Ballarat - 3350

Police say they have added highly experienced detectives from multiple policing divisions to the weeks-long search for missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy.

Tensions boil over at the Victorian Farmers Federation as its annual general meeting descends into a shouting match and members try again to oust president Emma Germano. 

The Missed Foundation says it is important the search for Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy does not become a source of gossip or entertainment because speculation does untold damage to families.

Another tobacco shop in the regional Victorian city of Ballarat has gone up in flames.

A fire in Ballarat comes after another tobacconist in Bakery Hill was destroyed by fire on February 1.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton says there was very little for police to go on in the early stages of the investigation into missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy and admits police have "no leads" in the baffling case.

Four koalas have been found dead near a blue gum plantation in Gordon, near Ballarat, since it was harvested in December. The Conservation Regulator had refused to relocate them.

Hundreds of thousands of Victorians remain without power in the wake of deadly storms and destructive bushfires which swept the state on Tuesday.

Within the documents released are letters sharing "heartening" news and even "mundane gossip" from more than a century ago.

Ten days have passed since Victorian woman Samantha Murphy left her home in Ballarat to go for a run then disappeared without a trace, the official search now scaled back.

In Ballarat's bushland pinpointing a phone signal is hard, so apparently is falling down a mine shaft. So what could have happened to missing mother of three Samantha Murphy?

Loy Yang A, one of Victoria's three remaining coal-fired power stations, is offline and storms are affecting electrical infrastructure, leaving half a million customers without power.

A call to "let police do their job" comes following the closure of a Facebook group set up to coordinate search efforts for the missing mum after it became a haven for theories and speculation.

Missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy has three children with strong connections in the community and her disappearance has left some children feeling anxious.

A vigil has been held for Samantha Murphy in her home town of Ballarat as the investigation into the disappearance of the 51-year-old woman enters its second week.

In a small part of regional Australia, one council is thinking outside the box to ensure all residents have the chance to snare a "home among the gumtrees".

The Missing Persons Unit has taken over the investigation for Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy and is working with telecommunications companies to track her phone and smart watch.

A week after Samantha Murphy went missing near Ballarat, a handful of determined volunteers are maintaining the search, but harsh terrain and unpredictable mineshafts make excursions deeper into the bushland dangerous.

Most of the 1,000 different eucalyptus tree varieties are native to Australia but not all belong in a pristine wetland.

Police confirm crews have been called off in the bushland search on Ballarat's south-eastern fringe where the 51-year-old mother-of-three was believed to have disappeared on Sunday.

Mick and Ben Hewitt often do business in boardrooms, but it is clear the brothers are truly content in the dust and dirt.

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.

Specialist investigators are being brought in as the search for a Ballarat mother stretches on. Missing persons detectives have now taken the reins on the investigation into Samantha Murphy's disappearance. Volunteer search efforts will be scaled back, but police say they still have not identified any sinister circumstances.

Victoria Police is providing an update on Day Six of the search for missing Ballarat woman, Samantha Murphy.

The search for Samantha Murphy has entered its sixth day. The 51-year-old was last seen Sunday morning leaving for her regular running route.