Local News

  • $100M plan for Kyneton

    $100M plan for Kyneton

    A major commercial development proposed for Kyneton is expected to inject $100M into the local economy and provide more than 400 jobs to the community. An application has been lodged with Macedon Ranges Shire Council to develop a large service station with two fast food restaurants and a retail store on a 66-hectare site opposite…

  • CFA friendships are like no other

    CFA friendships are like no other

    Word of mouth inspired Joel Wood to join Gisborne Fire Brigade in 2006 and he hasn’t looked back, growing from the youngest member to being a strong mentor for the fresh faces at the brigade. Country Fire Authority volunteers across Victoria are acknowledging the close bonds they’ve formed as brigade members to celebrate International Day…

  • Bunnings ‘Karen’ leaves Macedon Ranges fuming

    Bunnings ‘Karen’ leaves Macedon Ranges fuming

    The Melbourne woman causing outrage at the centre of an anti-mask Bunnings protest has attempted to spread her message in Macedon Ranges. Dubbed ‘Bunnings Karen 2.0’, Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Rose had gloated on social media about her travels out of lockdown, with face mask-free, to country towns like Romsey on Saturday. Her road trip came just…

  • Return the support

    Return the support

    With stage 3 ‘stay at home’ restrictions reinstated for metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, shopping locally has never been more important. Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas has launched a ‘Shop Local, Spend Local, Enjoy Local’ campaign, encouraging everyone in Kyneton, Woodend and across the Macedon Ranges to shop and spend with their local small businesses.…

  • Club enjoys its grand entrance

    Club enjoys its grand entrance

    After weeks of being hard hit by a COVID shutdown that cost it many thousands in lost revenue, Maldon Golf Club is now enjoying some light amid the gloom. A $15,000 grant from the federal government’s Stronger Communities Program has helped the little local club complete a $32,000 clubhouse upgrade – including a swish new…

  • Old Factory plan shut down

    Old Factory plan shut down

    Brakes have been applied to a controversial $4.7 million Woodend retail redevelopment plan to reimagine ‘The Old Factory’. Macedon Ranges Shire councillors have refused the proposal for 30 Brooke Street in a 6-2 vote after receiving 21 objections and six letters of support. Branded a tourist destination, the plan included a 40-stall market, 100-patron licensed…

  • Airfield plan approval

    Airfield plan approval

    A 10-year conflict over the contentious redevelopment of the Kyneton Airfield has almost drawn to a close. The airfield’s first and long-awaited Master Plan to provide clear direction for the site got a tick of approval from Macedon Ranges Shire Council last week. The plan includes sealing 150 metres of the northern runway extension, commercial…

  • Increase in cases linked to Don KR

    Increase in cases linked to Don KR

    Don KR’s Castlemaine factory remains temporarily closed with the company confirming six cases of coronavirus linked to the site as of yesterday. “We have six employees from our Castlemaine production facility that have been confirmed to us as tested positive for COVID-19,” the company said in a statement provided to the Midland Express yesterday. “The…

  • Four COVID cases linked to MYJC

    Four COVID cases linked to MYJC

    Four Department of Education employees working at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre have now returned positive tests for COVID-19. A spokesperson from the Department of Justice and Community Safety said the department would continue to work with the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to minimise any potential risks for…

  • Towering achievement for ambitious project

    Towering achievement for ambitious project

    The Victorian Miniature Railway has achieved an exciting milestone in the construction of its Harcourt Miniature Railway project – installing the impressive clocktower that forms part of the central station. VGR president Andrew Mierisch said the volunteers from VMR and the Harcourt Lions Club were thrilled to achieve this critical milestone. The finished tower will…

  • Support grows for local producers

    Support grows for local producers

    The face of farmers markets has changed across the region since coronavirus hit and has given rise to a more serious and intentional shopper, market facilitators have found. Bendigo Farmers Market organisers have surveyed a 30 per cent increase in regular local shoppers since coronavirus hit and expect to retain these consumers into the future.…

  • ‘Protect the region’

    ‘Protect the region’

    A Kyneton business owner has refused to take bookings from people wanting to visit from Melbourne’s coronavirus lockdown areas. Ellenis Day Spa has had several people attempt to make a booking including one woman who argued that “nobody needs to know”. Owner Irene Thompson said the spa had also cancelled dozens of advance bookings from…