Britain's Queen Elizabeth is to receive a new royal carriage as a gift from an Australian monarchist. Jim Frecklington, who lives in Sydney, has spent years and re-mortgaged his home to build the new State Coach Britannia. The carriage - which cost an estimated $1. 23 million to build with some of the costs being covered by the Australian government - will be flown into Britain and given as a gift to the queen.

An Australian man, drunk on vodka, caught a shark with his bare hands while fishing off a jetty at Louth Bay, a town on South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula, about 870 miles west of Sydney. Phillip Kerkhof caught a 1. 3-meter (4-ft. ) bronze whaler shark with his bare hands off an Australian beach on Friday while it was swimming in shallow waters.

Russell Crowe, co-owner of the Southern Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby Team, has traded in its cheerleaders for a percussion band. According to a report in Agence France-Presse (AFP), Crowe felt the scantily dressed cheerleaders made spectators uncomfortable and because he'd like the team to gain a larger female fan base, he felt the decision was good one.

A second-time mother has criticized hospital staff after she was ignored and gave birth to her daughter in the toilet. Kay Webb, 24, was rushed to Monash Medical Center on January 22 suffering contractions two to four minutes apart.

A drought in Australia has forced thirsty snakes looking for water to migrate from the parched countryside into urban areas. Officials say it is the worst drought there in a century. Many of the snakes are poisonous and pose a threat to people. Eastern Brown snakes are among the most poisonous of the world's snakes. A 16-year-old boy in Sydney was bitten by an Eastern Brown snake and died of a heart attack shortly after, officials said.