Julia Bergin

Recreational climbers were the first to respond after a 69-year-old rock climber died in a fall at Mount Arapiles in western Victoria.

A County Court of Victoria judge has issued an arrest warrant for a man who failed to show up to court for sentencing over a crash that killed much-loved paramedic and mother-of-three Pauline Smith.

Parks Victoria will launch a new steering committee for climbers, residents and local government to discuss a controversial cultural heritage draft management plan in the Mt Arapiles-Tooan State Park.

Firefighters have worked tirelessly through the night to protect homes from a bushfire that continues to burn through Grampians/Gariwerd National Park in Victoria.

Residents in Victoria's west say they are feeling "pretty shattered", as firefighters continue to battle the bushfire burning through the Grampians National Park.

A person who was at the popular swimming location said he saw the man calling out for help from the water before he disappeared, but he was unable to find him during an extensive search.

Rodney Douglas gives his elder, Uncle Rodney Handy, a holla, handshake, and a hug before launching into a friendly chat.

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Traditional owners in western Victoria say a draft management plan for Mt Arapiles-Tooan State Park has re-ignited racial abuse and harassment of Aboriginal people online and in the community.

New emergency warnings have been issued for out-of-control bushfires spreading in multiple directions in the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park.