News
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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…
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Vegelicious venues celebrated
The winners of the 2025 Edgy Veg Awards have been crowned and five local businesses in the Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander Shires have been celebrated for their incredible vegelicious fare. The awards are now in their fourth year and expanded to Mount Alexander Shire for the first time in 2025. This event is the…
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Housing initiatives in spotlight
Mount Alexander Shire residents are invited to a free community forum hosted by My Home Network to hear the latest updates on local housing projects and initiatives aimed at addressing the region’s housing crisis. The forum will take place at Castlemaine Town Hall on Thursday May 15, from 6.30pm (for a 7pm start) to 9pm.…
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Mitchell back, Bendigo close
The Albanese Government has been returned to power in a landslide victory that saw Labor secure 82 seats to the Coalition’s 38 at the time of going to press yesterday. Labor’s Rob Mitchell has been returned for McEwen but the previously thought safe Labor seat of Bendigo will come down to the wire as votes…