Reporter: James Ohis-Kummer. A sea bird infected with H5 bird flu has been found dead in Melbourne’s north. This is the first case confirmed in the Merri-Bek council area, roughly 15 kilometres from the bay. Deakin University Professor and Chair of Ecology Marcel Klaassen says the inland location of the bird was “extremely weird" but given the prevalence of Crested Terns in Port Phillip Bay the finding was possible. “It’s not an ordinary place for a Greater Crested Tern to ha

Reporter: Charlotte Dyer. As spring arrives in Melbourne, Indigenous students have deepened their connection to culture through an art project exploring the seven Wurundjeri seasons. Wurundjeri Country is currently shifting from Guling (orchid season) into Poorneet (tadpole season), and the work of 18 students capturing that seasonal change was exhibited at Swinburne University's NAIDOC 2026 celebration on 2 September. The exhibition, Hidden Worlds on Wurundjeri Land, was cre

Reporter: Molly Davis. Local and independent theatre companies are becoming increasingly reliant on community support and volunteer work to keep productions running. The Victorian Government has introduced funding initiatives to support the creative industries. But where does this leave smaller theatre companies? Tegan DeClark, director of Warrandyte Theatre Company’s Boeing Boeing production, says support from the local community is vital. “We wouldn’t be able to function wi

Reporter: Ruby Taylor. Online fitness coach James Fox has built a social media following of over 15 thousand people by sharing fitness and training advice. The 22-year-old’s Instagram page (@jimmygymin) is also being used to counter some of the toxic messages many young men come across online. With a large part of his audience made up of Gen Z males, Fox says that he is aware of how influential social media can be in shaping attitudes and beliefs. “I’m still young myself and

Reporter: Loosh Fisher. One of Melbourne’s longest-running markets celebrated a major milestone over the weekend, with the Camberwell Sunday Market marking 50 years of bargain hunting, vintage finds and iconic jam donuts. The anniversary brought together the usual mix of much-loved stallholders and food vendors, alongside DJs and live performers throughout the market. Opening in 1976, the Camberwell Sunday Market has become something of an institution for Melburnians. For gen

Tamsyn Riddle reports on the struggles facing Geelong commuters as their access to reliable public transport deteriorates.

Young artists are abandoning social media in favour of real ideas in real life at a popular spoken word event in Melbourne’s inner north. Story by Tia Triantafillou Five years after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, bars and clubs across the city are still struggling to attract crowds but one bar continues to draw big crowds hosting Spoken Word weekly poetry nights. Writer and performer Hamish Brown believes the event hosted by Bar Oussou is important for many reasons. “I be

AI is stealing clients from Melbourne photographers and they're fighting back. Zeke Ashby reports.

MIFF Awards Ceremony, The Rydges Hotel. Photo: Alex De Paulis Alex De Paulis attended the closing night awards ceremony at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 29 and reports. Champagne flowed and filmmakers networked at the city's theatre district hotel The Rydges for the announcing of the MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival) filmmaking winners. Deliberating on the Bright Horizons Award and the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award is an esteem

Daniel Allen reviews the Melbourne Film Festival documentary Replica, which explores the new 'dating' world of AI companionship. Replica (courtesy: MIFF) Director Chouwa Liang's debut film, Replica, focuses on the rise of intimate connections between humans and chatbots in this quirky documentary expanding on Liang's previous short documentary, My AI Lover. Given the rapid rise in public debate over the ethical and moral use of AI in our daily lives, it was only a matter

Swinburne University recently launched what one expert describes as “the most visually mind-blowing thing on the planet.” Heidi Calopa reports. The new SVU (Swinburne Virtual Universe) experience launched on May 2, 2026, offers school-aged students an immersive educational experience as well as promoting participation in space-related studies at Swinburne. The SVU space boasts a 100m² curved LED wall with an immersive audio system, displaying real 3D scientific data and ima

Sparks fly between Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman in this fantasy romcom screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival, reports Alex De Paulis. On the final night of the 2026 Melbourne Film Festival, a large crowd tracked down the elusive Village Cinemas, in the heart of Crown Casino, to gather for Graham Parkes’ debut feature, Wishful Thinking. The film follows Charlie (Lewis Pullman) a struggling musician and Julia (Maya Hawke) also struggling as a game designer. T