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The extent to which flooding cut off several roads in the NSW Hunter region a week ago has been captured in aerial images. The images, released by Nearmap, were taken before the flood in Maitland, Singleton and some rural areas cut off by the floods, and again on Friday, July 8, when the Hunter River peaked.

Disaster payments will be extended to another eight local government areas in New South Wales, as the state continues to suffer the effects of widespread flooding. Some 37 local government areas in the state have been made eligible for flood-relief payments.

When Liz Hall saw a photo of three horses waist-deep in floodwaters, covered in heavy rugs and trapped by fencing on Friday, she asked Facebook, "How on Earth is this OK?". Then she knew she needed to act.

Beekeepers across New South Wales are back in the business of making honey after a nearly three-week ban following the detection of varroa mites at the Port of Newcastle. The amended emergency order allows beekeepers outside the red emergency zones to extract honey and move honey supers.

Last month we told you about the Merewether swimmer intent on swimming the English Channel. Well, it took 12.5 hours, but he did it! Merewether swimmer Craig Clarke swam from Dover in England to Calais in France, raising money for mental health organisation Beyond Blue along the way.

Dinusha Nonis and Shimla Hamza are celebrating their graduations this week at the University of Newcastle. The students, who have both travelled from Sri Lanka to undertake research in Newcastle, are some of the first people in their country to study the bachelor program in speech pathology.

A pastry chef, an industrial designer and a videographer walk into a Newcastle art studio. It's not the start of a joke. They are breaking a world record by building a 150-kilogram, steam punk-inspired shark-shaped submarine sculpture. And it's made entirely from chocolate.

The Muswellbrook Shire has three new additions in town, with the help of chainsaw artist Mark Ray. Mark was approached by council to design the new sculptures to promote tourism for the area.

Born and raised in rugby league heartland, Isaac Heeney could've easily pulled on an NRL jersey. At 26 years old, he's considered one of the best players in the AFL, and has even been called the next Lance "Buddy" Franklin — who happens to be his fellow goal scorer.

In this episode, Kia Handley sits down with local reporter Madeline Lewis to talk about a weekend that didn't stop. There were floods, rescues, and nervous waits for many.

Do you know someone working hard to make a difference in our community? Nominations for the 2023 Australian of the Year awards are open and we'd love to see our region represented. Give someone the recognition they deserve by nominating them for one of four awards: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian, Young Australian or a Local Hero Award.

Calls for a bridge at Testers Hollow: Concerns are growing louder with residents in Gillieston Heights still isolated by floodwaters. It's been a week,  and it could be another couple of days before the roads reopen. Locals have been using their own boats to help people access essential services.
Photo: Raise Testers Hollow Facebook page

Hunter dairy farmer pouring his milk down the drain: Large portions of Darren Wilson's Hinton property are still underwater, and he says he expects it to remain that way for weeks, preventing him from getting his product to market.

Which team will raise the men's Origin trophy? The Blues or the Maroons? Newcastle forward Jacob Saifiti will make his debut for NSW. He was named in the number 21 jersey when the squad was first announced, but an injury to starting forward Jordan McLean will result in Saifiti getting a run tonight.

It's not just humans (and horses) who needed rescuing in these storms. Pooches Savvy and Marley were rescued by NSW SES after being swept down the Hunter River.

Is there a more Australian scene than this? Five kangaroos are just living their best country lives in the Hunter Valley. Thanks to Hanna Geeson for sharing this iconic Australian landscape pic with us.

You can show everyone what the world looks like where you live by using the hashtag #ABCmyphoto on Instagram or by uploading your photos online here. 

If this meal doesn't scream cold winter nights, we don't know what does. Here, the cheese melts into the noodles and combines with water to form an oozy sauce. We're drooling already.

It's going to be cloudy with a shower or two for most of the Hunter before clearing later this week. The chance of rain continues to reduce as we approach the weekend. Friday and Saturday look to be the pick of the week, with temperatures reaching 17 degrees Celsius. It will be cold in the Upper Hunter in the mornings, with frost about in Scone and likely in Singleton.

Thanks to Andrew Goodyer for this drone photo over Woodville on Saturday. What a shocking image. 

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ABC Newcastle acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.