‘It is ready to burn’:Extreme fire danger forecast for Victoria on Boxing Day

‘It is ready to burn’:Extreme fire danger forecast for Victoria on Boxing Day

High temperatures and strong winds could turn three major bushfires into fast-moving infernos that threaten homes and lives,authorities have warned.

  • byLachlan Abbott

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Halls Gap evacuated as authorities warn Grampians fire will burn for weeks
Updated
Bushfires

Halls Gap evacuated as authorities warn Grampians fire will burn for weeks

An emergency warning to evacuate immediately was also issued for a small town in the Macedon Ranges on Saturday,but was later downgraded.

  • byLachlan Abbott andAshleigh McMillan
Smoke clears over Melbourne as regional fires threaten homes
Updated
Bushfires

Smoke clears over Melbourne as regional fires threaten homes

A blaze in the Grampians – which first threatened the hamlet of Mirranatwa on Wednesday – flared up again on Friday.

  • byLachlan Abbott andAshleigh McMillan
Man charged with murder after fatal double shooting in Rye
Updated
Crime

Man charged with murder after fatal double shooting in Rye

Jack Gilmour and Charlyze Hayter were found with fatal gunshot wounds after a fight broke out in a home on the Mornington Peninsula on December 2.

  • byAngus Delaney andLachlan Abbott
Police probe antisemitic sign on steps of Victorian parliament
Updated
Protests

Police probe antisemitic sign on steps of Victorian parliament

Victoria Police said officers were called to reports about 20 protesters were displaying a large banner near Parliament House about 6.55pm.

  • byLachlan Abbott
‘The pen has run dry’:Acclaimed cartoonist Michael Leunig dies
Updated
Vale

‘The pen has run dry’:Acclaimed cartoonist Michael Leunig dies

Leunig’s death was announced on social media late on Thursday. He was 79.

  • byLachlan Abbott
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‘Stressful time’:Raygun responds to criticism for demanding $10k in legal fees

‘Stressful time’:Raygun responds to criticism for demanding $10k in legal fees

The Olympian said the ordeal had been “tough” for herself and Stephanie Broadbridge and stressed it was not her intention to cause harm.

  • byNick Galvin andLachlan Abbott
Acclaimed Australian author John Marsden dies aged 74
Updated
Vale

Acclaimed Australian author John Marsden dies aged 74

The bestselling author’s 1993 novel Tomorrow,When the War Began was a major hit that was adapted into a film and TV series.

  • byLachlan Abbott andDebbie Cuthbertson
Grampians bushfire triggers warning to evacuate homes and campgrounds

Grampians bushfire triggers warning to evacuate homes and campgrounds

Campgrounds have been evacuated in the Grampians as an out-of-control bushfire damages private property.

  • byLachlan Abbott
Warm,sunny weather forecast for Christmas Day ‘pearler’

Warm,sunny weather forecast for Christmas Day ‘pearler’

The weather in Melbourne is expected to be close to perfect,with sunny skies predicted across the state.

  • byLachlan Abbott
Out-of-control bushfire near Ballarat is downgraded after mercury cools from 40-degree peak
Updated
Weather

Out-of-control bushfire near Ballarat is downgraded after mercury cools from 40-degree peak

Residents of Clarkes Hill,Wattle Flat and Dean were told shortly before 7pm to leave immediately,after a bushfire started near Creswick,but that advice has since been downgraded.

  • byAngus Delaney andLachlan Abbott