Regional Communities

Coleen Kehoe became a paraplegic after a mountain bike riding accident. Adaptive bikes and trails have helped her, and husband Rick, get back on the track together. 

A small town in the centre of Queensland's South Burnett wine region is enjoying an economic revival and tranquil lifestyle for residents.

Trained pooches will make weekly visits to a hospital in north-west Victoria, to cheer up patients and staff who might be feeling stressed or lonely.

A landmark tree that has guarded Morundah's pub for more than a century has been cut down by Essential Energy — and residents are not happy.

Phil Johnson, 63, had never heard of the tiny South Australian town of Paruna when its former Methodist church came up for sale. On a whim, he decided to buy the 88-year-old church to make it his home.

Retired mine worker Trevor Barry, who has been observing Saturn from his own backyard with the observatory he built himself, is only the second Australian to win the highest possible accolade for amateur astronomy.

For Linda Berthon, 57, the path to recovery from a shock bowel cancer diagnosis was a winding one, but she has been driven by her ambition to step on the pitch once more.

Ballarat, Victoria's third largest city, is notorious for its frosty winters and the near year-round puffer jacket uniform of its residents. 

Juliet hopes to study medicine and become a doctor to help address the dire shortage of health professionals in Australia's regions. But her family has been waiting for eight years to gain permanent residency.

A crab-tying champion and a couple on their perpetual honeymoon try to explain why this out-of-the-way Queensland hamlet is paradise.

Far from the shining blue of the New South Wales coast, the rich red dirt of Central Australia is steeped in the memory of a man whose legacy lives on through friendships, dialysis and the future of Indigenous art.

The Keith playground has been a regular stop for generations of travellers, but the equipment is coming to the end of its life.

A shortage of surveyors across the country is leading to delays in the building industry, but there are hopes creating greater awareness of the profession will lead to more high school students considering it as a career.

Residents in SA's river communities hit by summer flood are watching nervously as the River Murray slowly rises again. But experts say there's no cause for concern, and visitors encouraged to watch.

A sustainability expert says using recycled water on parks and gardens is essential in WA's climate. But despite handing over almost $12 million for a scheme in regional WA, the state government says its project is still in the design phase.

A Nationals senator criticises the ministerial sacking of Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp, who resigned as a minister over failing to disclose property assets.

300 homes at Glenden, south-west of Mackay, are at risk of being bulldozed, with the mine company which built the town 40 years ago closing operations.

A WA town is reviewing its five international relationships after a council flagged a "no-value" issue with a Chinese city, but a local government expert says they still have a place.

Queensland farmer "Sno" Harm has seen many El Niño weather patterns in his 50 years of growing cotton. He says he "can't really prepare" for the next drought and remains hopeful for rain.

This couple lived in a caravan for six months when their home was flooded last summer. Over the past couple of months they've been watching the river slowly rise again.

A lack of affordable and available housing is driving young families from Port Fairy, prompting fears for the future of the town's two primary schools.

A council's decision to not allow people to be buried with their pets in its cemeteries has been described as bizarre and heartless.

As a wrecking ball looms over 300 homes in the small town of Glenden, the local mayor is pleading with the state government and rival coal mining companies to save the community.

Elderly residents being forced to vacate their accommodation are among a growing number of older people struggling amid the rental crisis. 

Road train driver Heather Jones says steep drops from the edge of road bitumen are contributing to crashes as the state government concedes it could take 10 years to clear its maintenance backlog.