News
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Tiny homes, big problems?
Kerrie residents have warned a proposal for four short-stay accommodation ‘tiny homes’ could create big problems if approved at 131 Shannons Lane. Provider ‘Shacky’ has plans for group accommodation at the 35.38 hectare site but nearby residents have alerted council to road and safety risks. Resident Helen Franklin said Shannons Lane was a single-carriage, dirt…
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Woodend arts festival turns 20
An interview with Woodend Winter Arts Festival founder and artistic director Jacqueline Ogeil. Midland Express: Jacky, you are celebrating 20 festivals this year, can you tell us what it means to reach this milestone? Amazement. It has gone so quickly. But also feels longer because the township has changed so much, as has society, and…
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No more snowcam?
A local couple who managed the Top of the Range Tea Rooms had their tenancy terminated last week after 14 years of service. Luke Chapman, manager of the cafe situated next to the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, posted the news on Facebook and it received almost 125,000 impressions from the broader community. Chapman submitted a…
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Chvastek takes on Goliath
At a local cafe, the baristas know Nicole Chvastek’s order: An extra hot almond chai latte. What they may not know, is that she has been intimidating Prime Ministers and the establishment for years, in order to, “keep the bastards honest”. We’ve watched and listened to her hound politicians, expose injustices, and cover historic events…
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Fight ignites over service centre bid
Woodend residents are fighting an application for a freeway service centre at the edge of their town, just four years after VCAT rejected a similar proposal. Plans include three fast-food restaurants with drive-throughs, 174 parking bays for cars/trucks/caravans, internally-illuminated signage, and construction of two new on/off freeway ramps. The applicant, Welsh Leisure, has appealed to…
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Newham store for sale
Newham General Store is up for sale following the business’s closure last year and the community rally to see it reopened. The prominent freehold, on the corner of Dons Road, was listed with Keatings Real Estate in February for $985,000. Agent John Keating told the Express he had led several private inspections through the property.…
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Islay House elite
Woodend’s Islay House has ranked among the best Booking.com venues and won a Travellers Review Award 2025. Established in 1860 as the British American Hotel, Islay House was a coaching inn offering accommodation to miners travelling to the Bendigo goldfields in the 1860s. Owners Tarni James and Clive Warner worked to restore historical character in…
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Gender equity in spotlight
It was International Women’s Day last Thursday, and Woodend-based Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell was pleased to be able to talk to Kyneton Women’s Football Club representatives about gender equality in sport. The KWFC members were visiting Parliament House to help raise awareness about the significant challenges faced by women and girls in community…
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Airfield upgrades ahead
A Kyneton Airfield upgrade will introduce a new helipad for emergency services and runway extension to accommodate aircraft used for fire-fighting. Last week, Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters announced Kyneton Aero Club was successful in securing $413,500 under the federal government’s Regional Airports Program. “It is so important that Kyneton residents have access to medical and…
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Gisborne open space push
A small but valuable parcel of land could provide Gisborne with much-sought open space if Macedon Ranges Shire Council can acquire it. The 4.5 acres at 120 Aitken Street was donated to the local primary school for use as a pine plantation and bird sanctuary in the 1920s. At that time, 18 local families and…
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GROW festival exceeds expectations
A crowd of more than 560 people attended the GROW Festival of Regenerative Food and Farming at Kyneton Racecourse last month. The inaugural one-day conference and field day was a community project by Macedon Ranges Regenerative Farmers, part of the not-for-profit Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group. The organisers aim was to bring people together to achieve…
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Lana stars in topical film
Kyneton actor Lana Hughes aims to keep the conversation going about the dangers of drink-spiking through her latest short film role in Honey. Lana is one of the featured actors in the piece, which centres on a young woman locked in a toilet cubicle, drink spiked and at the mercy of the women around her.…