TIME magazine has released its world's greatest places to visit in 2023 and the list may surprise you with some contenders from Australia's own backyard.

A Queensland baby who was in an induced coma after swallowing a button battery is now awake and breathing unassisted, her father has revealed.

One-year-old Amity had been recovering from emergency surgery at Townsville to remove the battery, which has burned a seven-centimetre hole in her throat.

Her father Daniel Buchanan told Today it was an emotional rollercoaster to see his little girl open her eyes.

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"She started opening her eyes last night at about 6 after we took the tubes out in the afternoon," Buchanan said.

"But she's starting to look really good at the moment. But still not out of the wars yet.

"We're just playing a waiting game to see because there's a couple small risks that could happen but she is looking good so far and soldiering on."

Buchanan said seeing Amity open her eyes and begin to breathe "melted my heart".

Her family was also given the opportunity to cuddle her.

"The doctors are saying at the moment it's just a waiting game," he said.

"But more good news is hopefully today she will be out of ICU and if things go well she should stay out of there."

READ MORE: Australian TV legend Brian Walsh dead at 68

Amity was first taken to Mackay Base Hospital by ambulance on Monday after her parents suspected she had ingested something she shouldn't have because she was continuously vomiting.

An initial visit to the hospital failed to uncover the battery and her father believes a simple X-ray could have prevented the distressing incident.

Buchanan's partner, who had been with Amity, did not see the girl swallow the battery.

At the hospital, which was busy and had no free beds, Buchanan said the doctor checked Amity's airways with a stethoscope and said she was "fine" to go home.

Buchanan said Amity only continued to get more unwell once they got home.

"From 4pm that day to 11.30am the following day, Amity continuously vomited and couldn't keep any fluids or solids down," he said.

"You could hear it hurting her."

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They then took Amity to their GP on Tuesday, who requested she return to the hospital for an X-ray, which discovered the button battery in her throat.

She was then airlifted to Townsville, where the battery was removed during a two-hour operation.

"None of the doctors would tell us she was going to be OK," Buchanan said.

"That was breaking our heart."

He said doctors found the battery had burnt a seven-centimetre hole through her throat.

The little girl is now recovering at the Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane. 

Buchanan insists it "all could have been prevented if she was X-rayed straight away".

"We were at the hospital within two hours but she ended up having it lodged in her throat for around 30 hours."

9news.com.au has reached out to Queensland Health for comment.

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A South Australian road has been covered in thousands of potatoes after a truck carrying the vegetables rolled in the dark.

Emu Flat Road in Keith, south-east of Adelaide, was closed this morning as crews worked to clean up the mess after the crash about 10pm on Thursday.

Police have advised motorists to avoid the area, taking the opportunity to throw in some potato-themed puns.

READ MORE: Australian TV legend Brian Walsh dead at 68

"A potato truck hash rolled at Keith … a truck carrying spuds chipped over," police shared on social media.

"Road tot-ally blocked, but will be opened tater today.

"Peeling bad for those hoping to enjoy colcannon this St Patrick's Day."

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Ben Affleck is clearing a few things up.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he addressed controversy that followed comments he made in 2021 while speaking to Howard Stern about his past marriage to actress Jennifer Garner.

"I had a really painful experience where I did an interview where I was really vulnerable, and the entire pickup was something that was not only not right, it was actually the opposite of what I meant." Affleck told THR.

The actor and director faced backlash after saying he felt "trapped" in the dynamic with Garner.

"It's part of why I started drinking," Affleck told Stern. "Because I was trapped."

Affleck told THR he was not trying to blame Garner for his drinking.

"To be clear, my behaviour is my responsibility entirely," he said.

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"The point that I was trying to make was a sad one. Anyone who's been through divorce makes that calculus of, How much do we try? We loved each other. We care about each other. We have respect for each other," Affleck said in the new interview. "I was trying to say, 'Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it's your job, your marriage, it's just that as your life becomes more difficult, if you're doing things to fill a hole that aren't healthy, you're going to start doing more of those things.'"

The couple eventually split in 2015.

Affleck said he believes his quotes were "mischaracterised it in order to make it clickbait" and "it didn't matter how many times I said, 'I do not feel this way. I'm telling you, I don't blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism.'"

Affleck and Jennifer Lopez reunited nearly 20 years after they were first engaged and married in July 2022.

"[Jennifer Lopez] tells me today, 'Relax, be yourself. Have fun. You're actually a fun guy who is real and genuine and you just seem so serious,'" Affleck told THR. "Do I seem serious? But as in many things, she's really right. And she loves me. She's looking out for me. She's trying to help me."

He also sought to clear up the speculation that sparked the "Ben Affleck having a bad time at the Grammys" meme after the pair seemed to have visibly different reactions while at the event.

Affleck said he actually was having a good time, but as he saw Grammy host Trevor Noah approach them, he thought, "Oh, God."

"They were framing us in this shot, but I didn't know they were rolling. I leaned into her and I was like, 'As soon they start rolling, I'm going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor,'" Affleck explained. "She goes, 'You better f—ing not leave.' That's a husband-and-wife thing. I mean, some of it is, I'm like, 'All right, who is this act?' Like, I don't keep up. My wife does, obviously. And yeah, it is your wife's work event."

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Australian TV legend Brian Walsh, the man who helped launch the careers of stars such as Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman and Guy Pearce, has died at the age of 68.

Walsh was one of the key creative leaders and pioneers of Australian television over the last three decades, and most recently executive director at the Foxtel Group.

He started his career at ABC before moving to Radio2SM.

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Walsh's first foray into television came at Network Ten, where he helped launch shows such as Vietnam, The Bangkok Hilton and The Dirtwater Dynasty.

But it was the global success of Neighbours which really cemented Walsh's place in Australian television history, with the iconic show helping launch the careers of many Australian stars.

Walsh was also the creative force behind another of the most iconic moments in Australian television – the Simply The Best season launch for the NRL featuring Tina Turner.

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Walsh went on to work on a number of State of Origin and grand final entertainment shows and events, and was also the publicist for huge Australian international concert tours including those of Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Neil Diamond, Ricky Martin and Barbra Streisand.

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In 1995, he helped launch Foxtel, initially as director of television before heading up the drama originals, including Wentworth, Deadline Gallipoli and The Kettering Incident.

"This is a very difficult day for the Foxtel Group family, for Australia's creative community and the millions of Australians who watched and loved the stories that Brian bought to life through television," Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany said.

"Australia's creative community has lost a much-loved figure in Brian.

"For us, the loss is heavily felt."

More to come.

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A three-year-old boy who was run over by a car in the Western Australian city of Geraldton is expected to make a "miracle" recovery.

The bush-loving fishing fanatic was dragged for metres after being hit while sitting on a verge with his older cousin on Tuesday evening.

Despite severe injuries including bone fractures, he is now expected to make a full recovery and will be woken up from a medically induced coma this weekend.

READ MORE: US releases footage of Russian fighter jet collision with drone 

His grandmother, Kylie Dalgety, told 9News he was a "miracle child".

"He's stable, proving the doctors wrong, coming through with flying colours," she said.

Police said a white Hyundai i30 hatchback was driving on Aaron Close in Rangeway when it hit the boy.

They're still investigating whether the driver, who left the scene, knew he had hit the boy.

Dalgety had no doubts, saying her nephew said the driver "went straight for him".

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"He left the scene. He did not stop. There was witnesses there screaming," she said.

She demanded charges before there was unrest.

A man from South Australia has escaped with just a minor burn to his stomach after his homemade e-bike exploded while he was riding to work.

The rider said he was hit by an explosion after the fire started in the bike's battery on Supple Road at Waterloo Corner, about 20 kilometres north of Adelaide.

The flames started a grass fire, the second blaze in a week involving an e-bike, and fire crews were called to extinguish it.

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Mark Ryan, from the Country Fire Service, said the bike's homemade design could have caused the fire.

"Typically the fires are being caused not by a manufacturing fault, but by user error," he said.

"The bike was built from scratch, it's these designs that have fire authorities on high alert, but across the board, it's the batteries that are the biggest concern."

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Industry experts are warning against buying home-made bikes or modifying any of the components.

"You don't know if you are buying anything electric online whether it meets the Australian standards or not," Ben Attwood from Giant Bikes said.

Three men accused of stealing $2 million worth of Holdens across Victoria have been charged by police.

Police allege 30 late model Holden Commodores were stolen from dealership car parks and homes since October.

Police said the vehicles targeted were late model Holden Special Vehicles (HSVs) ranging in value from $50,000 to $120,000 per vehicle.

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Detectives from the vehicle crime squad spent the last two weeks raiding three properties and have now charged a trio.

A 32-year-old Clayton man, 28-year-old Newborough man and 32-year-old Kangaroo Flat man have been charged, facing a a combined 53 charges.

"Victoria Police are focused on identifying those involved in organised vehicle theft and targetting those people," Detective Acting Inspector Chris Ellway said.

"They will be taken to justice."

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The number of car thefts across Victoria has jumped by more than six per cent since 2021, many of them stolen during aggravated burglaries.

Police have only recovered 11 of the stolen vehicles and are hoping anyone who can help them find the outstanding cars will come forward.

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The road, which travels through devastated Esk Valley, no longer looks the same.

A Queensland mother was deemed fit to keep custody of her children despite a history of drug abuse and neglect just 10 days before she left her young daughters in a hot car and they died.

A report obtained by 9News shows Kerri-Ann Conley was well known to the Department of Child Safety before the death of her one and two-year-old daughters, Chloe-Ann and Darcey-Helen, in November 2019. 

The 30-year-old, who pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, told child services she used methamphetamine and refused drug tests, while another report claimed Darcey-Helen was seen with a bong in her mouth.

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The report states Conley told child safety she wanted to swap her unborn child for an iPhone 7 on June 5, 2018.

Later that year, she repeatedly failed to submit to several mandatory drug tests and told child safety she had been using methamphetamine, the report found.

On November 6, 2019, it was reported her older daughter was running around Conley's house with a bong in her mouth and she was taken to hospital.

The hospital didn't conduct a drug test but the doctor reported the toddler was underweight, pale and suffering from diarrhoea.

A week later on November 13, 2019, police received a report that Conley was using and selling ice in the family home while the children were locked in another room.

Despite this, child safety declared Conley to be "a parent willing and able".

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But 10 days later, the little girls would lose their lives.

The Logan mother took the girls to a friend's place at 11.30pm on November 22, 2019 and returned home at about 4am the next day.

The children were left in the car seats because Conley said she did not want to wake them.

She went inside her home to sleep as temperatures inside the car reached 60 degrees and the two young girls died.

Conley was sentenced to nine years in jail but with time served could be out on parole next year.

The report finds child safety officers did not conduct further investigations into Conley's case history due to "workload demands".

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Serious complaints made to the department were not escalated to investigation status, the report states.

Father Peter Jackson is now only left with memories of his children.

"Their laughs would have to be the most memorable," he told 9News.

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