DUBBO | NARROMINE | NYNGAN | WELLINGTON | LIGHTNING RIDGE | WESTERN MAGAZINE

8.52: It wouldn't be a quality Australia Day without a picture of a koala!

8.46: Making headlines in sport:

*DUBBO'S bowls prodigy Jono Davis has hit new heights with selection in an Australian team that will take on New Zealand in a Trans Tasman clash in March. It is the first time the 14-year-old has been chosen to wear the green and gold but his selection in the development competition means it is likely to become a regular occurrence.

*It was billed as the match of the season and it certainly did not disappoint as RSL-Colts defeated Newtown by one wicket in a heart-stopping top-of-the-table clash on Saturday. It was a low-scoring thriller, due largely in part to the damp No. 3 Oval pitch, with Newtown making 9-100 from their 40 overs before Colts reached the target with just one wicket in hand.

*Despite drawing a difficult pool for next weekend's Auckland Nines, Dubbo's Isaah Yeo believes his side could be one to surprise a few people at the fast-paced tournament. The Panthers are battling a number of injuries to key players, meaning the Nines squad is predominately made up of exciting youngsters with little or no first grade experience.

8.39: Before you start your Australia Day celebrations, why not check out the celebrations from previous years?

8.32: IT'S a bold claim, and at the risk of starting a national argument that may end in a frenzy of thong slapping, here is our list of the 10 best beers in the land which will see you through this Australia day just ‘noice.’

8.23: Australian researchers have discovered that people with anorexia subtly move their eyes in a jerky fashion, boosting hopes that they have found a new part of the brain suitable for experimental treatments.

While abnormal eye movements have been linked to other psychiatric and neurological illnesses, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, until now, it has not been a feature of anorexia nervosa.

The potentially fatal eating disorder, which affects about 1 per cent of females and about .05 per cent of males, involves an obsessive fear of gaining weight which leads to starvation.

Last year, researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Melbourne and St Vincent's Hospital studied the eye movements of 24 female anorexia patients and compared them to 24 healthy people.

They found that when the participants were asked to focus on a picture for five minutes, all of the anorexia patients' eyes jerked between aspects of the image, whereas the healthy controls exhibited smoother, fluid eye movements.

8.06: While you're eating breakfast take a look at this funny remake of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud'

7.58: As we gear up to celebrate our wonderful nation during Australia Day we have asked a range of artists, councillors, sportspeople, farmers along with other interesting people around the west to take a photo showcasing their view of Australia. 

Using the topic "My Australia" we are now opening the gallery up to everyone. What does your view of Australia look like? Email the photos to lpinkerton@fairfaxmedia.com.auand we will add your photo into the gallery. 

Here is just a sample of the photos so far:

To look at the rest click here.

7.46: 

7.38: In regional news:

*Bathurst’s Driver Reviver stop is getting a good work-out this Australia Day long weekend. The Morse Park stop has been manned by volunteers from Bathurst SES, the CWA and St Vincent de Paul, who were ready with a cuppa, biscuits and chocolate, as well as a few more surprising little touches.

*BATHURST: TRAFFIC congestion in the central business district is about to be tackled head on after the problem area at the corner of Howick and George streets was officially declared the city’s worst intersection. During peak times, traffic is often lined up along George Street and past Russell Street, while most of the block in Howick Street between William and George streets is at a standstill.  

*DOWNPOURS across Orange on Saturday led to 31 call-outs for the SES, with more than 100 millimetres falling in some areas. The main weather station at Orange Airport recorded just 26 millimetres, but heavier falls occurred further north, including hail mid-afternoon.

*ORANGE: WITH most students returning to school on Tuesday and Wednesday, hundreds of Orange parents are preparing to drop off their children at kindergarten for the first time. Hallie Ellice, 4, and Madison Gwynne, 5, will start at Nashdale and Orange public schools respectively next Monday.

*GULGONG: Multifunction pavilions and niche study areas will form part of the design for Gulgong’s Holtermann Museum. The first technical drawings of the proposed museum, that will display the UNESCO listed Holtermann Gulgong and Hill End gold rush photographs, were unveiled at a project launch on Thursday.  

7.24: A teenage girl has been charged after a taxi driver was stabbed in the throat in Dubbo in the early hours of Saturday.

The young woman got into his cab on Macquarie Street, Dubbo, about 2.10am Saturday and told him to drive to O’Donnell Street.

The driver has told police she could not pay the fare so he began driving towards Dubbo Police Station, when the passenger allegedly stabbed him in the throat with a large knife, before jumping out and running from the moving vehicle.

7.17: Here are some of the items making local news this morning:

*DUBBO: As a man who is passionate about education and his own land, being awarded a Public Services Medal on Australia Day seems like a perfect fit for Rod Towney.

*WELLINGTON: Anne Jones says she is very humbled. The former mayor of Wellington is now the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal announced in today's national Australia Day Honours list.

*WELLINGTON: Struggling to hold back tears, a former local business man William Spedding and his wife Margaret have revealed how close they are to breaking point, after being questioned by police about the disappearance of toddler William Tyrell.

*DUBBO: A dozen medical interns at Dubbo Hospital are a part of a record number of NSW medical graduates for 2015. Recently NSW Premier Mike Baird and Health Minister Jillian Skinner welcomed almost 1000 medical graduates who will undertake a year-long internship in the state's public hospitals this year.

7.08: For your weather today we are looking at:

* Dubbo / Trangie / Nyngan - Mostly sunny. Dubbo will reach a top of 32. Slight (30%) chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the north late afternoon or evening. Near zero chance of rain elsewhere. Winds E/SE 15 to 20 km/h tending NE/SE 15 to 25 km/h in the evening. Trangie will be slightly warmer at 33. Slight (30%) chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the north late afternoon or evening. There is also a  slight chance of rain in Nyngan where the temperature will reach a top of 32.

* Bourke / Cobar - Sunny day. Bourke will be a scortcher with a  top of 37 today, while Cobar will reach 32. The chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the east late afternoon and evening. Winds S/SE 20 to 30 km/h.

7am: Good morning and happy Australia Day! You're grilling with Landy in Dubbo this morning.

Anything you want to include? Any shout outs you want to make? Send me an email on orlander.ruming@fairfaxmedia.com.au