News
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No more water hazard at Trentham club
Teeing off at the picturesque par-three 13th hole at Trentham Golf Course is usually accompanied by the soothing noise of a waterfall. The problem is none of the club’s members can ever remember actually seeing it. “It’s pretty noisy. We have always known there was something there,” club president Keith Webster said. The golf course…
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Dancing a jig with dad
By Sandy Scheltema It’s been two years since Matt Harding, an internationally renowned sculptor living and working in Trentham, tragically died from suicide, leaving behind his beloved partner Freya Maclaren and their four young children. His death shook the local community, where Matt lived with his family. Trentham resident Jacinta Bourke thought it was a…
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Out in force
The role of women in policing was celebrated with a special International Women’s Day event at Castlemaine Police Station on Sunday. Inspector Donna Mitchell, local area commander for the Goldfields, gave one of our journalists and a couple of Castlemaine Secondary College students the opportunity to join her on a behind-the-scenes tour of the station…
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Funds needed to boost Macedon hub
A bold plan to transform Macedon’s much-loved former maternal and child health centre into a community hub is fast gaining community support. A group of dedicated Macedon residents who rallied to save the old Victoria Street house from council sale, have raised about $4000 since launching a fundraising campaign last week to renovate and revive…
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Town powered down
Malmsbury business operators have suffered through an extraordinarily bad run of power outages this past summer. On seven occasions since November, traders experienced power outages at some of their busiest trading times. The outages have been the result of severe weather combined with the use of bushfire mitigation technology installed at electrical substations in areas…
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Growth groan – Riddell rail under pressure
Train users are feeling the squeeze of Riddells Creek’s service as commuters from outside the town descend to take advantage of cheaper fares, and service pressure is about to increase. It’s not uncommon for Gisborne, Macedon and Mount Macedon commuters to board at Riddells Creek to slash their fare, but impending population growth for the…
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Landing with wings
Castlemaine author and talented artist Trace Balla will this month launch her latest book, Landing With Wings, which is set right here on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Trace is the much-loved creator of creator of Rivertime and Rockhopping, The Thank You Dish and Shine. Her latest offering, published by Allen and Unwin, tells the story…
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‘Sweet’ music to launch Woodend Winter Arts Festival
Easily some of the most recognised works for cello, Bach’s Cello Suites continue to delight audiences and cellists alike. These iconic works of classical music have inspired many other musicians and artists across the centuries. Many of us are familiar with them through movies and theatre. Composed nearly three centuries ago, the Solo Cello Suites…
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‘Declare a climate emergency’: XR
Local Extinction Rebellion protesters last month launched coordinated protest actions across the Macedon Ranges to demand immediate action on climate change. The actions took place as part of the statewide XR Rural Day of Climate Change Action on February 21 in the lead up to the Climate Justice Alliance’s Climate Crisis National Day of Action…
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What happens to our glass?
Glass separation has been key in simpler recovery of other recyclables like plastic, metal and paper in the Macedon Ranges, but not all are clear on what is to become of it once collected. Macedon Ranges Council introduced separate household glass bins earlier this month as part of its new four-bin system in response to…
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Macedon Ranges Council calls out ‘greenwashing’
Macedon Ranges Council has called out “greenwashing” in a push for a national ban on harsh fragmentable plastic products and mandatory product recycle labelling. Councillors have slammed “false advertising” on plastic products that are not fully biodegradable and will take their fight to the Australian Local Government Association’s national general assembly in June. They want…
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New Castlemaine locomotive stable takes shape in $1M move
Work has begun on Victorian Goldfields Railway’s new Castlemaine locomotive stable as part of a wider project forecast to boost tourism to Castlemaine and surrounds. The $1 million service reorientation project has $500,000 in state funds with VGR adding the rest in a move that will see it shift its operating base from Maldon to…