Although a new corridor for a 'very fast train' between Canberra and Sydney was top of the list Deputy Premier and Nats Leader John Barilaro said the Sydney to Dubbo XPT time could be cut by 25 per cent with new trains and track realignment.

The XPT now takes six hours 20 minutes and this would be reduced by 1.61 hours to 4.84 hours, a time difficult to do in a fast car and pretty well pie in the sky.

Orange Rail Action Group for more than six years has tried to convince the government to bring the Bathurst Bullet on to Orange, start the XPT from Dubbo and realign part of the line between Orange and Lithgow to speed up train travel but all pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

The XPT is a snail trip from Orange to Lithgow of two hours 22 minutes.

Straightening tight bends between Blayney and Lithgow would take 20 minutes off but if that ever happened it would still be a two-hour marathon.

But at least Mr Barilaro has recognised the need to straighten the tracks and something might one day be done.

In the meantime the widening of station platforms and tunnels on the Blue Mountains line is finished and new Intercity trains will start testing to Katoomba in the new few months and then to Lithgow.

Full moons are one of the most dramatic sights in the night sky and are an inspiration for poets, artists, and lovers for millennia.

They can captivate us and for hundreds of years whenever there's a full moon the world goes a little off-kilter. Kids act a bit sillier, people are more impatient and more.

All full moons have names in other countries ranging from Strawberry to Wolves and Harvest to Hunger.

Then there's names for harvests like Barley, Fruit and Grain Moon.

Orange should name our full moons.

For starters what about these?

August 3 is the next and we could call it the Donato Overlooked Moon.

The September 2 full moon could be Hapless Nats' Moon. What do you think?

A woman desperate to save her ridgeback from being declared dangerous after he mauled a neighbour's poodle hired an animal whisperer to sort him out.

In bizarre evidence given this week to a tribunal the whisperer Amanda De Warren said she communicated with the ridgeback called Jay-Jay and he told her "he was provoked, was sorry and wouldn't do it again...".

The tribunal dismissed the evidence as lacking credibility but the dog's owner will appeal. However, scientists believe dogs can understand what we say and also know whether we're heaping praise on them or just talking rubbish.

So what do dogs think about it all? Stop Press took the advice of the experts and politely asked a ridgeback called Raffy what he thought of poodles. He perked his ears, curled his tail, had a big yawn, rolled over and went to sleep.

So much for dog talk.

Did you hear about McDonald's new Government Value Meal? Order anything you like and the person behind you has to pay for it.