News
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Bill tabled on park
Local environmentalists are celebrating the tabling of a bill in state parliament last week to create the new Wombat-Lerderderg National Park. About 24,000 hectares of the Wombat Forest will be conserved for animals, plants and fungi and for future generations to enjoy. Wombat Forestcare congratulated the state government for creating this park and the Mt…
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An invitation to recalibrate
Anyone in the vicinity of the Phee Broadway Theatre last Friday would have been witness to a constant stream of middle-aged women steadily making their way into the library foyer in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a clandestine suffragette meeting (perhaps the women of Castlemaine are ready for their own uprising?). The meeting was, in…
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Road risk as safety removed
It has taken months but safety measures have now been restored to a dangerous stretch of road at Barfold. The 300m stretch of road is located along Heathcote-Kyneton Road and is sign-posted 100km/h but features a dip that obscures vision for overtaking. A head-on crash between two cars in April 2023 prompted double line road…
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A first for the nation
Local First Nations groups across the region have welcomed the historic state-wide Treaty tabled in state parliament last Tuesday. It makes Victoria the first state or territory in Australia to introduce a bill of this kind in parliament and, if passed, will set in stone a permanent First Peoples’ Assembly under the name Gellung Warl,…
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Ngannelong speculation
Significant Treaty legislation introduced into the Victorian Parliament last week has re-ignited speculation in certain quarters about possible changes to the names of specific landmarks and waterways on state-controlled land. Could it be that the widely known phrase ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ eventually changes to ‘Picnic at Ngannelong’? Under the legislation introduced last week by…
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Entries open for business awards
Mount Alexander Shire Council is inviting local businesses to share their story and nominate for the 2025 Mount Alexander Business Awards. The awards celebrate the people and enterprises that drive positive change in our local economy – through innovation, care, sustainability and community connection. The 2025 award categories include: – Outstanding Workplace – Sustainability Hero…
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Malmsbury mayhem
Jenny Denton Three men charged over riots at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre in October 2023 were arraigned in the County Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a slew of charges relating to the violent and chaotic events. Isaac Hindmarsh, 20, Michael Hailu, 20, and Malith Arou, 21 were among five of 13 co-accused…
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New store to deliver big savings
Just three months after the opening of Castlemaine’s new Woolworths supermarket, the town is set to see the opening of another major retail outlet. Castlemaine’s new Reject Shop will open its doors this Thursday morning, September 11. Local residents have been keenly watching the development of the new store at 112-116 Barker Street in recent…
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From steam to satellites
Steam trains once defined the Victorian Goldfields Railway, carrying miners and goods across central Victoria. Today, those same tracks are playing host to something very different: a testing ground for the future of safe and reliable navigation. Space and spatial experts at social enterprise, FrontierSI, have launched Australia’s first Positioning, Navigation and Timing Labs, a…
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Push for dine-in dogs
Should dogs be allowed in Australian cafes and restaurants? Riddells Creek resident, Kristy Gadsby, thinks it’s a move that could boost business and foster bonds with man’s best friend. She has launched a petition seeking change to legislation that currently restricts them to outdoor dining areas only, unless they are a service dog. “I went…
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Riddell to double in size
A controversial development set to double the size of Riddells Creek has been approved by Victorian Government powers against local council and community wishes. The Amess Road development will create 1360 homes for 3808 new residents on 131.8 hectares, despite substantial push-back from Macedon Ranges Shire Council and residents. Last week, Mayor Dom Bonanno said…
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Reserve plan funded in good time
It didn’t make the budget but now Macedon Ranges Shire Council has found unspent funds for a Riddells Creek Recreation Reserve master plan. Last week, councillors agreed to allocate leftover Community Funding Scheme funds of $37,779.27 to the master plan project. The current plan for the reserve is more than 16 years old and no…