Rochelle Kirkham

Dozens of police, SES and townspeople have scoured this park near Ballarat over the past week. Here is what's known about where the missing 51-year-old is thought to have gone running.

Jess Murphy says she knows her mum is out there as she addresses media in a desperate bid to help the search for missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

Police say items recovered during a search of bushland near the home of missing Ballarat East woman Samantha Murphy are not related to her whereabouts. 

The search for the 51-year-old mother focused on Woowookarung Regional Park and the bushland area near the Buninyong Golf Course yesterday, but has now expanded to Black Hill.

VicForests says the risk of more court proceedings is the main reason for bringing forward the end to community forestry in Victoria's west. 

Wildlife rescuers say the koalas should have been moved to a new area before the trees near Ballarat were harvested, but the regulator is standing by its decision. 

The Hepburn Shire Council says the boulders are an interim safety measure after some community members criticised the lack of protection at the Daylesford pub where a car drove into diners.

An alternative education approach, along with a focus on inclusiveness and wellbeing, helps to attract new students to a small country school in Victoria, while 50 kilometres away, it's the end of an era for a 165-year-old school.

An epicentre for institutional child sexual abuse for many decades of the 20th century, Ballarat is working to create the first Australian memorial to acknowledge all survivors of sexual abuse as part of a journey of healing.

A court orders VicForests to cease timber harvesting in Wombat State Forest as a community group alleges further breaches against threatened species in other parts of the state.

Creditors met to decide the future of Ballarat Gold Mine yesterday after 10 months under administration, but not everyone is in agreeance of what actually transpired.

There had been no interest from developers in large-scale housing projects in this rural town, so the council stepped in to create an estate of 100 homes.

Organising a trip to Ballarat was no easy task for this Melbourne family because of 12-year-old Anuli's complex needs. When the outing finally happened, it ended in a way that left them "traumatised".

Onlookers and locals describe the horrific scene that unfolded at a pub in Daylesford last night, where five people, including two children, died when a vehicle crashed through the beer garden.

Neil Para and his family lived in Australia for more than nine years with no visa and no rights. What's life like now they've been granted permanent residency? 

Mountain biking is now more popular than fishing, and rugby league and union combined. More regional towns are seeing how they could benefit. 

Police have thanked members of the public and media for their help in finding 50-year-old escapee Daniel Briffa in Ballarat East on Thursday. 

Outreach workers Ada Watson and Ayden McMahon are at the coalface of the homelessness crisis, watching over rough sleepers and working to help the desperate and the vulnerable.

A court has heard there were plenty of warning signs Kane Mueller should not have driven. But he did, and caused a fatal crash that has left the victim's family emotionally devastated.

Sixty Victorian not-for-profit organisations have written to Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Tim Pallas to urge them to abolish state-owned logging business VicForests.

When walking through a state forest Ballarat resident Leanne found a collection of photo albums. She's trying build a picture of why family heirlooms were left in the bush.

Residents want the site re-purposed for affordable homes, amid a dire housing shortage in Apollo Bay on Victoria's coast. They say selling the land "should be a last resort".

VicForests is facing another court proceeding, this time issued by community group Wombat Forestcare, which is concerned salvage logging operations are proceeding without proper surveys for threatened species. 

Liquidators say up to $700,000 owed to building suppliers by Ballarat-based Bond Homes is likely to go unpaid.

Escapee Daniel Briffa, 50, was last seen at a service station in Ballarat on September 6 and has otherwise managed to evade detection.