Latest News
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FOGO and glass bins on council’s agenda
The agenda for tonight’s meeting of Mount Alexander Shire Council is out, and FOGO (Food Organics Green Organics) is top of the list – leaving members of YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) and the newly formed Mount Alexander Organics Partnership (MAOP) feeling confused. MAOP spokesperson Mikaela Beckley said the group was perplexed by the council’s…
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Big Splash makes waves
A push for year-round swimming facilities in Mount Alexander Shire has gathered momentum, with hundreds of community members backing a campaign for better access to aquatic facilities. Swim Mt Alexander (SWIMMA) held a ‘Big Splash’ gathering on Saturday morning, bringing supporters together on the steps of Castlemaine’s historic Market Building to highlight the growing need…
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‘Opportunity to provide certainty’ on DPO24
After years of stymied development and restrictions in key Lancefield growth areas, landholders are now getting a fairer hearing for their predicament than ever before, as the state election approaches. They are asking for removal of Development Plan Overlay Schedule 24 that has hindered land freedom and development for 27 landholders across three areas. The…
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Push to pause on Clarkefield
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has formally called on the Minister for Planning to defer a decision on a major Clarkefield development. MRSC wants Amendment C164 put on hold until major unresolved planning, infrastructure, safety, environmental and financial matters have been independently reviewed and addressed. It is also seeking the minister undertake an independent peer and…
Sport
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Wonder women claim third flag
Macedon women proved why they were overwhelming favourites for the Riddell League’s 2026 women’s football premiership with a 76-point victory over Lancefield in the grand final late on Saturday afternoon. The third successive premiership for the Cats was widely expected, and the joy and jubilation from players and supporters after the final siren and the…
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Unpredictable final round
Round 18 football in the Riddell League produced its share of surprises on Saturday. With an eye on the finals, some clubs rested players, and others closely watched fitness levels. The big surprise was the senior goalkicking award, with Wallan’s versatile Lachlan Smart coming from the clouds to kick 10 goals and tip out favourite…
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Thunderbolt all the way
Kyneton trainer Nelson Smyth has four-year-old gelding Thunderbolt Way racing in fine form. On Friday, Thunderbolt Way made it successive wins by leading all the way in the D-Day Pest Control BM62 Handicap at Geelong. The galloper appreciates heavy tracks, and Jye McNeil had no hesitation in taking the $6 chance to the front, allowing…
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Cats clinch third spot
Systematic and methodical, Macedon senior footballers wrapped up third spot on the Riddell League ladder by defeating fifth-placed Melton South by 40 points at Tony Clarke Reserve on Saturday. The Cats were runners-up to Riddell in a pulsating grand final in 2025, and they will now play sixth-placed Kyneton in an elimination final. Reigning premiers…
Community
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The Compost Conversation
Lawns can be a bit of a contentious issue in Australian gardening circles. Are they water-hungry, energy-intensive, herbicide-laden ecological wastelands, or a beautiful, lush antidote to our dry hot climate? Perhaps a bit of both? Love them or not, there are lots of lawns growing in our neighbourhoods for now, so, let’s look at what…
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Oscar among the brightest minds
Nine-year-old Malmsbury Primary School student Oscar Chan has earned a place among Australia’s brightest young minds after being invited to join Australian Mensa. Oscar, a grade four student, received the invitation after being assessed by a neuropsychologist as gifted, placing him among the top two per cent of the population for intellectual ability. Australian Mensa…
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Memorial garden works continue
Works to restore the Heritage Memorial Rose Garden continue at Kyneton High School. Last month Kyneton High School parents, teachers and Kyneton U3A volunteers took part in a successful working bee. The volunteers laid irrigation donated from Midland Irrigation and planted two pencil pines that were donated by Kyneton Horticultural Society. U3A Gardening in a…
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Giving the gift of life
Three years ago, Gail Laycock lost her adored husband Darren ‘Muddy’ Laycock, a week before his 56th birthday. Darren was a motor mechanic and a ‘dinky-di bloke’ who loved football, speedway racing, camping and fishing. His nickname ‘Muddy’ came from his habit of coming off the football grounds with mud on him – even on…
Leisure
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Trading labours of love
Market day in Lancefield on Saturday offers locals and tourists alike the opportunity to source fresh produce, staples, pantry items, plants, pet treats and livestock feed all along the historic Centre Plantation of High Street. A whopping 85 local and regional producers will be in attendance trading their labours of love, direct to the community.…
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Bolobek Garden Fair blooms again
One of the Macedon Ranges’ best-loved gardening events will return this October, with the Bolobek Garden Fair once again opening the gates to one of Victoria’s most admired private gardens. Now in its 12th year, the fair will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, at the historic Bolobek property on Mount…
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A theatrical masterpiece
Following the spectacular success of its inaugural production, The Seagull, The Ravens Theatre Company is thrilled to announce its second production: Samuel Beckett’s theatrical masterpiece, Waiting for Godot. The Seagull became a remarkable hit, selling more than 1,800 tickets and playing to sold-out audiences in Castlemaine – an astounding achievement for the first production by…
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Deeply personal amid devastation
A new exhibition by award-winning realist artist Chris Moule has been unveiled at Harcourt Produce and General Store. A Brush with Colour features watercolours, acrylic and oil paintings and intricate pen and ink and pencil drawings. It includes a series around a central theme, ‘Before, during and after the 2026 bushfires’, which left devastation and…