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'Miracle to find everyone alive' as car drives off cliff

Two women and a baby have been injured after a car drove off one of the busiest stretches of coastline in Newcastle this morning. The car fell more than 20 metres off the cliff and landed on the rocky outcrop of Bar Beach. Off-duty doctors swimming nearby, and a lifeguard, provided immediate assistance.

Newcastle man killed by explosion overseas

Newcastle man Trent Lee was killed in a bomb blast in the Solomon Islands on Sunday night. Mr Lee and a British national were working on a project mapping unexploded World War II explosives. The explosion happened in a block of residential flats that also served as the project office.

Tributes have touched on Mr Lee's intelligence, ingenuity and thirst for adventure. Writing on social media, his sister said the family was numb, but Mr Lee had been "in a place he loved, with his partner, living his best life".

Pandemic no barrier to Zoom-savvy art students

Many people's lives have moved online during the pandemic, and that's certainly the case for members of the Newcastle Parkinson's Support Group, who are now doing their art classes via Zoom. The classes have been a huge success and an exhibition is planned for early next year.

'Confident, loving and talented' young man remembered

"I love you from a place in my heart that I didn't know I had, and I'll continue to hold it there until we meet again." Family and friends paid tribute to rugby league player Joel Dark, 19, on Tuesday after the talented player died earlier this month after a head knock on the field.

Aww, the swans have babies!

The long pond alongside Cormorant Road on Newcastle's Kooragang Island dried out in the recent drought, but the water is back and so is a family of swans. ABC Newcastle cameraman Col Kerr stopped by last week to take a closer look, and now so can you. 

Friends band together to help a mate

A little-known legend of Australia's music industry is doing it tough after fire destroyed his Newcastle record store two years ago, and then a separate blaze gutted his home this year. Chris 'Dunny' Dunn was a partner in Waterfront Records, a Sydney label in the 80s and 90s, and was instrumental in getting Nirvana to tour in Australia in the early 90s.

Dunn later worked at record label Murmur, where he met the Newcastle boys from Silverchair while working with the band Something For Kate.

Friends have started a fundraiser on Go Fund Me aimed at helping Dunn get back on his feet, saying he has lost "every great record ever released and every great Australian independent release between 1975-1981".

Local speed cameras are causing a fine mess

The dreaded speeding ticket in the letterbox. You know you've been nabbed as soon as you spot the envelope. But have you ever been stung with a fine when you've done nothing wrong? It's a question that Paul Turton asked his listeners this week before having a fascinating talk with Peter Khoury from the NRMA. And apparently it's a common problem.

What does it take to milk a snake?

You would never hear Jake Meney complain about his boring day job. That's because his ordinary day involves the fascinating task of milking snakes for their venom. Mornings' Kia Handley found out the secrets behind Jake's unique skills.

Have you feared for your safety on the Fernleigh Track?

What's your favourite place to exercise? If you like to ride, run or walk in a safe bushland setting, then the Fernleigh Track might be high on your list. But as Craig Hamilton uncovered on his Saturday program, the safety of the track is now under threat from dirt bikes. In a recent alleged incident, a dirt bike that sped out of the Fernleigh tunnel narrowly missed a mum and her baby stroller.

What else made news this week?

Going up: Construction is progressing on the University of Newcastle's Honeysuckle City Campus building (pictured), with the structural concrete core almost complete. The building will be home to an Integrated Innovation Network Hub and new facilities for the School of Creative Industries. Once the concrete core is complete, the next step will be installing the cross-laminated timber frame — the first building in Newcastle to use the innovative material. It's due to be finished mid-2021.

Coal jobs: The union representing mine workers says about 60 contractors will lose their jobs in the Hunter Valley's coal mines in November, amid plummeting global coal prices. Glencore is shutting down two of the five excavators at its Glendell mine. Full-time employees will be redeployed, but contractors will be out of work.

Fuel reserve: The operator of a diesel terminal on Newcastle's Kooragang Island says it has been in talks with the Energy Minister about securing some of the nation's expanding strategic fuel reserve. The Government wants to see 780 million litres of additional onshore diesel storage. Park Fuels already has storage capacity for 54 million litres of diesel on Kooragang, and has lodged plans for another 30-million-litre tank. Chief commercial operator Paul Ormerod says there's room to increase storage to more than 1 billion litres of fuel.

Rugby is coming: Rugby Australia is set to announce a new Rugby Championship draw that includes two international games in Newcastle. The double header on November 28 will see the Wallabies play Argentina at Hunter stadium, followed by South Africa playing New Zealand. It will only be the second time international rugby has come to Newcastle.

Wetlands help: Hunter Valley coal mining giant Glencore has donated $100,000 to rebuild facilities at Newcastle's Hunter Wetlands Centre that were damaged in an arson attack earlier this year. The deliberately lit fire in May destroyed a ute, mowers and other machinery used to maintain the wetlands. Wetlands Centre chief executive Ken Bayliss says the funds will allow for the construction of a new maintenance and storage compound. 

Club bows out: Central Newcastle Rugby League Club has withdrawn its first grade team from the remainder of this year's competition after the death of Joel Dark. Newcastle Rugby League chief executive Matt Harris said it had been an extremely challenging time for the club, and commended the club on how it had rallied around players and staff.
 

Your exclusive preview of the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary

You've probably noticed lately that protecting our famous furry friends has become a hot topic. And it's one that our Brekky team will be exploring tomorrow morning. Dan and Jenny will be broadcasting their program from the beautiful Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary at One Mile, where they will have access to areas yet to be seen by the public.

In an exclusive preview before the sanctuary officially opens on Saturday, the team will take you along the treetop "skywalk", inside the koala ICU and speak to dedicated experts about the challenges faced by the local koala population.

Well-deserved accolade for our Mike

If you're a resident of the Upper Hunter then you'll already be familiar with the voice of your local breakfast presenter Mike Pritchard. But how many of you realise that Mike is the longest-serving rural reporter in the entire ABC organisation? That's quite an accolade, and also quite a few early mornings!

Mike has lived in the region for 45 years and, with wife Leah, he raised his family there. He is as much of a part of the local community as the many listeners who tune into his program every day.

So it's fitting that his commitment to rural broadcasting was recognised by Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce earlier this week. Mike was presented with a certificate "for his 30 years of dedicated service to broadcasting in Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter". Congratulations and thank you Mike!

How's the weekend weather looking?

We're set for a sunny but cool weekend after a few showers tomorrow. 

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