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The whole of Australia was focused on the Port of Newcastle after we woke up to news of a dead scuba diver and an extraordinary amount of cocaine discovered near a coal ship.

Detectives say the price paid for cocaine in Sydney is the highest anywhere in the world, making it a magnet for international drug traffickers. And our port provides prime pickings, given its proximity to Sydney.

One night last year, a 35-year-old Cessnock man was at his home when two men burst through his front door. The intruders were, in fact, his work colleagues.

As Wollombi real estate agent Steven Annis-Brown told us, coal mining would have radically changed the town and surrounding area. But the community always thought it was a long stretch.

We're so used to seeing pelicans around local waterways including Lake Mac, Port Stephens and Newcastle. They're almost part of the furniture.

A $1.6 billion project is earmarked for part of the Upper Hunter, and some landholders have already agreed to lease their grazing land. Apparently, sheep aren't too bothered by solar panels.

During the past week the number of flu cases around the Hunter has begun to spike. How severe is this year's season likely to be?

It's already been in place around Honeysuckle, along Newcastle Harbour. And now that iconic city eat-street — Darby Street — is about to experience a change in pace.

The cost of school excursions and technology like laptops can really add up, especially if your finances are already on the tight side. Enter the Young family, living near Maitland. 

There are questions being raised around accessibility to pre-polling voting centres, particularly the one on King Street in Newcastle. People in wheelchairs are unable to vote in privacy at the centre, filling out their ballet papers in full view on the street.

It's been a trot-tastic time in Scone this week, with the iconic Horse Festival taking over town. Our Upper Hunter presenter Amelia Bernasconi invited the Country Hour team along to the Jack Johnson Memorial Gala Day, where they explored everything from thoroughbred breeding to high-jumping kelpies and longhorn cattle.

Jack Newton farewelled: Hundreds of people have attended a funeral service at Newcastle's Civic Theatre for golfing legend Jack Newton. The 72-year-old died last month as a result of health complications, just a year after being diagnosed with dementia. The much-loved golfer won the 1979 Australian Open and famously lost his right arm and eye at the age of 33 after walking into a plane propeller.

Pre-poll flurry: Voters in the Hunter have been eager to cast their votes early for the federal election, with strong numbers at pre-polling booths across the region. Pre-polling opened on Monday, with well over 10,000 turning up at local venues on the first day. Here's a handy Q&A if you have any questions about how pre-polling works and who can do it.

Poster politics: Liberal candidate for the marginal seat of Paterson, Brooke Vitnell, believes the defacing of her campaign posters will discourage women from entering politics. She says hundreds of her campaign posters have been ripped down or stolen, while other posters and billboards have been vandalised with derogatory comments and rude images.

Ready, set, go! This photo, taken in February, shows the little Nippers training so that they can save lives at a second's notice. This lovely shot was shared with us via #ABCmyphoto on Instagram. The talented photographer is AJ Foxford.

You can show everyone what the world looks like where you live by using the hashtag on Instagram or by uploading your photos online here. 

There's a fair chance you'll be drying the washing inside for the remainder of the week. Intermittent showers are the go for our region during the next couple of days. Thursday looks to be the wettest, with a 90 per cent chance of rain. By Saturday we should see some sun peeping through the clouds, with just a slight chance of showers for the Upper Hunter. Daytime temperatures will hover around the low 20s. Overnight temps not too drastic yet — around 12 to 16 degrees.

And a big thanks to James McCallum who took this spectacular double rainbow photo last Thursday at Blacksmiths. 

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ABC Newcastle acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.