The news cycle spins so fast these days that something as recent as the January bushfires feels like it happened forever ago, replaced on our screens by wars, petrol prices, and Dezi Freeman.

But these events linger longer than the news cycle for those who live through them.

The Forrest community in the Otways hosted the ABC Ballarat Breakfast program for an outside broadcast late last week.

Fires threatened the community in January, and it was great to be able to check in with the locals to see how they're doing.

But it was also an opportunity to see what is going on in Forrest — what are the positives, and what are the problems the community is facing?

We love hitting the road for outside broadcasts, so keep your eyes out — you never know where we're going to pop up next.

Matt Neal

Editor

Pictured: ABC Ballarat breakfast presenter Steve Martin chats with some of the kids from Forrest Primary School.

Commuters say they are worried overcrowding on V/Line train services could worsen as free travel begins for Victorians to ease the pain of the fuel crisis. 

Our recent stories about attracting native fauna to gardens and feeding wild birds resonated strongly. Here is how some Australians interact with wildlife in their local areas.

Wildlife carers say a koala had to be euthanised after it was injured when it was allegedly dragged behind a car in Victoria's south west. 

Australian farmers waited eight years for the announcement of the European Union free trade deal, but they were largely disappointed by the outcome.

A Victorian council still cleaning up after a bushfire that wiped out more than 50 homes and businesses wants fossil fuel companies to pay for climate disaster recovery.

Fertilizer Australia on stranded ships, Russian sanctions, easing terror restrictions and availability for farmers