THE national holiday road toll has risen to 11 after a car crashed into a tree near Naracoorte in South Australia killing the driver.
The tragedy comes just a day ahead of Christmas celebrations and is the state's first fatal road crash of the festive season.
The unnamed driver was killed after the car crashed into a tree on the Riddoch Hwy, about 5km north of Naracoorte, just before 2pm this afternoon.
Emergency crews had earlier reported a woman was trapped in the car. Local police have blocked the highway and are diverting traffic around the scene.
Earlier, a young man was killed in Esperance, West Australia when his car hit a power pole.
The man died on Burton Road in Esperance, about 720km southeast of Perth, about 12.30am (WST) today. It is the first recorded death in West Australia during this holiday period.
In NSW police said a 79-year-old woman died while travelling with her husband and another married couple, aged 73 and 74. Their car collided with another car in Mount Ousley just after 1pm (AEDT) today.
Police say the woman was taken to Wollongong Hospital, but died a short time later.
Her 80-year-old husband remains in a serious but stable condition with suspected spinal fractures.
The woman's death was the first recorded in NSW, while Tasmania has each recorded one death, but three people have now died in Victoria since the toll period began at midnight (AEDT) on Sunday.
In the Northern Territory, a 26-year-old man has been charged after a single vehicle crash resulted in the death of three passengers near Hermannsburg on Saturday night, the NT News reported.
Police say they had stopped pursuing a white Holden Commodore car before finding the vehicle on its roof on the side of the road at Larapinta Drive, Hermannsburg, about 130km west of Alice Springs.
Two women aged 26 and 32 were thrown from the car and died at the scene. A man aged 30 who was trapped in the car also died at the scene.
A 26-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were flown to Alice Springs hospital. The man has been charged with dangerous driving causing death (x3), recklessly endangering life, driving a motor vehicle whilst disqualified and bring liquor into a restricted area.
He is due to appear in court today.
Read more on the Herald Sun.
