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The legendary Bert Newton has been remembered as "a master of his craft, a pioneer and an icon" as the nation farewelled the much-loved TV star in a state funeral in Melbourne.

The Australian media personality passed away two weeks ago at the age of 83.

Around 500 close family, friends and colleagues attended the service at St Patrick's Cathedral.

The cathedral's bells chimed about midday, marking the conclusion of the service, with wife Patti Newton and family carrying their beloved Bert outside and into the hearse, shedding tears throughout.

An Australian flag covered the legend's coffin, with yellow roses placed atop – symbols Bert would have loved, according to Patti.

Famous faces and political leaders attending included Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, music legend Molly Meldrum and 9News newsreader Peter Hitchener.

'Pioneer, icon, legend'

Mr Andrews delivered a poignant speech at the beginning of the service, describing Bert as a "pioneer, an icon, a legend" of television.

"Bert Newton was a great entertainer and life itself was his stage," he said.

"He was always there, omnipresent on our screens and in our homes.

"To Australia, Bert wasn't just a man on a screen or an actor on a stage, he was someone we all felt we knew.

"Like a fireplace on a cold night, families would gather around their TV sets, drawn in by Bert's warmth and sustained by his inviting ease.

"Bert was more than talent. He was trust. His story is the story of Australian television."

Mr Andrews said "Bert was colour TV long before the technology arrived".

"He had a supreme talent, a gift indeed – and when things went off script, when a show went off the rails, Bert thrived," Mr Andrews said.

"He was in his element – witty, clever, cheeky.

"A master of his craft, but true to himself at the same time.

"A highly-skilled, genuine and authentic entertainer."

'Forever, our Bert'

TV personality Eddie McGuire had a tear in his eye as he read a heartfelt eulogy honouring the life and legacy of Bert.

McGuire shared a touching memory – that had been kept secret until recently – where Bert gifted one of his 36 gold Logies to a man dying of HIV/AIDS.

Friend and colleague Peter Ford was sworn to secrecy about the special gesture and spilled the beans once Bert had passed.

READ THE FULL EULOGY HERE

"Peter told the story sworn to secrecy until Bert said he'd carked it, of Bert hearing of a man dying of HIV/AIDS at a time when sufferers were stigmatised and isolated," McGuire said.

"Not only did Bert visit and spend hours with every person in the ward, but gave the man one of his beloved gold Logies, an amazing gesture that lifted the morale of all in the depths of their despair with the only reward being that Bert gave those on their worst day something to remember as their best.

"Patti had never heard the story until last week when Peter broke it. It did, however, go some way to solve a family mystery.

"Bert had won some 36 Logies over his career, but the family could only find 17. Suddenly it all made sense."

McGuire said Bert would be remembered for turning a "piano factory in Richmond into television city", which is now Channel 9's former GTV studios.

"The young boy from Fitzroy who became a star, then a legend, then an institution and now our greatest memory of the golden years of television. Forever, our Bert."

'He waited until she left the room to take his last breath'

Lauren and Matthew Newton paid tribute to their father in emotional letters sharing the special moments and memories they hold closest to their hearts.

Long-time friend and colleague Pete Smith read the heartfelt letters aloud inside the cathedral.

Ms Newton said saying goodbye to her father had been "heart-breaking" for all, especially for her mother, Patti.

READ MORE: Lauren and Matthew Newton's heartfelt letters to their father

Her letter ended reflecting on the moment of her father's passing, which occurred at 7.22pm – 12 minutes after Patti had left the hospital and arrived home in Hawthorn.

"They loved one another so much, and I know how he waited until she left the room to take his last breath, because while she was with him, he couldn't have gone," she wrote.

"Forever in our hearts and memories. But life will never be the same without him. I love you, dad."

Ms Newton said she felt like she had two dads – one on TV and one at home – and the dad at home was "even better".

In his letter, Mr Newton – who is based in the US and could not attend the funeral in person – said he had one final conversation with his dad a few days before he died and they both knew it was "different".

"Everyone knows he was a great entertainer, but what a lot of people don't know about dad is that he wouldn't just be around for the laughs," he said.

"Those close to him experienced how he'd show up in the tough times too. No one more than me.

"I'm gonna really miss jamming with you, mate. Here's looking at you, kid."

Tears as loved ones arrived at cathedral

Loved ones arrived at Melbourne's iconic cathedral to farewell the TV legend earlier this morning, including his wife Patti who gave a heartfelt wave to cameras as a number of well-wishers yelled out words of encouragement to her outside the gate.

She was joined by daughter Lauren with her husband Matt and her six grandchildren.

Speaking outside the cathedral, McGuire said he was deeply honoured to be reading the eulogy.

"Through my career, Bert reached out to invite me into his club," he said.

"And today it is a tremendous honour on behalf of the family and all those people to say a few words in his honour."

'We learned a lot from Bert'

TV personality Daryl Somers said his dear friend Bert would leave behind a legacy of smiles and laughter.

"We learned a lot from Bert," he said.

"His legacy was making people laugh and you couldn't want for a better legacy."

Mr Somers added that Patti had been "amazing" and always supported Bert throughout his career and in life.

"She is heartbroken of course, but she's an amazing woman and was always great support for Bert."

Newton had been battling complications since surgery to have his leg amputated in May.

READ MORE: Patti Newton speaks of her heartbreak at losing 'the most wonderful man'

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The two children of Bert Newton have paid tribute to their father in emotional letters sharing the special moments and memories they hold closest to their hearts.

Long-time friend and colleague Pete Smith read the heartfelt letters aloud inside St Patrick's Cathedral at the state funeral service celebrating the life of the Australian TV legend.

Daughter Lauren Newton said saying goodbye to her father had been "heart-breaking" for all, especially for her mother, Patti Newton.

READ MORE: 'Pioneer, icon, legend': Bert Newton farewelled in state funeral

Her letter ended reflecting on the moment of her father's passing, which occurred at 7.22pm – 12 minutes after Patti had left the hospital and arrived home in Hawthorn.

"They loved one another so much, and I know how he waited until she left the room to take his last breath, because while she was with him, he couldn't have gone," she wrote.

"Forever in our hearts and memories. But life will never be the same without him. I love you, dad."

Ms Newton said did not know if she could ever put into words how much she loved her dad.

"From the love I felt as a child, to watching him laugh and play games with my own children, he made us feel so special, and always brought laughter and fun to everything we did," she said.

"When I was a little girl, I always felt I was so lucky. I had two dads, one on TV, and one at home.

"He was the same funny, warm, wonderful person everyone watched on TV, but at home, he was even better."

She reminisced of one of her favourite games she played with her dad growing up which they called 'Donald Duck'.

"He would put me on his shoulders, and run around the house, yelling "Donald", every time we came to a doorway and I'd drop down and yell back "duck".

"It always involved squealing and hysterical laughter and was so much fun, until one day, he got distracted and forgot to yell "Donald". Obviously, mum never let us play this game again.

READ EDDIE MCGUIRE'S FULL EULOGY HERE

"But it is a memory I'll have forever, and I can still hear the laughter from us both."

Son Matthew Newton, who is based in the US and could not attend the funeral in person, also wrote a touching letter reflecting on his treasured moments with his dad.

Mr Newton said over the past 10 years while he lived abroad, he looked forward to playing songs over Zoom and FaceTime together.

"Everyone knows he was a great entertainer, but what a lot of people don't know about dad is that he wouldn't just be around for the laughs," he said.

"Those close to him experienced how he'd show up in the tough times too. No one more than me."

Mr Newton said he had one final conversation with his father a few days before he died and it had been "different from the usual" and they both knew it.

"The change was never directly stated, but we eschewed the stories and the laughs and just said how much we loved each other," he said.

"During that wonderful chat, my mother was pottering around in the background, adding her two cents every now and again, and doing lovely things for dad, as usual.

READ MORE: Patti Newton speaks of heartbreak at losing 'the most wonderful man'

"At one point, she took something into another room, and the second she left, dad leaned into the phone camera and whispered, "I think she's poisoning my food, Matthew.

"Well, we both laughed and laughed until we cried."

He said there was not a person in the world who cherished their love as much as Bert cherished Patti.

"You two were a team, are a team, and even though your partner isn't on stage anymore, the show goes on, and you'll be OK.

"I'm gonna really miss jamming with you, mate. Here's looking at you, kid."

What has eight hairy legs, fangs measuring two centimetres, and can bite through a human fingernail?

Why, it's the largest ever funnel web spider sent in to the Australian Reptile Park.

The arachnid has been dubbed "Megaspider" and measures a massive eight centimetres leg to leg.

According to the park, the average size of a funnel web is 1cm to 5cm.

READ MORE: Swimmer's close encounter with nurse shark in 'waist-deep' water

The spider was sent to the park's anti-venom program by an anonymous donor.

Michael Tate, Education Officer of the Australian Reptile Park, said the donation was invaluable.

"Having Megaspider handed into the venom program is so amazing, in my 30-plus years at the Park, I have never seen a funnel web spider this big," he said.

"She is unusually large and if we can get the public to hand in more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved.

"We are really keen to find out where she came from in hopes to find more massive spiders like her."

The Sydney funnel web spider is one of the most venomous spiders on earth with Australian Geographic estimating it's able to kill a human in 15 minutes.

Males of the species are believed responsible for 13 recorded deaths.

They're usually found within a 100-kilometre radius of Sydney.

The Australian Reptile Park is the only facility in Australia that milks the raw venom of funnel web spiders to make into anti-venom.

The program is estimated to save up to 300 lives per year.

Recent wet and humid weather has allowed insects like Megaspider and also snakes to thrive.

Last month a monster brown snake was removed from a Sydney backyard, prompting a snake catcher to issue a warning about an explosion in "fat, venomous" snakes.

A Sydney beachgoer had a close call on his evening swim this week, coming within metres of a large shark.

Ocean photographer Lewis captured the encounter at Maroubra on Tuesday evening, and shared it to Instagram today.

In the video, the man swims in waist-deep water as a nurse shark swims closer and closer.

As the pair pass within metres of each other, the shark loses interest and turns away.

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Lewis estimated the shark to be "around two metres".

"The shark just appeared out of the whitewash in waist-deep water," he told 9news.com.au.

"It was exciting to watch from above.

Lewis said it's unusual to see the species so close to shore.

READ MORE: Aussie bird's incredible reaction to rain

"These are grey nurse sharks. Typically they are very chilled (but) they're not often seen at Maroubra beach cruising in the shallows," he said.

"Evidently the shark has no interest in the swimmer.

"I have witnessed many shark behaviours from above and in most cases they are just minding their own business and happily share their waters with visitors like humans."

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) say nurse sharks have an unfortunate history in NSW.

After being wrongly accused of a series of attacks off Sydney's beaches in the 1950s and 60s the sharks were "executed on every possible occasion".

In the late 70s it was discovered the species was not a "man-eater".

After much lobbying, nurse sharks become the first protected shark species in the world.

However, recently surveys show NSW populations have not recovered and the species is considered "Threatened", the DPI said.