Featured
-
Sweet taste of success
Eve Lamb Castlemaine artisan chocolatiers, Cabosse and Feve, are enjoying the very sweet taste of success after scooping three prestigious awards at the recent International Chocolate Awards held in Hong Kong. The judges blind-tested their samples among other top-shelf bean to bar chocolate from throughout Asia Pacific, resulting in the Castlemaine chocolatiers clinching a gold…
-
Malmsbury mother-daughter duo take on stair climb challenge
Malmsbury Fire Brigade mother-daughter duo, Linda and Ashley Krive, are taking on this year’s Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb challenge to raise money and awareness for mental health. The Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb will take place on Saturday, September 10, when participants will climb 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel wearing 25kgs of turnout gear and…
-
BP upgrade closer
Major upgrade works to Carlsruhe’s BP roadhouse are expected to begin late 2022 to early 2023. It’s a significant upgrade for the 1970s service station with plans for improved facilities, EV charge-points, more truck parking and parkland area. The design duplicates that of Longwarry’s Caltex/Hungry Jacks service centre off Princes Highway. Developer Andrew Ferguson told…
-
Big face gets big facelift
Eve Lamb In the seven years since it was created, the big face mural on the front facade of The Mill has become an emblematic aspect of the popular Castlemaine attraction. But with time and the elements taking a toll, the big face had become a tad weathered, prompting Mill management to take action by…
-
Teens want voice to Parliament
Eve LambStudents at Castlemaine Secondary College have launched a new movement calling for optional voting to be legalised at age 16. Launched at the college on Friday, the new ‘Vote 16’ youth movement calls for people aged between 16 and the current legal age of 18 to have the option of legally casting their vote…
-
Explore VR and electronica
Creatives from across Bendigo, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander and beyond will feature in the Conflux Bendigo event this Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10. The inspiring group of creative collaborators will deliver a bold, diverse and exciting program of panel discussions, masterclasses, practitioner presentations, thought-provoking conversations, workshops and performances. Castlemaine electronic musician and tertiary…
-
Kids back in the kitchen
The finale of the 2022 Sacred Heart College Junior Chef Competition was held last Tuesday evening, involving grade four students from six Catholic primary schools across the region. The first round of the competition was held earlier this month in the college’s Frayne Hospitality Centre, where the students were challenged to prepare a stack of…
-
A supercharged artistic practice
Woodend artist Tahlia Stanton has supercharged her artistic practice via social media, having collected 1.5 million TikTok followers and close to half a million Instagram followers. The 23-year-old has been selling her art online since the age of 15 and has made a very profitable business model out of it. She now tutors other artists…
-
Healthy Soils seeks farmers
Mount Alexander Sustainability Group’s Healthy Soils team is seeking to assist commercial farmers with soil issues within a 50-60km radius from Castlemaine. The Healthy Soils project offers the opportunity for 20 participating farms to receive free soil constraint assessments and soil testing, as well as assistance with developing a soil health management and monitoring plan.…
-
Bid for state acquisition
Amy Hume State acquisition of Riddells Creek’s Barrm Birrm could preserve threatened flora, provide community open space and fix bungled planning of the past. Macedon Ranges Shire Council is calling on the Victorian Government to purchase the remaining privately owned lots of the area to fast-track its protection. Spearheading the move last week, councillor Annette…
-
Housing crisis hits home
Angela Crawford At 70 years of age, Joy Carroll is facing the prospect of soon being homeless. Joy rents a house in Harcourt but the owners have decided to sell up. She had wanted to buy the property but real estate agents quoted $200,000 above what she and the landlords considered a realistic valuation. “I…
-
Neighbourhood battery push
A neighbourhood battery could soon provide back-up power during unplanned outages for Macedon Ranges’ east if the project gains support. A Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group study identified North Woodend, Newham and Lancefield as most impacted by unplanned power outages in the Ranges. The group’s state-funded battery feasibility study has determined a business use case that…