The Newcastle Knights will take on the Gold Coast Titans in next Sunday's NRLW grand final — check out all the stats and news here.

With home gym, rooftop spa, indoor swimming pool and whole-floor tennis court, this 10-storey, single family residence would look at home among the apartment towers of the Gold Coast. You can also listen to the story of this unique house here.

When Aussie rock band Silverchair broke up in 2011, drummer Ben Gillies was left feeling sad, heavy and unsure where to turn. Then he had a frightening anxiety attack while in the surf. This is how he staged a life comeback.

El Niño is back and drought is on the doorstep. Some farmers have been feeding livestock for months. Here's what it might mean for the economy and food prices.

Molycop is restructuring its Waratah steelmaking plant, cutting 250 of its 540-strong workforce.

Jeremy Buckingham's son Eden took his own life. His devastated childhood friends say Eden's memory will help them get through a 680km trek in his honour.

The State Library of NSW has digitised subdivision plans from as far back as the 1880s and they're not just advertisements. They're works of art.

NSW Police suspend the use of bean-bag rounds, part of their arsenal for the past 10 years, after the death of Krista Kach. What exactly is the device also known as a super-sock round?

Nestled in NSW's rugby league heartland, the Maitland Pickers again defend a trophy only they've ever won.

Research into varroa mite is expected to surge after Australia waved the white flag in its fight to eradicate the pest from New South Wales, a decision that is also expected to increase beekeeping costs.

The warm weather is bringing out more wasps in the Hunter. So, what do you need to know?

Will the baths be open for summer? The Newcastle Ocean Baths have been shut since March last year for major upgrade works. With a hot summer predicted, the City of Newcastle says work is on track for the baths to reopen in December. Work is under way to remediate the pools, lower promenade and pump upgrades.
 

Power station to be rebooted? New South Wales planning officials have been told restarting a mothballed Hunter power station using waste wood would create hundreds of jobs. A scoping report says when fully operational the power plant would produce about a million megawatt hours of base load electricity per year for the grid, the equivalent of supplying about 200,000 homes. Hunter Energy says restarting it would create an estimated 382 full-time equivalent jobs. The Redbank Power Station was placed into care and maintenance mode in 2014.
 

Changes to wind farm plans: The proponent of an Upper Hunter wind farm wants to increase the height of turbines, but reduce the number of them. Tilt Renewables Australia wants to erect dozens of wind turbines near Cassilis. Original plans included 267 turbines with a maximum tip height of 165 metres. The company has now lodged modification plans to increase the maximum tip height to 250 metres and decrease the maximum number of turbines to 220.
 

Water restrictions next year? Hunter Water says with warm and dry conditions expected in the next few months water stores across the region could drop quickly. Chichester Dam is currently about 66 per cent of its capacity, compared to almost 100 per cent 12 months ago. Grahamstown Dam and the Anna Bay sand beds are just over 90 per cent full, while the Tomago sand beds are at almost 85 per cent capacity. Hunter Water says while there's no immediate threat, water restrictions may be needed next year.
 

PFAS review: Newcastle's Williamtown RAAF Base is one of three sites in focus as part of an independent review into PFAS. The federal government has announced the review will explore alternative uses for land contaminated by per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances around key defence bases. Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite says Williamtown, Queensland's Army Aviation Centre and the Northern Territory's RAAF Base Tindal have the most severe contamination of the 28 bases that have PFAS contamination throughout the country.
 

Arrest over alleged shooting: A man has been charged after two people were shot near Newcastle last week. Emergency services were called to Gateshead in the early hours of Thursday morning. A 42-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were treated by paramedics at the scene for gunshot wounds before being taken to hospital in stable conditions. A 31-year-old Wallsend man was arrested on Monday and charged with several offences, including shooting with intent to murder.
 

Housing investment concerns: The Property Council of Australia says the state government's call to end a subsidence construction fund will affect housing developments in the Newcastle CBD. The Newcastle Mines Grouting Fund was established in 2015 to provide incentives for developers to build in Newcastle by funding risk checks and associated works relating to mine subsidence. In the recent state budget the fund's value was reduced from $11 million to $6 million and as a result it's no longer accepting applications. The property council says the change could lead to investors moving elsewhere.
 

Hospital shuttle service returning: A shuttle bus to the John Hunter Hospital is set to return after funding was allocated in last week's state budget. The service between the hospital and Hunter Stadium was scrapped by the Liberal government in 2015 when more car parks were added to the hospital.
 

Flags back up at Hunter beaches: The Hunter Surf Life Saving season is officially under way, with the annual raising of the flags held at the weekend. Beaches from Tea Garden to Catherine Hill Bay will be patrolled until autumn. Council lifeguards will patrol beaches weekdays, while Surf Life Saving club volunteers will monitor beaches on weekends and public holidays.
 

Jets' pre-season win: The Newcastle Jets men's side downed the Brisbane Roar 4-0 at Coffs Harbour last week in a pre-season friendly. Midfielder Lachlan Bayliss scored his first two goals for the Jets, while French import Jason Berthomier made his first appearance for the club. The Jets A-League season will get under way on October 22 against the Perth Glory.