Featured

  • Mine shaft rescues

    Mine shaft rescues

    Two dogs have been rescued from mine shafts by local CFA brigades and a specialist unit in the space of week. In the most recent incident, a dog was rescued from a shaft in a remote location in the Wombat Forest near Woodend in darkness last Friday night. Woodend CFA volunteers took some time to…

  • Inclusion vital

    Inclusion vital

    Members of the Mount Alexander Shire Disability Advocacy Group were out in force in the Castlemaine CBD last Friday to celebrate the UNESCO International Day of People with Disability. MASDAG representatives Lorraine le Plastrier and Cathy Wheel told the Express the day was an opportunity to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. The…

  • ‘Road graffiti’ message

    ‘Road graffiti’ message

    ‘Road graffiti’ from a likely wildlife rescuer artist has been been praised as Three Chain Road residents hope to see wildlife road trauma reduce. The large yellow wombat sketch was seen sprayed on the road about 6kms west of Lancefield last week, alerting drivers to a nearby wombat that had been hit and killed by…

  • Debut album drops

    Debut album drops

    Castlemaine singer/songwriter Nadia Phillips has launched her highly anticipated debut album A Million Birds and One Stone. The EP has hit Bandcamp and music streaming services just as the talented 19-year-old, now based in Melbourne, and band The Girlfriends prepare to join fellow Castlemaine artists Dallas Woods and Galaxy Hop as part of the ‘Comin’ Down…

  • Ghosts of Chewton’s past

    Ghosts of Chewton’s past

    The ghosts of Chewton’s past are about to be brought back to life when local historian Ken McKimmie leads a public history walk this weekend. All are invited to join the knowledgeable local history researcher and writer as he leads the walk through the history-rich little town this Sunday 12 December 12, sharing colourful insights…

  • Gone fishing

    Gone fishing

    Macedon Primary School students have helped to restock Nursery Reservoir with fish as their landcare fishing program launched last month. Students were involved in the release of 250 catchable rainbow trout (and some surprise ex-brood stock trout) with a fisheries team from Snobs Creek. Fisheries officers offered their knowledge along with special guest visitor Victorian…

  • No safe crossing

    No safe crossing

    St Ambrose Parish Primary’s community doesn’t want to see a disastrous traffic accident resulting from a lack of safe pedestrian access in the school precinct. The Woodend school is one of the only ones in the district without school crossings and the school community wants action. More than 150 parents lodged concerns with the council…

  • Residents dark on solar farm

    Residents dark on solar farm

    Faraday residents fear a solar farm proposed for the area would be visually intrusive and may damage property and tourism values. Tetris Energy is proposing to establish 15,176 low-reflective photovoltaic solar panels at a 12-hectare site about six kilometres northeast of Castlemaine at 3040 Harmony Way, Faraday. Last week several residents in the area met…

  • Murmuring Walk launched at Mount Macedon

    Murmuring Walk launched at Mount Macedon

    A guided audio experience has launched that’s inspired by the environment and the birdlife inhabiting the lush bush surrounds of Sanatorium Lake, Mount Macedon. Connected by your personal device, ‘Murmuring Walk’ allows participants to enter a contemplative space that will bring Sanatorium Lake to life with a multi-layered and poetic soundtrack featuring exquisite vocals, rhythms…

  • Celebrating ‘The Bricky’

    Celebrating ‘The Bricky’

    The 40th anniversary of the first exhibition held at ‘The Bricky’ will be celebrated with a historical show at the Castlemaine Brickworks Gallery this month. Of the 20 artists selected from Castlemaine Artists Co-Op Inc (1980-1992) to feature in the exhibition, many are recognised nationally and internationally – Michael-Francis Cartwright, Paul Cavell, Graeme Dawes, Juliana…

  • Newham Landcare tops awards

    Newham Landcare tops awards

    Newham and District Landcare Group has won the Australian Community Media Landcare Community Group Award at the 2021 Victorian Landcare Awards. The award acknowledges an outstanding community group that is improving sustainable land use and/or is undertaking on-ground action to protect, enhance or restore the natural values of an area on behalf of the community.…

  • Rewards in risk and experiment

    Rewards in risk and experiment

    Willingness to take risk lies at the heart of the Experimental Print Prize exhibition freshly launched at Castlemaine Art Museum. Work featured is that of the winners and the finalists in this year’s newly announcedprize results. The judges, Catherine Pilgrim and Trent Walter, had initially selected 43 artists as finalists from among 140 entries submitted,…