Featured
-
New public events policy clamps down on waste
New requirements governing waste management – including plastics – at local public events will be phased in over the next two years after Mount Alexander Shire Council adopted its new waste-wise events policy last week. Once fully implemented, the new policy will require a range of more environmentally sustainable practices aimed at reducing landfill and…
-
Looking after locals
Riddells Creek Foodworks has employed security to check identification at the door to prevent outsiders from stripping the shelves bare. The move comes after reports of busloads of Melbourne shoppers flocking to regional towns and clearing the shelves. Since 10am last Wednesday, anyone without proof of residency within a 12km radius of Riddells Creek was…
-
Trade takes new shape
Trade is taking new shape for many innovative local businesses adapting to COVID-19 precautions. Drive-through options, online platforms and extra delivery services are helping locals adhere to spatial distancing and assuring the region is still open for business. Malmsbury Hotel owner Anda Gazzard said it was important for local businesses to adapt as needs and…
-
Kyneton volunteers deliver meals to those in self-isolation
A small group of Kyneton volunteers are helping those in need and in self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic by cooking and delivering meals to residents in Kyneton and surrounds. The group was started by a Kyneton resident who wanted to help the elderly, vulnerable and those who could not access supermarkets or food outlets…
-
Council public facilities closed, events cancelled or postponed as COVID-19 precaution
Many of Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s public facilities will be closed and events will be cancelled or postponed as a preventative measure following the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. Chief executive officer Margot Stork said council was taking a proactive approach in order to protect the health and wellbeing of the community, especially elderly and vulnerable…
-
Poster art provokes
Peter Drew has had one or two confrontational moments in his successful career as a street artist of renown. His work – displayed in very public places – tends to elicit strong response. “My intention is not to change the world but to put art into the world to see what happens,” the Adelaide-based artist…
-
Macedon Ranges Council shake up – Redundancies expected in restructure
Council staff fear job losses as a major organisational restructure begins to shake up Macedon Ranges Shire Council. Chief executive officer Margot Stork confirmed last week the council was in the process of transitioning from four directorates to three. Hundreds of council staff will not know the full impact of the restructure for 10-12 weeks,…
-
Funds needed to boost Macedon hub
A bold plan to transform Macedon’s much-loved former maternal and child health centre into a community hub is fast gaining community support. A group of dedicated Macedon residents who rallied to save the old Victoria Street house from council sale, have raised about $4000 since launching a fundraising campaign last week to renovate and revive…
-
Town powered down
Malmsbury business operators have suffered through an extraordinarily bad run of power outages this past summer. On seven occasions since November, traders experienced power outages at some of their busiest trading times. The outages have been the result of severe weather combined with the use of bushfire mitigation technology installed at electrical substations in areas…
-
Growth groan – Riddell rail under pressure
Train users are feeling the squeeze of Riddells Creek’s service as commuters from outside the town descend to take advantage of cheaper fares, and service pressure is about to increase. It’s not uncommon for Gisborne, Macedon and Mount Macedon commuters to board at Riddells Creek to slash their fare, but impending population growth for the…
-
Landing with wings
Castlemaine author and talented artist Trace Balla will this month launch her latest book, Landing With Wings, which is set right here on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Trace is the much-loved creator of creator of Rivertime and Rockhopping, The Thank You Dish and Shine. Her latest offering, published by Allen and Unwin, tells the story…
-
‘Sweet’ music to launch Woodend Winter Arts Festival
Easily some of the most recognised works for cello, Bach’s Cello Suites continue to delight audiences and cellists alike. These iconic works of classical music have inspired many other musicians and artists across the centuries. Many of us are familiar with them through movies and theatre. Composed nearly three centuries ago, the Solo Cello Suites…