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An increase in COVID-19 cases in regional and remote NSW has sparked concerns that Indigenous communities are underprepared for an outbreak as travel around the state resumes.

This weekend is the first since restrictions have lifted on travel from Greater Sydney to regional areas for fully vaccinated people.

This week has also seen an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in regional communities.

The Hunter New England health district recorded more new cases than any other in NSW, representing 73 of Friday's 249 locally acquired cases.

Ongoing sewage surveillance also found fragments of the virus in samples collected from areas where there are no known cases.

At Friday's national cabinet meeting the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce co-ordinator Lieutenant General John Frewen gave an update on the plan to partner with Aboriginal community controlled health organisations to accelerate vaccination rollout, noting hesitancy continues to be a factor.

Doherty Institute modelling has found Indigenous communities may require localised health strategies.

Federal Labor pointed to a First Nations "vaccination gap", including in five regions where the difference between the state's double dose rate and the rate for fully vaccinated Indigenous people exceeds 20 per cent.

In the Richmond-Tweed region, 59.9 per cent of the Indigenous population aged over 15 is fully vaccinated, in Coffs Harbour-Grafton it's 63.5 per cent, the Mid North Coast has 63.7 per cent, New England and North West 66.2 per cent, and Murray 67.2 per cent.

On Friday, NSW local government areas were declared "green zones", permitting travel to Victoria without quarantine testing, but visitors still need a permit verifying they are not infected with the virus.

This weekend is the last for the Qudos Bank Arena vaccination hub at Sydney Olympic Park, which vaccinated more than 15,000 people a day during some periods of the recent Delta outbreak.

NSW is now on the cusp of having 90 per cent of its residents fully vaccinated, but is setting its sights on 95 per cent before December 15, at which time remaining restrictions will drop, including for the unvaccinated.

© AAP 2021

The South Australian government will help cover the clean-up costs for fruit and vegetable growers hit by last week's devastating hailstorm.

The storm swept through parts of Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills last Thursday, damaging buildings, cars and causing significant crop losses.

It also caused widespread damage in the Barossa Valley and further north in the state's Riverland, with a total damage bill likely around $100 million.

Primary Industries Minister David Basham has been visiting affected areas in recent days and says the government will provide an initial $50,000 to help cover clean-up costs.

It will help pay for the removal of shattered glass, plastic and other waste from farms on the Adelaide plains, home to many horticultural producers.

Mr Basham said the government was also working with industry bodies to assess the further needs of those impacted by the storm, including grain growers.

"This storm packed a punch and it has been eye-opening to see the damaged it has caused to crops, produce and infrastructure," he said.

"The impact is incredibly varied, from 80 per cent crop loss in some areas to patchy damage."

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas also visited affected farmers north of Adelaide on Thursday and called for wider financial help.

He said some farmers were facing bills and losses of up to $500,000.

"These devastating storms have caused significant damage across some of our state's most important growing regions," Mr Malinauskas said.

"It is vital the leaders in our community assess the crops firsthand and hear directly from local growers to gain a genuine understanding of the extent of the damage."

© AAP 2021

Colin and Donna Craig-Brown were weeding their garden in New Zealand when Colin's hoe struck something huge just beneath the soil's surface.

As the couple knelt down and began digging around the object, Colin wondered if it was some kind of strange fungal growth.

After Colin pried it out with his garden fork, he scratched away a bit of the skin and tasted it.

A potato.

"We couldn't believe it," Donna said. "It was just huge."

And not exactly pretty. Donna describes its appearance as more of an ugly, mutant look.

But it's quite possibly the largest potato on record. When the couple lugged it into their garage and put it on their old set of scales, it weighed in at a remarkable 7.9 kilograms.

That's equal to a couple of sacks of regular potatoes, or one small dog.

In the weeks since their unusual find on August 30, the couple's potato has become something of a celebrity around their small farm near Hamilton.

They've named the potato Doug, after the way it was unearthed, and Colin even built a small cart to tow Doug around.

"We put a hat on him. We put him on Facebook, taking him for a walk, giving him some sunshine," Doug said. "It's all a bit of fun. It's amazing what entertains people."

A more official weigh-in at a local farming store put Doug at 7.8kg.

The current Guinness World Records entry for the heaviest potato is a 2011 monster from Britain that weighed in at just under 5kg.

The couple say they've applied to Guinness to have Doug recognised and are waiting to hear back.

Guinness didn't immediately reply to a request for an update on the application.

© AP 2021