News
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Macedon Ranges wildlife rescuers head to fire grounds
Macedon Ranges wildlife rescuers are getting help to animals in fire ravaged areas across northern Victoria – an effort expected to span several months. Venturing into burnt-out bushland areas late last week, the Terra Mater Wildlife Rescue Crew has begun deploying wildlife waterers and identifying animals in need of care and supplementary feed. The crew…
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Climate action convoy headed to Canberra
The road leads to Canberra for a growing contingent of determined locals heading there to join a national rally calling on the federal government for effective climate change action. They’re inviting anyone who shares their concerns to join them and secure a spot on one of two charter buses headed to the People’s Climate Assembly…
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Community leads bushfire relief concert in Macedon Ranges
A community-led bushfire relief concert with an impressive line-up is expected to attract up to 400 people in Kyneton on Saturday, February 1. Lancefield siblings Angel and Jesse Ashman are partnering with Macedon Ranges Shire Council to deliver the event with proceeds of all ticket sales to go directly to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Angel,…
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Help for fire-hit farmers
Castlemaine’s Vossloh has donated thousands of dollars worth of steel from its local railway component manufacturing business to help fire-hit farmers at Lexton rebuild fences. The local business teamed up with Castlemaine’s Leech Transport to deliver the donation after one of Vossloh’s employees decided she wanted to do something to help. Emily Merlo, human resources…
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Walk for wellbeing
Castlemaine-based suicide prevention charity HALT (Hope Assistance Local Tradies) is gearing up for its second annual HALT Community Wellbeing Walk and is inviting interested participants to join in the 2020 challenge. Registrations are now open for the 2020 walk which will take place over six days from March 30-April 4. In 2019 the inaugural walk…
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Fill birdbaths for wildlife
The recent wildfires throughout southeastern Australia have had tragic impacts on people and wildlife. While the Macedon Ranges and its environs escaped devastation during these latest fires, our region’s sensitive natural habitats are still subject to chronic rising temperatures and declining rainfall, posing threats to long-established wildlife populations. In light of the immense damage suffered…
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Upskill in weed control at Woodend workshop
A workshop in Woodend next month will provide landholders who have waterway frontage with the skills and knowledge to improve weed management along waterways. Organised by the North Central Catchment Management Authority, the workshop is an integral part of projects that are improving the health of waterways in the upper Campaspe and Coliban catchments. Riparian…
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Devastation and hope
Dedicated local wildlife carers Scott and Nikki Medwell of the Red Box Wildlife Shelter at Elphinstone have been doing what they can to support stricken fellow wildlife carers in Victoria and beyond. Scott made the trek north earlier this month to offer assistance to fellow carers and friends Sara Tilling and Gary Henderson of the…
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Railway maneuvres
Victorian Goldfields Railway volunteers have begun dismantling the old Castlemaine-Guildford railway track before re-using the rails to upgrade the Castlemaine-Maldon tourist railway. The project that started last week opens up interesting questions as to the future of the Castlemaine-Guildford corridor and, more pointedly, the currently disused Castlemaine-Maryborough passenger line that it’s part of. Starting at…
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Reclaiming the Campaspe River
Campaspe River landowners are taking the health of the river into their own hands by commissioning independent scientific monitoring of the waterway. The residents fear waste from the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant will continue to pollute the river, as Coliban Water faces 11 criminal charges relating to the illegal discharge of thousands of litres of…
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Fierce forest fire
A thick layer of smoke has blanketed parts of the Macedon Ranges after lightning sparked a fierce blaze in the Cobaw Forest near Pipers Creek about 4pm Sunday. About 40 CFA, Forest Fire Management and Parks Victoria crews attacked the firefront that threatened farming properties. Emergency warning alerts were issued as winds spread embers over…
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A home of their own
Providing secure, affordable and accessible housing options for local people with intellectual disabilities has been one of two major priorities for the Mount Alexander Shire Accommodation and Respite Group since it formed almost a decade ago. Over the past three months, MASARG has been consulting with local groups and businesses about their ‘A Home of…