Local News
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Curiosities of old Castlemaine
There’s the crib board crafted from the timber of a wrecked paddle steamer, the officious rubber stamp and elaborate holder once used to mark urgent yesteryear telegrams from old Castlemaine, and the original 1851 gold licence of one industrious Mr Lillicrap. They’re just some of the tale-rich treasures carefully held by Castlemaine’s Pioneers and Old…
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Locals join the ride
Castlemaine locals Greg Barkla and Bob Bent have teamed up to take part in the Black Dog Ride, a 10-day motorcycle tour to raise funds and awareness for the suicide prevention organisation the Black Dog Institute. The lads will join hundreds of participants from across Australia on the ride, an adventure that will see the…
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Buzz along to the bee
Do you fancy yourself to be an exceptional speller? Can you recite all those grammatical rules we learned at school – “i before e except after c” – in your sleep? Are you always wondering if embarrassing has one r or two? Then it’s time to test your spelling prowess against your friends at the…
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New courts to be a hit
Tennis will become even more of a hit in Riddells Creek with three new Tennis Australia compliant hard courts to be constructed. The $100,000 upgrade for Riddells Creek Tennis Club’s long-awaited stage two development will be funded through the Building Better Regions Fund – Infrastructure Projects stream. Riddells Creek Tennis Club secretary Andrew Nicoll said…
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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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Development approved for Carriers Arms
Mount Alexander Shire Council’s decision to approve development of Maldon’s historic Carriers Arms property paves the way for a new bakery and cafe in the town’s main street. At its meeting last Tuesday night the council unanimously granted approval for the development aiming to build a two-bedroom dwelling and develop an existing building to create…
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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…