A Ballarat man with 11 priors for unlicensed driving has been caught driving without a licence again. Read more.

Springbank joint-coach Michael Searl has declared himself good to go for Saturday’s Central Highlands Football League grand final. Read more.

A piece of Smeaton history is for sale but the township’s residents fear it will be another key piece of the community disappearing. Read more.

V/Line has confirmed there will be no dedicated football train service from Ballarat to Melbourne for Friday’s AFL qualifying final blockbuster between Hawthorn and Geelong. Read more.

A 23-year-old Sebastopol man who was found with anabolic steroids in his car has been convicted and fined. Read more.

A top of 16 degrees today - we haven't seen that for a while!

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered. 

► ASHMONT: A worker who was threatened by a knife-brandishing bandit has recalled her harrowing experience after her boss was stabbed during a terrifying hold-up on Sunday night. More here.

► LAUNCESTON: A woman who was allegedly raped multiple times by her ex-husband says the Longford man was addicted to porn and enjoyed the services of transgender sex workers. More here.

► GRASSY HEAD: Margaret Burton didn’t believe reports of a huge whale on the beach because she thought people were joking. More here.

► TAMWORTH: Blake Hallam is being remembered as a Tamworth cowboy whose passion for rodeo was matched only by his love for family and friends. More here.

► NEWCASTLE: The Royal Commission heard evidence on Monday from a series of former Marist Brothers Hamilton pupils whose lives have been torn to pieces in a variety of ways by the repeated sexual abuse they suffered as boys. More here.

► BENDIGO: Police and driver safety advocates have welcomed a state government plan to curb Victoria’s rising road toll, one that will see police officers take on more shifts to monitor driver behaviour. More here.

► THURGOONA: A football player had cocaine in his system when he fell asleep and crashed while driving with his three children in the vehicle. More here.

► BAROSSA: One hundred acres of rolling green hills was a dream buy for Mischelle Camillo, but the stunning views near Nain could soon be soured by a proposed quarry development more than a third larger than her property. More here.

► MANDURAH: Tenders have closed for the provision of 52 dedicated residential rehabilitation beds and eight low-medical detox beds, but it is unclear if any will be available in Mandurah. More here.

► TAS: The Tasmanian Government has voiced its strong opposition to the federal government’s planned new backpacker tax. More here.

► Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and senior Coalition ministers have launched an all-out assault on under-pressure Labor senator Sam Dastyari, questioning his integrity over Chinese donations and seeking to make the issue a test of Bill Shorten's leadership and judgment. More here.

► Treasurer Scott Morrison has ramped up the war on dissidents in his own party over superannuation, distributing a briefing paper portraying those hurt by his budget measures as high-income tax minimisers. More here.

► The NSW government's controversial proposal to move the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta could cost taxpayers up to $1 billion because of a "probable blow out on project costs", according to a former director of the museum. More here.

► The Country Fire Authority commissioned a secret report that recommends thwarting the union presence in the organisation, abolishing its influence over decisions and hiring firefighters on non-union individual contacts. More here.

► BALI: British DJ David Taylor has changed his statement to "I don't remember" in key areas relating to the involvement of Australian Sara Connor in events surrounding the death of a police officer on Kuta beach. More here.

► BANGKOK: The wife of missing social activist Sombath Somphone has appealed to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, US President Barack Obama and other world leaders to press Laos' communist leaders about his fate when they arrive in the South-east Asian nation on Tuesday. More here.

► Comet lander Philae, who bounced into history in November 2014, and was then lost, has been found wedged under a rock in outer space. More here.

Some people might consider turning 100 years old a big deal, but not Cavell Jones. 

“It’s nothing,” she said. “They’re making a fuss. They only want an excuse for a party.”

Read more here.