Last Top Stories: Ballarat man refused bail after drawing genitals, urinating in stolen car

Ballarat man refused bail after drawing genitals, urinating in stolen car

A BALLARAT man accused of stealing a luxury BMW and repainting it, urinating in a car he was burgling and spray-painting a penis on another, has been refused bail. Troy Barnes, 23, of Stuart Court, was told in Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday ... >> view original

Ballarat manufacturer SEM Fire and Rescue wins $3m contract to build CFA fire ...

A Ballarat special purpose vehicle maker has won a Victorian Government contract to build 20 new fire tankers for the Country Fire Authority (CFA). The order is part of the Government's commitment to deliver 70 CFA trucks to brigades across Victoria. >> view original

George Pell to be called to second royal commission hearings in Ballarat

Cardinal George Pell had shown disregard for victims of child sexual abuse through his repeated denial of any knowledge of abuse within the church, according to Vatican advisor and child sexual abuse victim Peter Saunders. Photograph: Andreas ... >> view original

Ballarat breakfast report | Wednesday June 3, 2015

Up to 15 workers at Ballarat-based footwear and clothing company Rivers Australia have been made redundant. The job cuts come despite Specialty Fashion Group chief executive Gary Perlstein telling employees not to fear job losses after the major ... >> view original

Electrons ride huge plasma tubes above Earth

The huge energies in the ionosphere get shifted around in plasma “tubes”, observed for the first time by a Sydney University physics graduate student. The work by graduate student Cleo Loi shows that the plasmasphere (the soup of electrons stripped away ... >> view original

Significance of Hunter wine region overlooked: historian

A historian tracing the story of the wine industry in the Hunter Valley says Australia needs to recognise the importance of its vineyards. Julie McIntyre is a research fellow at the University of Newcastle, and is currently studying the historical and social ... >> view original

The chocolate diet hoax that fooled millions

Have you heard about the study that proved eating a bar of chocolate a day could actually help you lose weight? Well, guess what: it was all a hoax. Working with the Harvard biologist and science journalist John Bohannon, the German documentary-makers ... >> view original

Octopus carries coconut shells as instant shelter

If an octopus' garden is of the sandy, desolate variety, it appears a lovely bunch of coconut shells is just the thing for shelter. The shells are hard enough to protect the animal from predators and light enough to be mobile. Indeed, as a video shot by Museum ... >> view original

Government defends climate policy after copping an international grilling on ...

KIM LANDERS: The Federal Government has dismissed international criticism about its efforts to tackle climate change. Australia was grilled over its emissions reduction target at a UN climate change meeting in Germany with nations including South Africa ... >> view original

Rare sea monster washes up on island

THE remains of a mysterious serpent-like creature that once lived at the bottom of the ocean have washed up on a popular island. National Geographic reports that Tyler Dvorak from the Catalina Island Conservancy stumbled across the fish while scanning a ... >> view original