Storms have swept through western Victoria causing widespread power outages, with Geelong among the hardest hit areas.

Henry Jennings, 21, who had just moved in with friends after finishing the third year of a business degree, expressed joy to his parents at being an "adult now".

Rescuers were called to the Maroochy River about 5pm on New Year's Day after the child was last seen swimming in the area.

"He's gonna need to get saved," Wright is heard to say before racing into the rough surf.

The Giants' AFLW side is sticking to a Albury relocation plan ahead of round one as some of Fremantle's men's players face 14 days' quarantine upon return to Western Australia amid state border chaos.

Jade and Jesse Rowe's daughter, Ella, was the first baby born in Queensland's Metro South hospitals in 2021.

People living in shack communities in the Royal National Park, Sydney.

There was chaos on the NSW-Victoria border on New Year's Eve after the Andrews government announced it would shut the border.

A year on from the extreme heat, drought and bushfires that greeted the start of 2020, the weather has generally shifted back to longer-term averages.

Sometimes your morning crossword can be a portent for the times.

With players already admitting that living in biosecure hubs takes it toll, a former Australian team psychologist has a suggestion for the year ahead.

Greg Norman's social media posts have changed markedly over the course of the pandemic.

NSW Health is relying on genomic testing to reveal any link between new western Sydney cases and the Avalon COVID-19 cluster.

It's a decision that many would-be holidaymakers are faced with: should they go away amid a tightening of restrictions or hang around and play tourist in their hometown?

Drivers crossing into Victoria on Friday afternoon reported wait times of about an hour, but warned lengthy delays were likely late this evening.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

Two feature race winners from Flemington's New Year's Day meeting will look to return to the track later this year, with connections daring to dream of group 1 glory in the Melbourne Cup and the Newmarket Handicap.

A look at 2020 New Year's Eve celebrations in a year like no other.

This map shows which Victorian postcodes are currently home to active coronavirus cases.

Passengers connecting through to Australia will have to remain in the aircraft on the ground in Singapore and will be segregated from other passengers on board.

Long queues have formed at testing sites around Melbourne as the number of positive cases linked to a Thai restaurant in Black Rock increased to 10 on Friday.

Sydney's days without sunshine could extend for another week after the city closed out its wettest year since 1998.

One highlight doesn’t make you the supreme titleholder, but let's marvel over the individual winner, where the touch is more personal than managerial.

Melbourne United are still planning to host their opening round clash with South East Melbourne Phoenix in Bendigo despite the NBL moving to temporarily send some teams interstate.

Dyllan Jake Shipp, 25, landed at Perth Airport from Dubai on Boxing Day after receiving an exemption to return home to Australia after working overseas.

Bobo is happy to help Trent Buhagiar take his game to the next level, but the Brazilian has declared his real targets are more A-League silverware and another golden boot.

From WW84 to Promising Young Woman, many of the current crop of films are defined by women experiencing unbridled fury.

Glenda Jackson's performance as a woman with Alzheimer's is extraordinary in Elizabeth Is Missing.

A week in photos from the award winning Sydney Morning Herald and Financial Review photographers.

The opposition leader has questioned the state government's COVID-19 testing capacity as Victorian arrivals before December 31 are told to get a test on day 11 after entering WA and not straight away.

New Years Day in Sydney

“With a vaccine, you don’t rush to failure, that would be very dangerous to Australians,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Those who suggested otherwise were “naive”.

As the outbreaks in NSW and Victoria grow, other states and territories are reviewing their border arrangements. Here is the current state of play.

The renowned sculptor doesn't hold back on politics in art, cancel culture and the need to focus on what you love in life.

Didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and extraordinary violinist Veronique Serret will present music without borders during their Sydney Festival show Heartland.

India were expected to confirm the loss of another fast bowler for the rest of the Test series as a star batsman looks to make his mark in Sydney.

The Morrison government will imminently release the options for an Indigenous Voice, after moving to change a word of the national anthem.

Our pick of what's showing around Melbourne this New Year weekend.

Without holidaymakers from other states bringing in their idiosyncratic words, we can sit down for a middy without giving a butchers.

Summerland proves that a love story set in WW2 can still surprise.

Plenty of great and popular books are criticised for the weakness of their endings.

Ayad Akhtar's book is intellectually and emotionally engaging.

Helen McCabe and Jamila Rizvi's interviews with older women put our current crisis in historical context.

Playwright James Elazzi explores the body and beauty conscious origins of Queen Fatima at this year's Sydney Festival.

Meg Lanning's side defied a wretched start, the elements then the onset of the pandemic by just a matter of days to provide Australian sport with the highlight of the year.

After a bleak year, the arts scene's leading lights have some big ideas for resurrection - and revenge.

Hugh Grant has earned his lines, so why can't his co-star get in on the act?

After the one that got away, the $5000 extra Robert Price and Bruce Noble spent on Count De Rupee might prove a wise investment.

Two former party leaders disagree with economists about whether or not the federal government has spent too much on the coronavirus pandemic.

The drone was gone: stuck in a tree or lying in someone’s backyard, just under a bathroom window where it had been auto-hovering in camera-record mode.