HelloPlus: Exploring Life & Philosophy.
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Fringe fiesta!
The 2025 Castlemaine Fringe Festival gets under way this Saturday with a free ‘Opening Night Street Party Spectacular’. The event will kick off at 4pm with youth presentations in Mechanics Lane, and then continue until late with three stages in the Castlemaine Town Hall precinct featuring 150+ performers, dance acts, live art painting, projections, DJs…
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Firecracker poems to feature
PoetiCas’s monthly poetry gatherings in Castlemaine have become a cherished part of the community since 2015. For Castlemaine Fringe, local identities will bring us their chosen poems for an afternoon of ‘Firecracker Poems’ at the Northern Arts Hotel this Saturday March 22. Who met Seamus Heaney in Ireland – and will she read one of…
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No more snowcam?
A local couple who managed the Top of the Range Tea Rooms had their tenancy terminated last week after 14 years of service. Luke Chapman, manager of the cafe situated next to the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, posted the news on Facebook and it received almost 125,000 impressions from the broader community. Chapman submitted a…
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Poets and storytellers on show
WORDSPOKEN is a local tradition in the making. The event series, which will return from a summer hiatus as part of the Castlemaine Fringe program, showcases local poets, musicians and storytellers in the shell of the old Melbourne tram at Lot19. WORDSPOKEN draws on this thread, providing a space for experimental and experiential artistic expression,…
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Empowering girls both on and off the court
Gisborne Bulldogs Basketball Club recently kicked off the first of three Athlete63 workshops designed to empower young female athletes both on and off the court. Held at the Bulldogs’ home courts, the event attracted enthusiastic participation from girls across various age groups. Athlete63, founded by the inspiring Layla Prince, is renowned for its holistic approach…
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Podesta 25-23
Kyneton bowler Greg Podesta’s extraordinary winning streak continued on Saturday when he won the Ballarat-Highlands Region Champion of Champions singles title. In a tight match at Sebastopol, Podesta defeated Colin Johnson (Central Wendouree) 25-23. The Kyneton star is in for a busy time, advancing to State Champions Week in April where he will represent Ballarat-Highlands…
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Woodend triples triumph
A Macedon Bowling Club team took out the annual Woodend ‘Tilley’s Triples’ Tournament last Thursday, played in honour of club legend Bill Till. Every rink on Woodend’s new synthetic and grass greens was used with 24 teams and 72 players competing from clubs including Aberfeldie, Daylesford, Diggers Rest, Gemlife, Gisborne, Kyneton, Lancefield, Macedon, Melton, Romsey,…
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Chvastek takes on Goliath
At a local cafe, the baristas know Nicole Chvastek’s order: An extra hot almond chai latte. What they may not know, is that she has been intimidating Prime Ministers and the establishment for years, in order to, “keep the bastards honest”. We’ve watched and listened to her hound politicians, expose injustices, and cover historic events…
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Fight ignites over service centre bid
Woodend residents are fighting an application for a freeway service centre at the edge of their town, just four years after VCAT rejected a similar proposal. Plans include three fast-food restaurants with drive-throughs, 174 parking bays for cars/trucks/caravans, internally-illuminated signage, and construction of two new on/off freeway ramps. The applicant, Welsh Leisure, has appealed to…
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Final rounds intriguing
Gisborne District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup 1sts semi-finals take place this weekend at Woodend and Gisborne, after the completion of 14 intriguing home and away rounds. And the four season 2024-25 semi-finalists — namely Woodend, Gisborne, Romsey and Sunbury United — can all feel they have a winning chance. It’s the business end of the…
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CDCA premiers crowned
Castlemaine District Cricket Association sides overcame blistering heat and overnight rain to complete their grand final showdowns last weekend. The Women kicked off the weekend with a grand final battle at Hepburn on Friday night where the home side emerged victorious over Newstead. A Grade and C Grade (Under 16s) began two-day contests on Saturday…
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Kyneton region champions!
A never-say-die attitude and some great bowling under pressure led to Kyneton winning the Ballarat-Highlands Bowls Region Champion of Champions final by three shots in a tense finish on Sunday afternoon. The Kyneton side, which defeated Romsey by 21 shots in the Saturday pennant division one final, travelled to play the strong Victoria (Ballarat) side…