the guide would surpass the Manly suburb record of $34 million set in 2024. Hunt bought the beachfront unit for $12.2 million in 2010.
Cattle prices jumped this week after heavy rain fell across key production areas in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Meat and Livestock Australia's benchmark Eastern Young Cattle Indicator rose above 1,000 cents a kilogram. The national processor cow indicator reached a record $4 a kilogram, and the heavy steer indicator hit $4.77. Analyst Simon Quilty said tight supply and competition between processors and feedlots drove demand, and he forecasts heavy steer prices to rise about 20 per cent next year.
Crews have filled more than 625,000 potholes on New South Wales state roads since April 2023, with thousands of those repairs in the Hunter. Since June, 1,668 potholes have been fixed across the region's state roads. The state has set aside $1.85 billion for road maintenance in the 2026-27 budget, including $1.3 billion for regional routes. Works are often scheduled overnight to limit disruption. Hunter councils will receive over $17.2 million to maintain local roads, and motorists are urged to report potholes.
Jack Bowd, 25, has told the Dubbo District Court he is dead set he was not driving when his ute hit a van head-on near Tomingley, killing four people. Bowd has pleaded not guilty to four counts of dangerous driving causing death. Prosecutors allege he was driving, while the defence says his friend Lochlann Jacobs had taken over the wheel before the crash. Under cross-examination, Bowd conceded he could not recall seeing Jacobs get into the driver's seat. Judge Michael Smith is expected to deliver his judgment in December.
A new guide has been launched in Dubbo to help healthcare workers identify and respond to signs of modern slavery. NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner James Cockayne said the abuse is often hidden, with control exercised through manipulation and contracts rather than physical restraints. The booklet does not set out mandatory reporting, but teaches staff to ask trauma-informed questions and shows where to turn for help. Jennifer Neil of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said modern slavery causes both physical and mental health problems. The resource was developed for NSW but may be used elsewhere.
A dozen young people in Brewarrina have completed an accredited Bronze Medallion lifesaving course during the spring school holidays. The full-day practical course, run by Dubbo First Aid and Lifeguard Training at the Brewarrina Memorial Pool, covered CPR, rescue tows, underwater search techniques and survival skills. Council General Manager David Kirby said the course builds real-world skills and job opportunities for young people. The training provider said the graduates can now take up pool work over the summer. The course was part of a wider school holiday program that included pool days, BBQs and activities at the Youth Centre.
Aqua Fitness classes are set to return to pools in Molong, Manildra, Cumnock, Yeoval and Cudal. The low-impact program uses water resistance to build strength, mobility and cardiovascular health without straining joints. Local volunteers will first train in Dubbo to become instructors or refresh their qualifications. The sessions are free, though attendees pay standard pool admission. Anyone aged 16 or older can join after registering in advance.
The Colour City Dragons, a dragon boat club based at Lake Canobolas, has grown to 55 members aged 11 to 81 since it began in 2008. Training runs three times a week from October to April, and newcomers can borrow equipment and receive instruction. Members have competed internationally and raised money for cancer research through rowing challenges. The club will host its Western Region Regatta at Lake Canobolas on Sunday 1 November. A free one-month Dragon Pass is available to new paddlers.
Orionid meteors peak on 21 October, and viewers are advised to watch in the early hours before dawn, after the moon sets around 3am. Dubbo Observatory owner Peter Starr says the Central West offers dark skies for stargazing. Venus and Mercury appear close together in the western sky after sunset, while Saturn is visible in the east. Looking further ahead, Mr Starr says a total solar eclipse will cross Australia on 22 July 2028, plunging observers on its path into darkness for two to four minutes.
A man died after his vehicle crashed into a ditch on the Mitchell Highway at Apsley, near Wellington, shortly after 4am on Thursday. NSW Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash, and the driver has yet to be formally identified. It is the second serious crash on that stretch of highway in six months. Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders called for more overtaking lanes and better upgrades, saying the highway has been left behind. Transport for NSW says it is working on safety improvements at six locations between Orange and Wellington.
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Buyers in New South Wales are turning away from houses and toward vacant land and apartments, particularly in Sydney's west, as affordability worsens. InfoTrack's quarterly figures show houses fell to 55 per cent of purchases, down from 67 per cent, while strata properties reached 37 per cent and empty blocks 7.58 per cent. InfoTrack's chief operating officer, Lee Bailie, said first home buyers are drawn to established apartment markets, with almost four in five of their purchases being apartments. Parramatta has led for first home buyers since the start of the year, and Dubbo ranked first overall again.
A 46-year-old man from Moss Vale has pleaded not guilty at Wollongong Local Court to 15 offences linked to an alleged fraud against the Dubbo-based auto parts supplier Driveline Services Australia. Timothy James Ferris is accused of issuing fake invoices that directed payments to his own bank account, and of misdirecting EFTPOS payments and cancelling orders. Police allege these actions cost the business about $294,000 over more than two years. The matter has been moved to Dubbo Local Court, with the next listing set for December 3, and Mr Ferris is not required to attend.
