Suburbia to surf … way to go for next wave of nippers
Kim Arlington They are up before the sun, climbing into the car in their pyjamas, still sleepy as they head for the coast.
Latest NSW news
Public housing no bar to property gains
Julie Power Fears that affordable housing for low-income earners will turn neighbourhoods into ghettos or slums are unfounded in 80 per cent of cases, and have little or no impact on property prices.
Air freshener used to conceal mother's death, court told
NICK RALSTON 12:08am A woman allegedly left her mother dead in bed in their Sydney home for up to six months, changing sheets and using air freshener to mask the smell while using her money to stay at luxury hotels, a court has heard.
Rule change allows developers to bypass councils' approval
NICOLE HASHAM The O'Farrell government will allow developers to leapfrog councils to get large projects approved under measures that will lead to unwanted, ad-hoc development, community and environment groups say.
Crowds go wild as Princess Mary visits Five Dock school
DAISY DUMAS 9:31pm From the Opera House to Government House ... to Five Dock Public School.
Unlikely board fellows: the city's great and good vie for a uni place
DAISY DUMAS Business, media and politicians all want a job at Sydney University.
Thomas Kelly's mother decries 'senseless act' at sentence hearing
PAUL BIBBY 9:55pm Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly lost his life in a "senseless act of violence and cowardice" that has left those who loved him with "a life sentence", members of his family have told a Sydney court.
Minister makes start on opening state forests to amateur hunters
SEAN NICHOLLS Hundreds of state forests are set to be reopened to amateur hunters as early as mid-November after Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson began the redeclaration process.
Reservoir gives up secrets of our colonial past
Kim Arlington Beneath the surface of Prospect Reservoir the remains of an early colonial settlement lay hidden for more than a century. Wooden posts traced phantom fencelines under the water. Handmade bricks marked the remnants of wells, fireplaces, stables.
Teacher got harsh treatment: filmmaker
GARRY MADDOX The director of Mrs Carey's Concert has revealed the film's star music teacher was devastated after being repeatedly criticised and threatened with dismissal before her shock resignation from MLC School.
Still no return to full light rail service and no explanations
JACOB SAULWICK Part of Sydney's light rail line will remain out of action until early next month amid growing frustration with the failure of the operator and government to explain the lengthy suspension of services.
Nuns argue fracking is a habit we can't afford
NICOLE HASHAM Theirs is a cloistered, holy life far from the whirl of Sydney, where the only sound some mornings is the flap of habits and the squawk of cockatoos.
Defence apologises for starting State Mine fire
DAVID WROE The military demolition specialists who sparked a massive fire during an exercise last week are suspected of having used too much explosive.
Fate of Electrolux plant decided in Stockholm
ANNA PATTY The future of more than 500 people in Orange who work for Australia's last refrigerator manufacturing plant may be decided in Sweden.
ICAC chief David Ipp to retire
Sean Nicholls, Michaela Whitbourn The man who oversaw the sensational inquiries into Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald will retire from the ICAC in January.
'We feel like we've helped'
Ashleigh Gleeson A photo from the NSW bushfires has had millions of people across the world using just one this week - heroes.
'Deranged screaming' before balcony fall
PAUL BIBBY It was the sound of ''deranged'' screaming that allegedly made the young man look up as he walked through Hyde Park on the way to work.
Foley outlines his vision for the west
SEAN NICHOLLS Labor's planning spokesman Luke Foley has called for a high-powered commission of ''eminent persons'' to oversee Sydney's growth.
Man killed in fire at Botany home
MEGAN LEVY Firefighters have found a body after a fierce blaze tore through a home in Sydney's south-east.
Bushfire strategies: Aggressive and high-risk
Nick Ralston and Sarah Whyte and Peter Hannam A high-risk gamble by firefighters has paid off, with NSW escaping from one of its most threatening bushfire days on record mostly unscathed.
Median
Sydney beats $700,000 price barrier
TOBY JOHNSTONE Sydney house prices have smashed through the $700,000 barrier for the first time, taking the market into ‘‘uncharted territory’’.
Bubble turns head at Sculpture by the Sea
ANDREW TAYLOR A child chewing gum would hardly turn heads among the show-offs of Sydney's eastern suburbs. But Qian Sihua's two-metre-high blood red sculpture of a head blowing bubble gum is a scene stealer.
Opponents fear threats from new bill
Michaela Whitbourn Legal experts are alarmed by a bill giving the O'Farrell government sweeping powers to approve commercial activities on public land such as parks and beaches.
Chaka Khan to open Sydney Festival for free
STEVE DOW US singer Chaka Khan will headline a free concert in The Domain on the opening weekend of the 2014 Sydney Festival, as organisers bat away criticism that the festival lacks an opening day of free entertainment.
Trains halted but tourists still come
NICOLE HASHAM Destructive bushfires halted train services and closed a major motorway on Wednesday, but the emergency was not enough to deter curious tourists from visiting the Blue Mountains.
Three emergency warnings issued
MEGAN LEVY Strong wind gusts of up to 100km/h are fanning large bushfires already burning across parts of NSW, while new blazes are breaking out in the afternoon's deteriorating conditions.
Royals tour a source of Danish pride
Whisper it: even among the Danes Princess Mary seemed to eclipse Crown Prince Frederik on day one of the Danish royals' tour of Sydney.
Erica Packer keeps up appearances after split
Erica Packer will not divulge the reasons why her six-year marriage to casino billionaire James ended, but she has made it clear she is not about to disappear into obscurity.
Video
Private Sydney: Baz's show blowout?
Rumours circle Baz Luhrmann's latest multi-million dollar production Strictly Ballroom The Musical, claiming the stage show is riddled with delays and budget blowouts, reports Andrew Hornery.
No cooling off for spring auctions
Which auctions will the Domain team be checking out on Saturday?
Glowing embers light up the night
A surreal scene greets Reporter Emma Partridge and photographer Dallas Kilponen on the Bells Line of Road in the Blue Mountains on Thursday night.
Gridlock after fatality on M4
Citybound motorists are advised to avoid using Sydney's M4 motorway after a fatal accident involving a truck and a pedestrian at Granville.
Haunting images of Blue Mountains fires
Photographer Nick Moir captures stunning images of the bushfires raging across the Blue Mountains on Thursday.
Fires upgraded to emergency warning status
The State Mine fire crosses the Bells Line of Road in the Blue Mountains as winds fan a massive blaze near Colo Heights says the Rural Fire Service.
Dame Edna's folly at the Astor
Step inside the apartment Barry Humphries 'illegally' renovated.
