After devastating fires, there are signs of regrowth across much of eastern Australia. But there's also concern that a changing climate may alter some of the country's unique landscapes forever.
It's the first time since July that the state has been fire-free. "That's more than 240 days of fire activity" across the country's most populous state, New South Wales Rural Fire Service said.
Canberra, Melbourne and other areas of southeast Australia were hit by golf-ball-sized hail that destroyed car windshields, killed birds and shredded the leaves off trees.
Researchers say bots and trolls blasted out hashtags such as #ArsonEmergency, in a campaign to steer the conversation about wildfires away from climate change and toward arson.
An out-of-control wildfire threatened exit routes from the town of Mallacoota, forcing residents to rush toward the water for safety as embers rained down from a red sky.
The latest remains were found in a burned forest in New South Wales on Wednesday night. As of Thursday morning, there were nearly 70 fires in that state, and more than 70 in neighboring Queensland.
Residents in the greater Sydney area have been warned of "catastrophic fire danger," the country's highest danger rating. At least three people have died in the fires in the state of New South Wales.
Officials say persistent drought caused a massive outbreak of fires in New South Wales, which is the country's most populous state. Dangerous conditions are expected to continue in the coming months.
The Parliament of New South Wales, home to the nation's largest city, Sydney, has removed unlawful abortion from the state's criminal code and has eased access to abortion services.
The tough conditions are drying up huge swathes of land, leaving farmers struggling. Groups of thirsty emus recently showed up in an outback mining town looking for water.
Police say the boy was on a cross-country trip, from his home in Kendall on the east coast to Perth on the opposite coast. He got about a third of the way before he was pulled over.
The trials in the southeastern state of New South Wales are part of an $11.6 million program to protect beachgoers. Drones send real-time images of coastal waters to an operator using GPS coordinates.
