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The price of a typical house in Sydney's affluent Double Bay grew by more than $1.5 million in just 12 months, causing experts to dub them winners of the property "lottery".

New data has compiled the top 10 suburbs in New South Wales where the median value of freestanding homes grew the most.

In the twelve months to January 2022, Double Bay saw the most median growth to a wallet-bursting $5.76 million – an increase of $1.51 million in just one year, according to realestate.com.au.

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Close behind was beachside enclave Bronte, where the median house grew by more than $1.2 million to $4.8 million.

A list of the top 10 suburbs can be seen below.

Notably, eight of the top 10 suburbs were centred around a small geographical area of Sydney's eastern beaches, with Bondi, Bondi Beach and North Bondi all taking home honours.

Just two suburbs outside the eastern beaches made it into the top 10, including Fairlight (up $1.032 million) and Balgowlah Heights (up $1.013 million).

While the most recent data highlights near-outrageous price hikes in Sydney, nationwide statistics show that during the COVID-19 pandemic the demand for freestanding houses (largely wherever they were) far outstripped that of units.

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Property firm CoreLogic found that in a 12-month span from January 2021 to January 2022 dwelling values – which include both houses and units – added $131,236 to their value.

That equates to an annual rate of growth of 22.4 per cent – the largest on record since June 1989. According to CoreLogic's Home Value Index, the national median dwelling value is now $718,146.

Three of eight capital cities now boast a median house price in excess of seven figures as Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra all edged over median values of $1 million.

Despite the stratospheric growth, many experts have forecast that looming interest rate hikes will slow down Australia's currently red-hot property market.

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According to CoreLogic's Head of Research Tim Lawless, it's likely that we've already seen the market's peak rate of growth.

"Although we can't see any evidence that specific housing markets have peaked, it is clear that most markets have moved through a peak rate of growth," Mr Lawless says.

"What I mean by that is the point at which markets achieved their biggest monthly growth rate.

"We saw most of the capitals moved through a peak rate of growth around March last year."

NSW Top 10 Suburbs with largest $ change in median value*

Rank	Suburb	Median estimated value Jan 2022	Estimated yearly $ change in median
1	Double Bay	$5,757,000	$1,506,000
2	Bronte	$4,799,000	$1,212,000
3	Dover Heights	$5,431,000	$1,119,000
4	Bondi	$3,790,000	$1,087,000
5	North Bondi	$4,260,000	$1,080,000
6	South Coogee	$3,755,000	$1,041,000
7	Fairlight	$3,583,000	$1,032,000
8	Balgowlah Heights	$4,085,000	$1,013,000
9	Bondi Beach	$3,846,000	$994,000
10	Queens Park	$3,714,000	$963,000

*Based on realestate.com.au AVM (Automated Valuation Model) data

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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A young Queensland woman went to work so she wouldn't let her team down after she became an overnight multi-millionaire.

The North Queenslander won $10 million after she held the only division one winning entry nationally in last night's Oz Lotto draw.

The Lott called the lucky winner this morning and she explained she hadn't checked her ticket yet as she was on the way to work.

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"This is a life-changing win for us. It's come at the best time," she said.

"We've had a tough few months, so this will help us so much.

"You dream of things like this happening, but you never imagine it actually happening."

The woman said she couldn't wait to use her prize to help speed up her parents' retirement plans.

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"This really means everything for us," she said.

"It means we can get our dream home, and I can help my parents retire, which is a dream come true.

"I'm not sure what we'll do with the rest. We never expected to be multi-millionaires".

The winner said she has always read stories about the Lott's winners and thought about it happening to her and what she would do with the prize.

"Now it has happened to me, and it's so strange," she said.

"Unfortunately, we have to go to work today. We don't want to let our teams down, so I don't think we'll be able to call in sick, but we might do something nice tonight to celebrate."

A man caught on camera apparently slashing a ute's tyres put on a show for the CCTV before leaving the scene in Darwin.

Police posted the footage to Facebook, appealing for information and saying the incident had taken place at about 6.30pm on January 25 in Stuart Park.

A man driving a grey Toyota Prado is seen pulling up facing a parked white Volkswagen Amarok on Coronation Street.

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The Toyota driver, who was wearing a Mongols bikie t-shirt, gets out and appears to slash all four of the Volkswagen tyres.

Afterwards, he approached the CCTV camera and made an obscene gesture, before flexing his arms and pointing at himself with his thumbs.

Turning his back on the camera, he smashed the passenger side rear view mirror off its hinge, before returning to the Toyota and driving away.

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The entire incident took place in less than a minute.

Police are calling on anybody who may have seen the incident, or who has any information, to come forward.

People are urged to contact 131 444 and quote reference 9912415.

Friends and family are rallying to support a young Victorian woman whose legs had to be amputated after a devastating road accident.

Michelle Pillar, 25, was just starting her career as a truck driver, transporting livestock around the country.

A few weeks ago, Ms Pillar was driving along Carlisle Road, on the state's south coast, when the animal trailer she was towing rolled and got trapped between a tree and a bridge.

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Ms Pillar was stuck in the cabin of the truck for up to 11 hours.

The only way paramedics could save her was to amputate her right leg. Complications meant doctors also needed to amputate her left leg in hospital.

Ms Pillar's brother-in-law, Ignatius Corboy, told 2GB's Ben Fordham the family had been trying to communicate with her by FaceTime due to COVID-19 restrictions at the hospital.

She had only just been told the devastating news about her legs, he said.

"It wasn't until yesterday that she was informed it was all true and she did not have any legs," Mr Corboy said.

"You can imagine the impact that has had on her."

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Mr Corboy said his sister-in-law was one of the least likely people you would expect to be driving trucks, but it all came down to her positive attitude.

"She's got a can-do attitude and no job is too big or too small or too hard," he said.

"I can't imagine anyone stronger to put up with a struggle like this.

"They say truck drivers are the backbone of the nation – I can tell you now, she's it."

An online fundraiser set up by Mr Corboy has so far raised $9000 to help with Ms Pillar's recovery.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story indicated it took emergency services 11 hours to arrive at the scene. This is not correct.

A cyberattack has hit the websites of Ukrainian government agencies and major banks, authorities in Kyiv said.

The attack, the latest of several hacking operations targeting Ukraine, came after weeks of escalating fears that Russia might invade its neighbouring country. Russia sent signals on Tuesday that it might be pulling back from the brink of an invasion, but Western powers demanded proof.

At least 10 Ukrainian websites stopped working due to cyber attacks, including those of the Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Culture Ministry and Ukraine's two largest state banks.

READ MORE: White House warns Ukraine invasion could start 'at any time'

Customers at Ukraine's largest state-owned bank, Privatbank, and the state-owned Sberbank reported problems with online payments and the banks' apps.

The ministry suggested Russia could be behind Tuesday's incident without providing details. "It is possible that the aggressor resorted to tactics of petty mischief, because his aggressive plans aren't working overall," the statement said.

In mid-January, Ukraine accused Russia of being behind a cyberattack that temporarily disabled about 70 Ukrainian government websites simultaneously. During last month's attack, an announcement posted stated that Ukrainians should "be afraid and expect the worst."

Putin says Russia ready for talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is ready for talks with the US and NATO on limits for missile deployments and military transparency, in a new sign of easing East-West tensions.

The statement came after Russia announced it was pulling back some troops from exercises that have raised fears of a potential invasion of Ukraine.

The rays of hope emerged even as the Australian government upgraded its Ukraine travel advice to "crisis", warning "the threat of armed conflict in Ukraine is increasing" on their Smart Traveller website.

Speaking after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Putin said the US and NATO rejected Moscow's demand to keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out of NATO, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe.

But the US and NATO have agreed to discuss a range of security measures that Russia had previously proposed.

Mr Putin said Russia was ready to engage in talks on limiting the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Europe, transparency of drills and other confidence-building measures but emphasised the need for the West to heed Russia's main demands.

The statement followed the Russian Defence Ministry's announcement of a partial pullback of troops after military drills, adding to hopes the Kremlin might not invade Ukraine imminently. The Russian military gave no details on where the troops were pulling back from, or how many.

Mr Scholz agreed diplomatic options are "far from exhausted".

The announcement of troops being pulled back was a "good signal," he said, adding that he hopes that "more will follow."

The announcement buoyed world financial markets and the long-suffering ruble after weeks of escalation in Europe's worst East-West standoff in decades. It came a day after Russia's Foreign Minister indicated the country was ready to keep talking about the security grievances that led to the Ukraine crisis — a gesture that changed the tenor after weeks of tensions.

Russia says some troops going back to base

Hours before the Russian Defence Ministry statement on the troops, a US defence official said Russian units were moving closer to the Ukrainian border – not away from it.

And Western officials continued to warn that the Russian military could attack at any time, with some floating Wednesday as a possible invasion day. NATO's chief said the alliance had no proof yet of a Russian retreat.

The White House declined to offer immediate comment on Russian troop movements.

The fears of an invasion grew from the fact that Russia has massed more than 130,000 troops near Ukraine. Russia denies it has any such plans, despite placing troops on Ukraine's borders to the north, south and east and launching massive military drills nearby.

US and other NATO allies, meanwhile, have moved troops and military supplies toward Ukraine's western flank, although not to confront Russian forces, and promised more financial aid to the ex-Soviet nation.

Moscow brandished Tuesday's pullback announcement as proof that fears of war were fabricated by a hostile, US-led West.

"February 15, 2022, will go down in history as the day Western war propaganda failed. Humiliated and destroyed without a single shot fired," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova tweeted.

Yet Ukraine remains effectively surrounded on three sides by military forces from its much more powerful neighbour, and even if the immediate threat recedes, longer-term risk remains. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and some 14,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists in the country's east.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not indicate where the withdrawing troops had been deployed or how many were leaving.

It released images of tanks and armoured vehicles rolling onto a train, and a tank commander saluting his forces while a military band played. The ministry did not disclose where or when the images were taken, or where the military vehicles were headed, other than "to places of permanent deployment."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the troops were returning "according to plan." He said such drills always adhered to a schedule — regardless of "who thinks what and who gets hysterical about it, who is deploying real informational terrorism."

'We'll believe when we see': Ukraine

Ukraine's leaders expressed scepticism.

"Russia constantly makes various statements," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"That's why we have the rule: We won't believe when we hear, we'll believe when we see. When we see troops pulling out, we'll believe in de-escalation."

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The new glimmers of hope accompanied a flurry of diplomacy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz planned to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a day after he sat down with Ukraine's leader in Kyiv.

Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau of Poland, one of Russia's most strident European critics, was also in Moscow on Tuesday to meet Mr Lavrov, while Ukraine's Foreign Minister hosted his Italian counterpart.

Mr Lavrov's comments came at a made-for-TV meeting with Putin and seemed designed to send a message to the world about the Russian leader's position.

The Foreign Minister argued Moscow should hold more talks, despite the West's refusal to consider Russia's main demands.

The talks "can't go on indefinitely, but I would suggest to continue and expand them at this stage," Mr Lavrov said, noting that Washington has offered to discuss limits for missile deployments in Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures.

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What Russia wants

Moscow wants guarantees NATO will not allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members. It also wants the alliance to halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe.

Mr Lavrov said possibilities for talks "are far from being exhausted."

Mr Putin noted that the West could try to draw Russia into "endless talks" and questioned whether there was still a chance to reach agreement. Mr Lavrov replied that his ministry would not allow the US and its allies to stonewall Russia's main requests.

The US reacted coolly.

"The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage constructively," White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"However, we are clear-eyed about the prospects of that, given the steps Russia is taking on the ground in plain sight."

One possible off-ramp emerged this week: Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, pointed at a possibility of Ukraine shelving its NATO bid — an objective that is written into its constitution — if it would avert war with Russia.

Mr Prystaiko later appeared to back away from the idea, but the fact that it was raised at all suggests it is being discussed behind closed doors.

Even amid the hopeful signs, the US and European countries kept up their warnings.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss reiterated on Tuesday that the danger of an invasion still exists, telling Sky News that it "could be imminent".

But she added that "there is still time for Vladimir Putin to step away from the brink."

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt issued a similar warning.

US says Russia continuing preparations

US officials have said the Russian military continued apparent attack preparations along Ukraine's borders. A US defence official said small numbers of Russian ground units have been moving out of larger assembly areas for several days, taking up positions closer to the Ukrainian border at what would be departure points if Mr Putin launched an invasion.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not publicly released. CBS News was first to report on the movement of the units.

Maxar Technologies, a commercial satellite imagery company that has been monitoring the Russian buildup, reported increased Russian military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia, including the arrival of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft and fighter-bomber jets at forward locations.

The photos taken over a 48-hour period also show ground forces leaving their garrisons and combat units moving into convoy formation.

Still, Ukrainian security and defence council chief Oleksiy Danilov downplayed the threat of invasion but warned of the risk of "internal destabilisation" by unspecified forces.

"Today we do not see that a large-scale offensive by the Russian Federation can take place either on (February) 16th or the 17th," he told reporters.

"We are aware of the risks that exist in the territory of our country. But the situation is absolutely under control."

As if to show defiance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday would be a "day of national unity," calling on the country to display the blue-and-yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of "hybrid threats".

"It is not the first threat the strong Ukrainian people have faced," Mr Zelenskyy said Monday evening in a video address to the nation.

"We're calm. We're strong. We're together."

The country is preparing nonetheless. Kyiv residents received letters from the mayor urging them to "defend your city" and signs appeared in apartment buildings indicating the nearest bomb shelter.

The capital has about 4500 such sites, including underground parking garages, subway stations and basements, the mayor said.

Dr Tamara Ugrich said she stocked up on grains and canned food and prepared an emergency suitcase.

"I don't believe in war, but on TV the tension is growing every day, and it's getting harder and harder to keep calm," she said.

"The more we are told not to panic, the more nervous people become."

Prince Andrew has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who said she was sexually trafficked to the British royal by the financier Jeffrey Epstein when she was 17.

The deal described in a court filing Tuesday in New York avoids a trial that would have brought further embarrassment to the monarchy. It calls for the prince to make a substantial donation to the charity of his accuser while saying he never meant to malign her character.

The Duke of York will pay in excess of $20million under the terms of the settlement, it has been reported by The Telegraph in the UK, with the Queen to partly fund the payment.

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Attorney David Boies, who represents Giuffre, informed the judge presiding over the case in New York that a settlement in principle has been reached and lawyers on both sides will request a dismissal of the lawsuit within a month.

A lawyer for Andrew did not immediately return a message seeking comment. While Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the matter, according to Reuters.

The letter signed by Boies said all lawyers were asking the judge to suspend all deadlines and put the case on hold.

Giuffre sued Andrew in August. The American accused the British royal of sexually abusing her when she was 17 while she travelled with financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew has strenuously denied Giuffre's allegations and attempted to get the lawsuit tossed.

Attached to the letter by Boies was a statement that read: "Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms. Giuffre's receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).

"Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.

According to the statement, Prince Andrew acknowledged that Epstein trafficked "countless young girls" over many years and said the prince "regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others."

He also pledged to support the victims of sex trafficking as part of demonstrating his regret.

The tentative settlement comes weeks after Judge Lewis A. Kaplan last month rejected the prince's attempt to win an early dismissal of the lawsuit, meaning depositions and other evidence gathering could commence.

After Kaplan ruled, Andrew — who had already stepped back from royal duties — was stripped of his honorary military titles and roles and leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages. He also can no longer use the title "his royal highness″ in official settings.

The decision was an effort to insulate the House of Windsor from the fallout from potentially years of sordid headlines if the suit moved forward.

"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," the palace said, using the prince's formal title. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

The move came after more than 150 veterans and serving members of the armed forces asked the queen to strip her second son of his military titles, saying he had failed to live up to the "very highest standards of probity, honesty and honourable conduct" that are expected of British officers.

Giuffre asserted that she met Andrew while she travelled frequently with Epstein between 2000 and 2002, when her lawyers maintain she was "on call for Epstein for sexual purposes" and was "lent out to other powerful men," including Andrew. Her lawsuit said she still suffers significant emotional and psychological distress and harm.

Andrew repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations and has said he can't recall ever meeting her.

Andrew served in the Royal Navy for two decades, including as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War. The honorary military roles he lost included several overseas ones, such as his title as colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment.

He has spent years combating concerns about his links with Epstein, the U.S. financier who took his life at age 66 in 2019 in a Manhattan federal lockup while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. Epstein's longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of related charges last month.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Giuffre has.