Featured
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Prepare for Peter Panto
Castlemaine Theatre Company is giving the original tale of Peter Pan a contemporary makeover with a uniquely Castlemaine twist for its upcoming pantomime production – Peter Panto. Family friendly but with a script that caters for adult audiences, it’s scheduled to open at the Phee Broadway Theatre in late November with CTC now inviting anyone…
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Bringing Ernest to life
Insights and stories behind renowned colonial goldsmith and jeweller, Castlemaine’s own Ernest Leviny, are on offer as part of a unique ‘armchair journey’ at Buda House this Sunday. The talented Ernest Leviny bought the historic local property in 1863 and two generations of the Leviny family then occupied Buda for 118 years until 1981. This…
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Runway plan scrapped
Plans to extend Kyneton Airfield’s main runway to the south for fixed-wing aircraft have been scrapped in the latest draft master plan for the site. The move intended to facilitate aerial firefighting operations, as cited in the abandoned 2016 draft master plan, but early investigations met with disinterest from potential users and exposed problematic positioning.…
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LANGLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL FACES CLOSURE
Langley Primary School is facing closure with a current enrolment of three pupils and no real prospect of further enrolments next year. Alarm bells were first raised at the school last year as its enrolment of 43 pupils dropped steadily over 12 months down to just three pupils as of February this year. The departures…
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On track to tackle plastic waste
Local tourism railways have played a key role in the development of innovative recycled plastic sleepers that may ultimately help solve the nation’s wider recycling crisis. Castlemaine’s Victorian Goldfields Railway and the Victorian Miniature Railway at Harcourt have both been involved in trialing or using the innovative railway sleepers made in Mildura by Integrated Recycling…
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Plan endorsed, doubts remain
The Macedon Ranges has moved a step closer to receiving high level protection for its sensitive landscape as the first gazetted distinctive area and landscape in Victoria. The Statement of Planning Policy was endorsed at Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s ordinary meeting last Wednesday in a 5-2 vote after it was sent back to the state…
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Glamour on the menu
Local foodie Jennifer Beachey and former Melbourne restaurateur Marcus Tomlin are the creative minds behind the newly revamped and reimagined Piper Street restaurant Parkland Kyneton. The vibe is one of understated traditional elegance with a luxe twist. “We want anyone and everyone to walk in, find their nook and instantly feel comfortable,” Jennifer says. “We…
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An age-old challenge
Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal has come up with a membership scheme to help meet the challenges of operating a grand old theatre in a regional setting. Tim Heath and Felicity Cripps now manage the theatre on their own, having recently parted ways with their former business partners. The beautiful 150-year-old building is the cultural heart of…
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A cellar door like no other
Blurring the lines between urban winery, cellar door, neighbourhood wine bar and beer garden – Musk Lane Wine is a cellar door with a difference. Different? You have probably heard that word touted before…but this is different, really different. Musk Lane Wine is a winery in the centre of Kyneton. Yes, that’s different! It’s in…
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Tower proposal revisited
A proposal to construct a new Optus telecommunications tower at Castlemaine’s Wesley Hill is set to be revisited. The revised proposal would see the tower moved about 100-200 metres inside the reserve and away from nearby homes. Those impacted, however, say that the tower is now closer to residents in Railway Avenue who may be…
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Brown in the ‘Maine
Former Greens leader Bob Brown has praised Castlemaine as a great generator of ideas for the future during a visit to the town on Friday. Brown and his long-time partner Paul Thomas attended the Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival at which the high-profile environmental campaigner was a guest speaker. As part of Friday’s festival opening night,…
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Newstead ‘getting it done’
Newstead residents are set to receive most of what they’d hoped for when they petitioned Mount Alexander Shire Council for an upgrade of the town’s leafy Newstead Community Park last year. Back in October the residents presented the council with a petition bearing 378 signatures and calling for upgrades to the park, which they said…