Masses of Melbourne music fans enjoy 'Play on Victoria 21', the first outdoor concert in Melbourne for 2021 post COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns in Victoria.

Victorians celebrated the further loosening of restrictions on Friday night while at least 10 cases have been linked to a COVID-19 cluster at a pub in Sydney’s east. 

The Biden administration wants all employees of federal contractors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by December 8.

Plastic surgeon Ian Holten and anaesthetist Eoin Fehsenfeld were once such close friends that they bought a yacht together for $280,000. Now they are in court after one allegedly engaged in a campaign to discredit him over sex with a patient.

Spectators were welcomed back to watch the thoroughbreds go around a year after the Melbourne Cup Carnival ran without crowds.

Severe storms swept across northern NSW late last week as Nick Moir followed one storm which was born 300 km west of where he let it go. For some the highway is a place from A to B. For Nick it's a pathway to pictures.

Nic Maddinson and Ben McDermott are in the frame for Ashes selection while Glenn Maxwell remains in selectors’ plans for Tests in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

In a busy day for the WBBL, the Sydney Sixers were tamed by the Melbourne Renegades but the Thunder broke through for their first win of the season.

The final field has been set for the 161st running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, the race that stops the nation.

A thrilling four-way finish in the Cantala Stakes saw the Danny O’Brien trained Superstorm poke his nose in front on the line to edge out Ice Bath, Cascadian and Mr Brightside.

Selling meat is easy in pandemic-era Australia. Blooding young talent is another matter.

Saturday marked the end of Victoria’s daily COVID-19 press conference, as the state closed in on its target to vaccinate 80 per cent of people over 16.

“Even one police officer before the court is a concern for us,” says one of the state’s most senior cops. Already this year, 62 Queensland police officers or staff have been suspended or stood down.

After 20 months of closed borders, these Victorians are bracing onerous new rules to fly overseas to holiday or reunite with family.

Victoria’s best horse may have been in Sydney on Derby day with I’m Thunderstruck winning the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on Saturday.

Soap stars shone brighter than usual on a Derby Day where celebrities were sparse.

Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise will jump from barrier 16, with main rival, European raider Spanish Mission, just two barriers to his left after passing a third veterinary inspection.

The remarkable rise of jockey John Allen shows no sign of slowing, with the Irishman landing the Victoria Derby with Hitotsu on Saturday.

Leviathan breeding operation Coolmore has a new superstar stallion-to-be after Home Affairs won the three-year-old championship race they sponsor, the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Hundreds of demonstrators, corralled on the steps of Parliament House, held signs saying ‘Stop Dan’s dangerous new legislation’ and ‘free Victoria’.

The allure of weekly Midway races, the Provincial Championships series and the recently added Four Pillars race  run at Rosehill yesterday for the first time were all part of the appeal for Ible to make the move.

Everything you need to know to find a winner on Goulburn Cup day.

Tracey Bartley has waited a long, long time to train another topliner like Sniper’s Bullet – and he might have finally unearthed one.

All arrivals to WA from Friday, November 5 from Victoria, NSW and the ACT must be fully vaccinated, the WA government announced on Saturday.

Snags. Dogs. DIY. Melbourne’s favourite Saturday morning pastime (other than brunch) is back.

The new mayor of Ku-ring-gai has extended an olive branch to the council’s general manager by signalling his intention to not hold a performance review to allow a factional stalemate to end.

Trainer Kerry Parker wants to gives Think It Over a spell with a thought to the autumn, where he will meet the likes of Zaaki, Verry Elleegant and three-year-olds Profondo and Anamoe.

The famous chessboard silks of Dato Tan Chin Nam will again grace Flemington on the first Tuesday in November  as Carif gives the Melbourne Cup a link back to the Cups King, Bart Cummings.

Joe Pride hailed Eduardo the best horse he has trained after he won the Classique Legend Stakes – and says there’s no reason he can’t race until he’s 10.

A Bentley, multiple properties and drinks in the CBD. The restaurateur was enjoying life as investigators probed his alleged involvement in organised crime.

Derby Day at Flemington racecourse saw limited crowds return to Flemington today after a long absence due to covid-19 lockdowns in Victoria.

People have been urged not to attend popular treat streets outside their suburb, but families are coming up with fun ways to stay socially distanced this Halloween.

Melburnians share their experiences as the city reopens. Today, in the fifth instalment of the series, 11-year-old Michael writes about what it felt like to see his dad again at Melbourne Airport after more than four months of separation.

Kyle Chalmers owns the 100m freestyle short-course WR as he steams towards a massive 2022 campaign that includes the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Alan Davidson, a brilliant pace bowler and one of Australia’s finest all-rounders, died on Saturday morning surrounded by his family in Sydney. He was 92.

The old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could certainly apply to the man who is shaping to be Australia’s next Test batting great. But Marnus Labuschagne is not one for standing still.

Despite two episodes being pulled and serious questions arising about the credibility of Unravel: Juanita, it has been nominated for the Best True Crime award at the Australian Podcast Awards

Marvel’s 25th “cinematic universe” film Eternals delivers a sharp and refreshing take on a decades-old genre.

Extravagant excess has always been central to Melbourne’s spring racing carnival, but this year restraint is the key.

Parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson and presenter Ally Langdon will take 10 couples with wildly different child-rearing philosophies through a set of challenges.

An outspoken Putin rival has been accused of illegal hunting in what critics claim is a set-up by the Kremlin.

Matthew Dellavedova is back home in Victoria preparing for his first NBL season with Melbourne United and is impressed by the form of NBA rookie Josh Giddey.

The NRL has come through a challenging financial year in strong financial shape and the biggest beneficiary will be the 16 clubs.

Under chaos theory, a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil and causes a tornado in Texas. But what happens when humans disappear from a zoo’s butterfly enclosure for months for the first time in history?

About 85,000 Victorians are still without power and could be waiting days for reconnection, as authorities warn wild weather could hit again next weekend.

A Brisbane man has been charged after the flag was seen flying over the synagogue on Saturday, just days before the Jewish community commemorates one of its darkest events.

The social media giant is now called Meta. Here’s five other landmark corporate brand transformations, and how experts say they stack up to Facebook’s renaming.

Hip resurfacing surgery has Dragons recruit George Burgess excited about his return to the NRL. But his return from the surgery will be a first for the sport.

The man was rescued from the water near Cape Solander about 12.15pm, with bystanders trying to resuscitate him before Ambulance NSW paramedics took over.

Chris Waller’s imported galloper Great House cemented his spot in the Melbourne Cup field with a late charge down the Flemington straight to win the Lexus Hotham Stakes.