News
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The government’s bitumen
EXCLUSIVE – The state government denied responsibility for a public road in the Mount Alexander Regional Park and for years failed its statutory duty to inspect, repair and maintain its condition. Joseph Young Drive is an 8.5km stretch of winding road that cuts through the regional park from one end to the other. It amassed…
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Budget invests in history
A project to undertake significant renewal works at Buda Historic Home and Garden in Castlemaine has been allocated half a million dollars in the 2025/26 State Budget. The funds will deliver State 2 of the masterplan, which will include refurbishing the current venue room into an office and administration space with a visitor centre, and…
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Building a united nation
Community members gathered for the 2025 Sorry Day Commemoration in Victory Park in Castlemaine on Monday. Sorry Day, which is held annually on May 26, is a day of remembrance to acknowledge the pain and injustice experienced by members of the stolen generation, and its lasting impacts. The event included a Welcome to Country and…
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Safe Spaces in the spotlight
Castlemaine and Macedon Ranges Safe Spaces have been selected from 14 sites across Australia to be featured in a film that will be the centrepiece of a new digital marketing campaign for community-led Safe Spaces across the country. A production team from Australia’s national lived experience of suicide organisation, Roses in the Ocean, visited Castlemaine…
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Apple TV fills up in Carlsruhe
Filming of a new Apple TV miniseries took place at the BP petrol station in Carlsruhe last Thursday and Friday. The new show is based on the book, The Dispatcher, by Ryan David Jahn, about a police detective whose life fell apart 10 years earlier when his daughter went missing. He receives a distress call…
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Think again on burn-offs
Two fires – a registered burn-off and a bonfire – became out of control on residential properties in Kyneton last week and prompted authorities to make a statement. One resident was conducting a routine garden clean-up and registered the burn-off with authorities. An unexpected wind picked up and within minutes the small fire had burnt…
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Felix Cameron captured on canvas
Artist Jeremy Eden has captured Macedon Ranges’ own Felix Cameron in an Archibald Prize piece named a 2025 finalist. Cameron is best known for playing the young Eli Bell in the Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe, based on Trent Dalton’s award-winning novel. In 2024, Cameron, at just 15, won two Logie Awards for his performance…
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Residents asking ‘WTF’: Where’s the footpath?!
Pedestrians are concerned about the safety and accessibility of the newly constructed kerb at the delivery dock of Castlemaine’s Woolworths development. The large concrete edging has created a dead-end for people using wheelchairs or prams and left community members questioning who is responsible for remedying the situation – Woolworths, the developers or the council? Local…
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‘Hung out to dry’
ESVF tax going to hurt The Victorian Government’s controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund passed parliament last week despite heavy objection from CFA volunteers, farmers and rural councils. The more expensive ESVF tax replaces the Fire Services Levy and will be charged alongside council rates from July 1. While the tax helps fund vital emergency…
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Push for park
A concept plan for Riddells Creek’s Rangeview Park has identified a series of works to improve community connectivity. The park was established as part of the Rangeview Estate development but residents say it has been underutilised due to lack of shade and incomplete areas. The area currently includes a small playground, what is described as…
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Poisonous mushroom warning
Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Christian McGrath, has issued a warning of poisonous mushrooms growing in Victoria. Poisonous mushrooms, including the death cap and yellow-staining mushrooms, appear in Victoria during autumn, as the weather becomes wetter and cooler. Dr McGrath warned that consuming even a single death cap mushroom could result in death. He said…
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Chesters wins Bendigo
Labor’s Lisa Chesters has retained the federal seat of Bendigo she has held since 2013 despite a swing away from Labor. The Bendigo seat came right down to the wire, with first-time Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean proving to be a strong opponent. Results were uncertain until Friday afternoon. Lethlean, a publican and businessman, ran a…