News
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WORLD HERITAGE BID
Castlemaine and surrounds are in plum position to benefit from a momentous bid to see the wider Central Victorian Goldfields attain World Heritage listing. In a key document highlighting why the site is significant and should be given UNESCO World Heritage listing, a UK World Heritage expert has described the Central Victorian Goldfields as the…
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Compelled to fight
Last week the Express reported on comment in the Victorian Parliament about the tragic death of Kyneton woman Alicia Little, and the early release of the man responsible. Today, Riddells Creek resident and Gisborne solicitor, John Herron, offers a compelling first-hand account of how his own daughter lost her life, the follow-up actions, outcome and…
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Time travel team launches series
A friendship formed playing and coaching basketball has led to a children’s book series collaboration between two talented Macedon Ranges men. Chris ‘Roy’ Taylor (Woodend artist, illustrator and author) and James Crabtree (Kyneton writer), are the creators of the recently released Tina and Tom’s Time Travelling Toilet, which combines some brilliant moments in history with rip…
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An eye-catching cargo
It’s not every day you get to load a massive life-sized dinosaur and great white shark onto a truck. But that’s exactly what was going down in Castlemaine on Thursday as two very realistic full-scale models, that had been handcrafted in Castlemaine, were loaded onto an enclosed truck ready for transportation to Western Australia’s new…
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‘Keep open space’ call
Macedon Ranges Council is seeking to secure significant Gisborne land for public open space to prevent it being snapped up for housing in a projected population boom. Councillor Helen Radnedge launched an appeal to the state government to retain or return the land known as the Gisborne Pine Plantation to the community. The 1.8 hectares…
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Roadmap to reopening
From 11.59pm on September 13, some restrictions will be eased across Victoria. Regional Victoria and Melbourne Metro each have their own roadmaps, relating to how many active cases are currently in the community. Summary of Steps towards COVID Normal First Step First step only applies to Metro Melbourne. Expanded social interaction. Key points Curfew in…
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Foodies connect
A community of passionate Macedon Ranges cooks and foodies has formed to share ideas, recipes, tips and tricks, and swap food. Three mums who parked next to each other to drop and pick up their kids from school are the women behind the Facebook group ‘Macedon Ranges Food, Foodies, Wine and Cooking’. Joni, Anita and…
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Farewell Target, K hub is coming
Residents at Castlemaine and Woodend will soon bid farewell to their trusty Target stores, but the news isn’t all bad with Kmart announcing the two stores will be among the first in Victoria to be remodelled as new-look K hub stores. Kmart opened the first three of the new look K hub stores at Seymour,…
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Ecosystems decline ‘severe’ and ‘ongoing’
Macedon Ranges faces a critical challenge in tackling the severe and ongoing decline of local ecosystems. Detrimental human and natural impacts on the environment including endangered flora and fauna have been revealed in Macedon Ranges Council’s submission to the parliamentary inquiry into ecosystem decline. Potential effects include further species extinctions, impacts on; health and wellbeing…
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STAFF SPEAK OUT – Council employees detail impact of restructure
Former staff members of Macedon Ranges Shire Council have spoken out about what they describe as a disregard for employee mental health and wellbeing in the lead up to and during the recent organisational restructure of the council. The restructure included the dissolution of the Community Wellbeing directorate, reducing council’s four-tier structure to three. Council…
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Revamp for Carlsruhe roadhouse
An application has been lodged with Macedon Ranges Shire Council for a permit to redevelop the Carlsruhe BP Roadhouse into a freeway service centre. The plan would see the new service centre face onto the freeway instead of onto Cobb and Co Road. The developer has worked with Regional Roads Victoria on the plans to…
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Program grows wings and saves lives
Live4Life, the only youth mental health and suicide prevention model designed specifically for rural communities, has received outstanding validation in an independent two-year evaluation. The evaluation of Live4Life in Benalla and Glenelg Shires found that 75 per cent of young people expected the skills they learned to be useful throughout their lives and 65 per…