Transport Victoria has confirmed the final design for intersection upgrades along Sunshine Avenue in Taylors Lakes. Construction is expected to begin in 2027. Two roundabouts at Melton Highway and Old Calder Highway will be replaced with signalised intersections, with additional lanes and new signalised pedestrian crossings. New walking and cycling paths and street lighting will also be built. A bus stop on the northern side of Melton Highway will move to the eastern side of Sunshine Avenue.
A whale calf carcass has washed ashore at Malabar Beach in Sydney, the third landing spot for the same animal. Randwick Council workers moved the remains up the sand, roped off the area and closed the beach on Tuesday. Council said strong currents moved the carcass from Lurline Bay and that it will be removed and disposed of on Tuesday 27 October. Earlier, Coogee and Maroubra beaches were shut after the carcass became stuck against rocks at Lurline Bay.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network across the state's east and west. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and the Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras use artificial intelligence to scan for smoke and fire around the clock, and the expanded network is expected to monitor more than 1.4 million hectares. The new cameras are scheduled to be in place by November 2027. Minister for Emergency Services Paul Edbrooke said early information would help emergency services respond more quickly.
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Entries for the 2026 Spring in the Mary Photo Competition close this weekend, on October 31. The Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee is inviting photographers of all ages and skill levels to share spring images from across the region. Six award categories share $2,500 in prizes, including a Junior category for entrants aged 16 and under. Entrants may submit up to three original photographs taken within the Mary River catchment, using a camera or smartphone. Images, a short caption and an entry form are to be emailed to the committee.
A magnitude-4.9 earthquake struck waters south of Adelaide at about 7:50am, according to Geoscience Australia. The preliminary quake was about 10 kilometres deep and roughly 100 kilometres offshore, between Kangaroo Island and the south-east coast. Residents from Adelaide to Kingston SE and Beachport reported rattling and shaking that lasted several seconds. Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said aftershocks were possible but the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
Victoria will add 11 AI-powered cameras to its bushfire detection network, covering more than 1.4 million hectares before the 2027-28 fire season. The $3.8 million project is jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Hancock Victorian Plantations and Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The cameras will scan landscapes around the clock for smoke and fire, flagging possible incidents for investigation. Installations are scheduled across western and eastern Victoria by November 2027. Officials say the network will give firefighters more time to respond. Most of the monitored area is non-plantation land.
Adelaide residents are being urged not to release koi carp or unwanted goldfish into the River Torrens. More than a dozen suspected koi were seen at Hackney last week, with a smaller number upstream at Dernancourt. Green Adelaide suspects members of the public released the fish. Koi are a noxious species in South Australia and cannot be owned without a permit. Dumping koi, goldfish or other non-native fish in South Australian rivers can attract fines of up to $120,000. Green Adelaide says koi compete with native fish for food and disturb river plants.
Apartment residents and renters across Victoria will be eligible for rooftop solar rebates under an expanded state government program. Eligible applicants can receive up to $2,800 per apartment, capped at $140,000 per building. The changes raise the maximum building size from 50 to 150 lots and let owners corporations allocate up to 20 per cent of generated solar energy to common property. Applications are open until June 2027. Savings for individual households will depend on installation costs, electricity use and how power is shared among residents.
Randwick Council has closed Malabar Beach in Sydney's east after whale remains washed up there. The juvenile whale carcass had earlier drifted onto the shore at Lurline Bay last week. Council lifeguards fenced off the area over concern the carcass could attract sharks. Council moved the remains further up the beach and is arranging contractors to dispose of them. The beach will stay closed until further notice.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast are on track for their wettest October in six years. Brisbane has recorded about 170 millimetres this month, roughly double its October average of 87 millimetres. Flash floods hit Caboolture and Morayfield, where more than 400 millimetres fell over the past week. The Sunshine Coast is likely to break its October record, with 369 millimetres already recorded at its airport. The Bureau of Meteorology says Brisbane is not expecting heavy falls, apart from possible showers.
Little blue penguins at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast are exploring a new Halloween habitat with pumpkins, tombstones and other surprises. The aquarium says the enrichment encourages the penguins' natural curiosity. On Saturday, October 31, the aquarium will host a Halloween Beach Clean-Up at Mooloolaba Beach from 9am to noon. Children are encouraged to collect rubbish instead of lollies, and free face painting will be offered. Marine animals can mistake rubbish for food or become tangled in it.
Flying foxes are damaging banana and berry crops on the NSW Mid North Coast, and growers say the losses are costly. Coffs Harbour banana grower Paul Shoker estimated more than 10,000 bananas were damaged on his farm in October alone. The bats are suspected to be starving, possibly because flowering trees have little nectar. Berry growers on the Coffs Coast report bats entering protective tunnels, and Berries Australia says some animals are dying in the nets. Growers have been advised to add netting, which adds further expense.
Colac Show will not hold a poultry section this year, after organisers decided to remove it to reduce the risk of bird flu. Officials described the choice as a tough one, noting that many other Victorian country shows have made the same decision during the current H5 bird flu outbreak. The poultry section has been cut from the 160th edition of the event, according to Ray Thomas, who confirmed the decision on behalf of the show's organisers.
Five emerging innovators have been selected for the evokeAG 2027 Groundbreakers Program. Their projects target rural workforce shortages, high chemical spray costs and livestock disease. Bovision is developing computer vision technology to monitor cattle health in feedlots, while WeedSelector uses cameras to spot spray target weeds. Agriculture Jobs Auswide connects job seekers with primary producers. Over four months, the group will receive leadership development and networking before presenting at the national evokeAG event in Adelaide.
The cost of abandoning Snowy 2.0, Australia's largest renewable energy project, is still unknown. Snowy Hydro chief executive Dennis Barnes told a Senate estimates committee that the cost of ending the project has not been modelled. The company estimates completion will now cost between $22.2 billion and $25 billion, up from $12 billion in 2023. Barnes said replacing the project with batteries was modelled at $80 billion. Innovation Minister Tim Ayres said abandoning the project would be immensely costly and that the government would see it through.
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Federal parliament debated the impact of invasive species on Australia's native wildlife. Senator David Pocock called for a long-term plan to protect landscapes and wildlife, while Senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised the term 'invasive'. Ecologists argue that controlling invasive species is crucial to preventing native species extinction and preserving ecosystems. Successful conservation efforts, such as those for the numbat, demonstrate the importance of managing invasive predators.
Researchers measured speeds at 33 roadside sites across southeastern Queensland. Speeding fell from 55 per cent of drivers to 26 per cent after an alert appeared on the Waze app. The biggest drop was in 100km/h zones. Once the alert passed, drivers who had slowed down could speed again. The researchers say the findings suggest police should rethink how road enforcement works in a connected world, rather than ban these apps.
UK ministers are considering giving carmakers incentives to fit electric cars with vehicle to grid technology, which lets cars sell stored power back to the grid at peak times. The plans are part of a review of the zero-emission vehicle mandate. Campaign groups warn the credits could let carmakers sell more petrol models and raise emissions. Industry figures say the benefits should go to drivers, not manufacturers, as the technology is not yet widely used. The grid operator forecasts such cars could supply up to 41 gigawatts by 2050.
A biosecurity lockdown has started across several inner west Sydney suburbs to fight deadly fire ants. The measures began on Monday and cover a 2km radius around a freight facility in Strathfield, where a nest was found five weeks ago. Businesses in the area must now have a biosecurity plan, with strict controls on moving high-risk materials such as turf, mulch, soil and potted plants. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says breaches made knowingly could bring fines of up to $1 million for individuals and $2 million for businesses.
Farmers and residents in the Adelaide Hills are fiercely opposing a proposed multibillion-dollar data centre at Tungkillo, east of Adelaide. Developer Quantum DC plans a 1200-megawatt facility across a 220-hectare site, with infrastructure on about 120 hectares and the rest kept for grazing. Locals fear harm to livestock, pollinators and the natural environment. They object to the proposed 15-day public submission period under the state's Essential Infrastructure assessment process and have started a petition. Quantum DC says environmental and heritage studies are underway to minimise impacts.
