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Lyrebirds band together to save themselves in incredible show of unity

It's the photo that has bird experts stunned. When a Wollombi woman was preparing to defend her home from fire, she saw something remarkable: nearly 20 lyrebirds taking shelter in her dam.

It's unusual for so many lyrebirds, which are normally solitary birds, to be seen in one place.

"It was almost like any lyrebird in this huge radius knew that that was the safest place to be," PJ Wallis, who captured a photo of 11 of the birds, said.

The day our reporter was racially abused in front of her son

ABC Newcastle reporter Giselle Wakatama is still traumatised after being racially abused at Charlestown pool late last year.

She was at the pool with her six-year-old son Archie, who has autism. Charlestown is his favourite public swimming pool - his safe, happy place.

She has written about the incident "in the hope that by adding my voice, it gives others their own voice to call out racism too".

Rain brings relief to drought-hit farmers

Recently we wrote about how the Upper Hunter town of Gloucester, which is almost always green, was in the grip of drought. And then it rained.

"The picture has gone from extremely dire, where everything around us was just dirt, and now this is just everything you could hope for really," fourth-generation dairy farmer Tom Middlebrook said.

Cane toad found in Port Stephens

You might associate cane toads with Queensland, especially when it's the nickname for their State of Origin team.

So, how did two manage to sneak into our region? And how can you deal with them?

Amazing storm and fire photo captured

What happens when fire and lightning meet in Newcastle? It makes for some stunning photos!

David Diehm Photography captured this amazing photo of the Glenrock fire.

Elderley couple attacked outside their home

An elderly couple has been treated in hospital after being punched, kicked and pushed to the ground in an attack in the Upper Hunter on Sunday.

The man and woman, aged 84 and 86, were putting rubbish in the bin outside their home in Scone when an unknown woman began verbally abusing them from across the road. She then crossed the road and allegedly attacked the pair.

Police are now investigating and are urging anyone with information, or dashcam or CCTV footage from the area, to contact Muswellbrook Police.

It's a big week for...

• Hay runners, with the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners getting a warm welcome as they drove through the Hunter Valley. Watch the video here.
• The Museum of Human Disease, where thousands of samples of diseased tissues are held in quarantine for researchers and others to explore. Could it hold the secret to the coronavirus? Listen as Kia finds out.
• Mosquitoes, which are out in force in the Hunter. Listen as Dan and Jenny learn why some mozzies actually serve a purpose other than biting you.

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