Good morning, Canberra. Don't forget there is a total fire ban in the ACT today as the temperature heads to a top of 40 degrees. Here's what's making news.

Never-ending quest to save wildlife like Essie

For wombat rescuer Bill Waterhouse, the NSW bushfires are a spike in what is a constant state of emergency.

Sport

Sun shining on the Canberra Raiders

Subscriber only: The Canberra Raiders' battle for round-one positions has begun in earnest on the Sunshine Coast.

Wiasak puts heartbreak behind in bid for crits title

Subscriber only: Rebecca Wiasak has put heartbreak behind her and is gunning for her third-straight national criterium crown.

Muirhead ready to claim Brumbies' No.14 jersey

Subscriber only: ACT Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead is relishing the opportunity to assert himself in Dan McKellar's starting XV.

Goriss hopes 'hell week' toughens up the Capitals

Subscriber only: A week from hell in the training hall will steel the Capitals' mindset as they brace for four games in a 10-day stretch.

Times Past

An advertisement for cigarettes took out a large chunk of The Canberra Times' front page on this day in 1972, in a true sign of the times. Claridge was marketing its tobacco to readers with what it might have called 'fun' facts. Firstly, it asked: "Which is the biggest coral reef in the world?" The answer: "Stretching some 1250 miles along the Queensland coast ... Australia's Great Barrier Reef." It came many years before cigarette advertising was banned in Australian newspapers. READ MORE