ABC Ballarat

21/06/2026

The Victorian Farmers Federation says the detection of the deadly H5 variant of avian influenza in WA is a "distant concern" for Victorians, but farmers are well prepared for if and when the disease does arrive.

The head of Victoria's peak farming group says the detection of the deadly H5 variant of avian influenza in Western Australia is a "distant concern" for Victorians.

19/06/2026

One renewable energy expert told the ABC the policy could give affected landowners more leverage in negotiations with wind developers and allow them to potentially ask for more financial compensation.

Energy experts have mixed views on what the Victorian Coalition's proposed renewable energy buffer zone policy could mean for the state's energy transition.

19/06/2026

Indigenous and environmental groups are accusing a Chinese company of hoarding water on a Victorian property and causing a sacred waterfall to run dry.

Read more: https://ab.co/3SvKwrp

18/06/2026

The report warns Grampians communities and properties may be at risk in the future, if fire breaks are not maintained put in place.

An auditor-general's report finds fire authorities missed planned fuel reduction targets before two disastrous fire seasons and warns properties could be at risk if strategic fuel breaks are not put in place.

14/06/2026

CFA volunteers say firefighters and farmers have had 'a gutsful' of the levy, which they say unfairly taxes volunteers.

Hundreds of regional Victorian firefighters turn out for a rally in Bendigo, calling on the state government to scrap a controversial levy after saying they have been "left behind".

14/06/2026

Ballarat's is considering removing its Family Day Care scheme entirely due to dwindling staff numbers.

Staff numbers have steadily declined from 60 educators a decade ago, to just eight today.

Early childhood operators say increased load on educators is taking a "huge toll" on their mental health and safety.

13/06/2026

Check out Victoria's prehistoric past, once a thriving, dinosaur habitat 🦖🦕

Palaeontologists say evidence pointing to Australia's polar past shows that many dinosaurs roamed the country when the south east was still within the Antarctic Circle.

28/05/2026

A large funnel cloud was spotted near Avoca, in regional Victoria, this week.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said the photos captured by locals in the area were "remarkable".

"They are not captured very often. Often in the high country … but not all of them are reported and recorded," he said.

Mr How said the funnel's spout feature is created by a rotating column of wind at the base of a cloud.

He also said funnels that don't touch the ground are not classified as a tornado.

"[Funnel clouds] don't typically cause damage, but if they touch the ground, they can rip through trees, that kind of thing," he said.

27/05/2026

A scholarship will be created at a Victorian agricultural college in memory of a young Ballarat man who died in a farming accident last month.
A motorbike crash on a station near Broken Hill claimed the life of 26-year-old Callum Smail on April 13, two week after he got engaged to the love of his life.

A scholarship will be created at a Victorian agricultural college in memory of a young man who died in a farming accident last month.

25/05/2026

We know a lot of you are wondering about this, so here's a helpful podcast.

We’ve been getting a lot of emails asking if we’re going to cover the case Samantha Murphy, the Ballarat jogger who went missing on the morning of February 4, 2024. Ballarat reporter Laura Mayers joins the pod to explain the story up to here, and where the proceedings stand. We also let you in o...