Latest
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Macedon wants a hub
A group of Macedon locals have banded together in a bid to convert a council-owned building into a community hub. The former maternal and child health centre at 47 Victoria Street was earmarked to be sold by council to fund refurbishments to Macedon’s ovals and other upgrades, until lobbying by the group gained them a…
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Community chips in
The campaign to replace Langley-Barfold Fire Brigade’s stolen support vehicle is gaining strong community support. The Ford Ranger was found torched near Lake Eppalock in April and now the brigade is faced with the challenge of replacing the vehicle and having it fully functional before the next fire season. Brigade captain Ian Lonsdale said the…
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$195M solar farm bid
A $195 million solar farm proposed for Baringhup will feed enough energy into the grid to power 44,000 homes while reducing CO2 emissions by 170,000 tonnes annually if it goes ahead, the project’s proponents say. RES Australia, the company behind the proposed 75 megawatt solar farm, is holding a public information session about the proposal…
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Blaze at Highbank
The historic Kyneton farmhouse owned by television personality Tonia Todman was significantly damaged by fire yesterday morning. Firefighters arrived at Highbank, on Donnelly Road, at about 6.45am to find the property’s Bed and Breakfast accommodation fully ablaze and spreading to the adjoining homestead. The fire started in the roof, with a five-layer ceiling – tin…
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Letters from the inside
Insights into life on the inside is at the heart of a unique live production being staged at the Old Castlemaine Gaol this Friday. Letters from the Inside is a spoken word performance of letters written by men and women serving sentences in central Victorian prisons – Tarrengower, Middleton and Loddon. The project’s creator is…
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An accident waiting to happen
Users of the Leisterville hall in Castlemaine have described parking outside the facility as “dangerous” after a recent upgrade to the Public Transport Victoria bus stop in Williams Street. Members of the Goldfields Quilters Group, which has met at the Leisterville hall several times a month for the past 25 years, said issues they raised…
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Foundry’s first grads
One of Kyneton’s newest foodie hotspots, the Social Foundry on the corner of High and Mollison Streets, is celebrating the first round of graduates from its successful Skills for Life program. Together with the Kyneton Community and Learning Centre, the Social Foundry has the united goal of training and assisting young people who need to…
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The best in Oz!
Kyneton can lay claim to being the home of Australia’s No.1 Best Pie thanks to the innovation of Cambodian-born pastry chef Chan Khun. Chan’s Country Cobb Bakery claimed a total of seven ‘best pie’ titles for 2018, as judged by the Baking Association of Australia, but it was his unique creation of a satay seafood…
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Prison inmates help threatened phascogales
Phascogales in the Barfold area will soon be getting new homes thanks to inmates at Middleton Prison in Castlemaine. The inmates have been hard at work constructing 20 nest boxes for the Campaspe Valley Landcare group suitable for the phascogales, a threatened species found in central Victoria. The distinctive small creatures, known as ‘duan’ by…
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For youth, by youth
Young people helped design Macedon Ranges Shire’s draft youth strategy and now the shire is hoping more young people will have their say now the document is open to community comment. The draft strategy has been titled Elevate by its young codesigners, who say it aims to actively elevate the voices and desires of young…
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AFL kicks in $100,000
AFL Victoria is providing $100,000 towards the multi-million dollar Macedon Ranges Regional Sports Precinct sports fields at New Gisborne. Mayor Jennifer Anderson said the AFL’s backing is very significant, as it is the first external funding commitment to the major project. There was jubilation at Gardiner Reserve in Gisborne on Thursday evening as AFL Victoria’s…
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Water price freeze
The Essential Services Commission has effectively placed a freeze on water prices for customers across the region. Bills will increase at a rate lower than inflation over the next five years for customers of Coliban Water, while bills for Western Water customers will increase only at the rate of inflation. The independent economic regulator reviewed…