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Trees down, buildings damaged across the region
Volunteers from Victoria’s State Emergency Service responded to a spate of disasters last week, and official numbers confirm there were about 1800 incidents state-wide between Monday and Sunday. It was a result of the ongoing bushfires, strong winds and damaging lightning. In the Loddon Mallee unit support team area, which includes Mount Alexander Shire, SES…
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Harcourt fire not expected to expand far beyond current footprint tonight
The Ravenswood Fogarty’s Gap Road fire that has impacted Harcourt is not expected to expand far beyond its current footprint tonight, authorities have told residents. Incident controller Michael Masters explained what occurred during the fire and its current status at a community meeting this afternoon. The meeting was held at Kyneton where about 80-100 fire-threatened…
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‘Do not drink Harcourt water’ advisory
Coliban Water, following consultation with the Department of Health, has advised customers in Harcourt to not drink tap water from 11.45am on Saturday, January 10, until further notice. This advice has been issued following the fires in Harcourt on Friday, January 9, which impacted Coliban Water’s ability to safely access a burst water main that may…
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State of disaster declared for Mount Alexander
Premier Jacinta Allan has declared a State of Disaster for Mount Alexander and 17 other Local Government Areas and one Alpine Resort as fires burning across the state continue to pose risk. The declaration comes following advice from the Minister for Emergency Services and the Emergency Management Commissioner. The Premier is satisfied there is an…
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Ranges residents can dispose of their festive tree for free
Macedon Ranges residents can opt to dispose of their real Christmas trees for free this month only. Resource recovery facilities at Romsey, Kyneton and Woodend will accept the delivery of pine trees at no cost on weekends in January (including January 31/February 1) during regular hours (10am-4pm). Conditions applying to this offer include that trees…
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Catastrophic Fire Day declared
Victorian fire authorities have issued a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating for tomorrow, Friday, January 9, for the North Central, Northern Country and Wimmera districts. Extreme fire ratings have been issued for the rest of Victoria, which includes the Macedon Ranges. However, this region borders those zones deemed catastrophic tomorrow. A state-wide total fire ban will…
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RSPCA Victoria warns pets suffering in dangerous hot weather
RSPCA Victoria is calling on all pet owners to protect their animals during this week’s scorching weather. The RSPCA Inspectorate had received 20 reports before midday on Wednesday from concerned community members about pets allegedly left without access to shelter or water. RSPCA Victoria Chief Inspector Michelle Green said restricting an animal’s access to water…
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Castlemaine exhibition to honour much-loved Guildford Big Tree
DJAARA, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, is planning an exhibition at the Castlemaine Arts Museum in July to honour the timber which fell from the much-loved Guildford Big Tree in February 2024. The Guildford Biyal (red gum) has long been a culturally significant and important tree for Dja Dja Wurrung People (Djaara). It…
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Newstead Live Music Festival program unveiled
The countdown is on for Newstead Live Music Festival 2026 on January 23-26. Organisers were putting the finishing touches to the curation of the festival line-up late last week, and the program was set to go to print and ‘live’ on the website Monday morning. The festival celebrates 20 years since it made the move…
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Angle grinder sparks bushfire at Turpins Falls
Contractors working on a job at Turpins Falls using grinders and metalworking tools sparked a bushfire yesterday. Shortly before 2.30pm on Tuesday callers to Triple Zero reported a large column of smoke triggering a large response from fire brigades. The high fire danger also saw the immediate despatch of a waterbombing helicopter which was on…
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Mount Macedon Memorial Cross funding deadline looms
A major project cost blowout has cast doubt over Anzac Day services at Mount Macedon Memorial Cross unless funds are raised by the month’s end. Unexpected structural challenges have tipped Mount Macedon Memorial Cross restoration expenses more than $200,000 over budget. During construction, engineers discovered that the original footings did not align with the 1990…
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Arduous firefighters at ready to respond in remote areas
A group of CFA firefighters are ready to fight fires in remote areas across the state following seven weeks of intensive training to become arduous firefighters. The pilot program is a first for CFA where 15 arduous firefighters will have the capability to attack and suppress fires in difficult terrain that aren’t accessible via a…