Latest
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Macedon Ranges urgent call to remove glass from recycling bins
Recycling will go to landfill if Macedon Ranges residents do not heed an urgent call to remove glass from recycling bins. The council has sought recycling alternatives since the closure of its processor SKM Recycling with assurances efforts would continue but was forced to send several loads of recycling to landfill last week. Macedon Ranges…
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Kyneton’s Lost Trades Fair move to Bendigo confirmed
Kyneton will no longer host the popular Lost Trades Fair as organisers sign up for the next three years in Bendigo. City of Greater Bendigo mayor Margaret O’Rourke announced yesterday that Bendigo Racecourse would host the 2020 fair in March. The news follows reports of organisers seeking a new location and sounding out the City…
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Victorian Solar Homes rebate program overhaul urgently needed
Jo Kaptein, manager of the MASH and Hepburn Solar Bulk Buys The MASH community solar bulk-buy team was all ready to go on August 1, at 9am prompt at four locations including Castlemaine and New Gisborne, to help bulk-buy participants submit their application for the state government’s $2225 Solar Homes program rebate. We’d done the…
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Container deposit push builds
Mount Alexander Shire councillors and executive staff are among those strongly supporting the push for a container deposit scheme in Victoria, with the state Greens expected to this week introduce legislation aimed at establishing the scheme. Recycling has become a hot button issue in Victoria after major processor SKM went into liquidation, forcing many councils…
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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…

