Ian Harslett

Ashlea Hughes is legally blind, but the 26-year-old won't let it be a barrier to navigating her way around the lanolin-oiled floorboards of shearing sheds across South Australia and Victoria where she has worked for the past five years.

The outback town of Wudinna in regional South Australia has put out red and blue colours in support of homegrown football player Harry Petty, who is playing for the Melbourne Demons in Saturday's AFL grand final.

The hammer has fallen on more than 33 properties that the District Council of Coober Pedy auctioned off in a bid to recoup unpaid rates. Key points: The council auctioned 33 properties to recover unpaid rates Property rates were unpaid for up to 10 years on some of the properties Auction attracted interstate investors and developers Coober Pedy is synonymous with opal mining and its underground residences called dugouts, which remain cool in the desert heat and are often popular with miners.