A woman has become the fourth person to die on NSW roads in a 24-hour period after her car crashed off an overpass and onto railway lines below.

North Queensland are 80 minutes away from an historic NRL premiership after advancing to the grand final with a 29-16 preliminary final upset of the Sydney Roosters.

A Gold Coast man bashed an elderly driver then stole a car and crashed it into several others on the M1 motorway before assaulting officers who tried to arrest, police allege.

Serious concerns are held for a young boy who was taken from the Gold Coast hospital by a man and a woman.

A Good Samaritan who went to the aid of a woman trapped in a vehicle has been assaulted.

A depressed woman who smothered her baby daughter and threw the body into a Melbourne creek could avoid jail for the crime.

Melbourne have handed Cooper Cronk the chance to go out a premiership hero after advancing to the NRL grand final with 30-0 demolition of Brisbane.

A Hobart DJ accused of headbutting Tony Abbott says his drunken attack was inspired by a personal hatred for the former prime minister and had nothing to do with same-sex marriage.

Firefighters are bracing for scorching conditions across NSW as residents are warned to watch out for snakes and swim between the flags.

The shooting death of a 5.2 metre crocodile has created a void in a central Queensland river that could result in younger males becoming more aggressive as they battle for dominance, wildlife officers say.