1. Melbourne father-to-be dies in workplace accident months before birth of first baby.
Emma de Wit, 29, has been left devastated after the sudden death of her husband, Ryan, in a workplace accident on Monday.
7 News reports Ryan, also 29, was killed after being electrocuted near a live switchboard at a Dandenong factory in Melbourne's southwest.
Emma, pregnant with the couple's first child and due in April, shared the heartbreaking news of her husband's passing with family and friends on Facebook on Tuesday.
"I am so so sad to say that our beautiful, kind, fun loving, big hearted man Ryan de Wit passed away yesterday in a work place accident," she wrote.
"My heart is so broken. There will never be anyone like him and we were all so lucky to have him in our lives.
"I will miss him forever. He was my best friend and soulmate. Rest In Peace you beautiful soul. I love you so so much and always will.
"I hope that our baby will grow up to be just like you."
Those who knew Ryan described him as a "gem of a bloke" who was "always making people laugh and smile".
"Words can't express how heartbroken and devastated I am for you, your bub and family," one friend wrote.
"I have no doubt that Ryan will remain a huge part of your life and your baby will grow up with so much love and support."
Emma's father shared that Ryan was his daughter's "perfect match and soulmate".
"Father's always worry about their daughters, but not with Ryan," he wrote.
"The love they shared together was amazing to watch. He was the most caring guy in the world and I'm so glad we had him in our lives, he has touched our hearts in so many ways."
Ryan's sister, Dani Holliday, has set up a GoFundMe page to help support Emma as she prepares for the arrival of her first child.
"We are sharing this page to raise money for Ryan's pregnant wife Emma and their bundle of joy, due in April," Dani wrote.
"Ryan was thrilled at becoming a father and we know that he would have been an amazing dad.
"We ask that if you plan on sending flowers could you kindly please consider donating to this page instead."
2. Christina Tupu stole $300,000 from her employers to fund her 'lavish lifestyle'. Yesterday, she was jailed for five-and-a-half years.
A young woman who stole more than $300,000 from her employers to fund her lavish lifestyle and gambling addiction has been jailed for five-and-a-half years, AAP reports.
Christina Tupu wept in Brisbane District Court on Thursday as she learned she would have to continue to raise her seven-month-old daughter behind bars.
In sentencing the 26-year-old for several fraud offences, Judge Gregory Koppenol described her criminality as brazen, despicable and shocking.
"The breach of trust is breathtaking," he said.
The court heard Tupu siphoned more than $340,000 from companies Electrolux and Toll Holdings between December 2015 and April 2017.
More than $22,000 was paid back in February 2017, but the rest was used to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included international flights for 31 family members, hotels and cruises.
It was also funnelled into pokie machines as a result of Tupu's gambling addiction.
The young mum took more than $130,000 from Electrolux during her brief employment as a sales assistant from September 2015 to June 2016.
She did so by telling one of the business' customers its banking details had changed and providing her husband's.
She also took a vacuum cleaner and claimed other appliances sent to her in-laws had been paid for when they hadn't.
Just three weeks after she was sacked for not showing up to work too many times, she was hired by Toll Holdings.
Although it took six months for her offending at her new employer to start, prosecutor Sarah Lio-Willie said the level of "sophistication" increased.
Tupu fraudulently changed the bank details on invoices to be paid by Toll to another company, to those of her husband's.
She then went on to duplicate and completely falsify invoices, using two of her colleagues' login details in the process.
More than $200,000 was fraudulently taken from Toll Holdings.
Judge Koppenol thanked Tupu's extended Polynesian family for packing out the courtroom in support of her, with some having travelled from overseas.
Her husband, who the court heard had no involvement in the fraudulent activity, said outside "what's done is done".
"There's nothing we can change about it, the decision's been made," he said.
Tupu was sentenced to five-and-a-half years' jail, suspended after she served 20 months.
Judge Koppenol took into account the time she had already spent behind bars and said she would be eligible for release in March 2019.
3. Research has determined that your partner definitely, maybe wants your sex life to be a little bit kinkier.
A new study has found that for those in relationships, their partner is probably hiding a secret.
According to The New York Post, a peek inside the sex lives of 2000 US couples found that one in four had secret dreams of spicing things up in the bedroom. Most had a specific sex act in mind they wanted to try, but had not yet asked their partner.
The survey, commission by sex toy brand EdenFantasys, found that 40 per cent of respondents described themselves as a "kinky" person, with over a third revealing they had a particular fetish.
But despite the desire to get even more freaky between the sheets, more than half who identified a particular kink said they were hesitant to bring up their sexual needs and wants with a new partner, with most saying they wait at least a month before broaching the subject.
Half of all participants said they were open to experimenting with sex toys with their partner, with 17 per cent saying they were open to role play and 16 per cent willing to explore anal sex.
4. 'Terrified' passengers were left dangling upside down at Movie World after a ride malfunctioned.
A group of tourists found themselves dangling upside down, 21 metres in the air at Gold Coast theme park Movie World when the ride they were on malfunctioned yesterday around lunchtime.
According to 9 News, passengers aboard the Doomsday Destroyer were stuck upside down for three minutes and 25 seconds as horrified park visitors watched on.
One filmed the stranded passengers and can be heard saying, "these guys are actually stuck up there". Some riders began crying and shaking, and were left "red faced" as a result of being suspended above the ground after the ordeal.
The ride involved, the Doomsday Destroyer, opened late last year and is made up of of two "arms" that rotate 360 degrees at high speeds. It's one of the theme park's "high thrill" attractions and is over 20 metres high.
In a statement to 9 News, Movie World said the ride stalled after "ride safety operating systems" automatically engaged.
"We are very sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort caused to our guests, however ride safety is our first priority," the statement read.
"The guests were safe at all times and the ride continued after three minutes 25 seconds, with the guests exiting the ride as normal."
No one was injured in the incident.
It's not the first time riders have been stranded aboard one of Movie World's rides. In September, the park's HyperCoaster stalled for 10 minutes and in 2015, six people were trapped on the Green Lantern roller coaster for three hours.
5. The Perth Scorchers are into the WBBL Final after 'thrashing' Sydney Thunder in a semi-final showdown.
The Perth Scorchers have qualified for the WBBL title decider after thrashing the Sydney Thunder by 27 runs in Thursday's semi-final showdown at Optus Stadium, AAP reports.
Chasing 149 for victory, the Thunder crashed to 5-46 in the 11th over before limping to 8-121 from their 20 overs.
Spinner Emma King (3-17 from four overs) starred with the ball to help bury the Thunder.
The Scorchers will now play either the Sydney Sixers or Adelaide Strikers in Sunday's final.
Perth lost last season's final to the Sixers, but they now have the chance to erase those painful memories.
"It's a bit of deja vu for us. Hopefully we can go one better," King said.
"It spurred us on for pre-season. We're really excited to take on the challenge. We've just got to stay calm under pressure."
The Thunder were warm favourites to beat the Scorchers in the semi-final after finishing the season in second spot.
But the third-placed Scorchers were controversially gifted home-ground advantage because the match was being played as a curtain raiser to the men's BBL semi-final.
Englishwoman Fran Wilson, who top scored for the Thunder with 46 off 28 balls, said the loss of home-ground advantage couldn't be blamed for the loss.
She predicts big things for the Thunder in the future, and hopes to be back for next season.
"I think they're a really special group, who in future years will definitely go on to win the Big Bash again," Wilson said.
Scorchers openers Elyse Villani (38 off 37) and Nicole Bolton (37 off 26) combined for a 65-run opening stand to help set up the Scorchers' innings.
Natalie Sciver (38 off 28) and Heather Graham (27 off 29) kept the momentum going to lift the Scorchers to a formidable 2-148.
Villani (519) became just the fourth player to score more than 500 runs in a WBBL season.
The Thunder's victory hopes were all but over after slumping to 3-35 in the eighth over.
6. Harri the galah just wanted to join her family on their holiday. Instead, she ended up on a luxury cruise around New Zealand.
When Brisbane couple Michelle and Brett Cozzi, and their four-year-old daughter Georgia, noticed their beloved pet galah was missing just a few days before they were due to hop on a cruise, they thought they would never see her again.
But cheeky Harri had actually escaped, flown down to Portside Wharf Cruise Ship Terminal and snuck onto luxury cruise ship Pacific Aria, bound for New Zealand.
The only problem? Harri's owners were actually boarding an entirely different ship and journeying around Queensland.
According to The Courier Mail, stowaway Harri was soon discovered aboard the Pacific Aria, and her owners were notified by the cruise company that their beloved pet had decided she needed a break of her own.
After being captured and given her very own cabin, the ship's crew were allowed to keep her on board as long as they followed strict biosecurity guidelines.
During her whirlwind trip, Harri has visited Fiji, Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland.
Harri and her owners are due to be reunited with her on Sunday when their cruise returns to Brisbane.
"It's a classic feel-good story with everyone in the two cruise lines and government authorities doing everything they can to achieve a great family reunion," Carnival Australia spokesman David Jones told The Courier Mail.
"Needless to say, the lines are running hot between Sea Princess and Pacific Aria to give the family regular updates on Harri's progress."
We bet the family can't wait to be reunited and trade tales of their high sea adventures.