News
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Homeless in Harcourt
Over the past month, the Express has reported extensively on the devastating loss of homes and businesses caused by the fire in the Harcourt district on January 9. Emotional, financial and practical support has been readily available to those who lost their homes, but for people who do not fit into ‘traditional’ living arrangements, those…
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New tourism brand launched
Tourism industry representatives from across the Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges, Hepburn and Central Goldfields shires descended on Castlemaine’s Boomtown Winery and Bistro last Thursday evening for the official launch of new visitor brand – ‘Victoria’s Heartland’. The unveiling marks an exciting new chapter for the region following the inception of Destination Central Victoria last year.…
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World record within reach
Angus Johnstone will next month attempt a Guinness World Record by flying a single kite continuously for 24 hours straight. The Kyneton local has set himself the ambitious goal of ‘Longest Kite Flight by an Individual’ to raise funds for health and education in Myanmar. The challenge will take place in Killarney, just outside Port…
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Fresh thinking takes root at GROW
From soil pits to succession planning, cultural burning to carbon, frog croaks to foliar fertiliser – GROW Festival invites the Macedon Ranges community to dig deep, literally! This Friday, February 20, Kyneton Racecourse and adjoining Rock House Farm will host more than 40 short, practical and thought-provoking sessions across six spaces: the GROW Lounge, themed…
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Fighting for the service
A committee is confident Anzac Day Services will go ahead this year at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, despite urgent and costly repairs required for the monument. About $200,000 of structural work is required for the cross to meet safety standards and host its annual Anzac Dawn Service on April 25 – the second biggest…
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Gisborne’s Idol ‘diamond’
Auditioning for Australian Idol was a dream come true for New Gisborne’s Mikayla Burke. The moment was all the more moving for the 20-year-old who just last year discovered she had significant hearing loss. Mikayla was in her final year of study at the Australian Institute of Music, and planning her career, when she learnt that her…
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Urgent safety upgrades needed
Newham residents are seeking urgent safety improvements to avoid another tragedy at a notorious stretch of Three Chain Road. The Egans Lane intersection was the site of a fatal collision, which claimed the life of a Macedon Ranges man and injured another, earlier this month. While police continue to investigate the cause of that crash,…
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‘Seven intense hours on the fireground’
Clarkefield and Darraweit Guim residents were urged to take shelter last week after a grassfire burned out of control and conditions became too dangerous to evacuate. Last Wednesday, fire authorities responded to reports of a grassfire in Clarkefield at 12.58pm. Its spread damaged properties and Vic Emergency advised, in the early hours of the afternoon,…
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Residents ‘aren’t stakeholders’
Gisborne residents are furious with the mismanagement of a development site that has hindered their daily life for the past six months. About 700 people live in the streets adjacent to an estate being developed, titled Rosalia, which is expected to build 861 dwellings near Gisborne’s town centre. At a ‘pop-in’ meeting for residents to…
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From Macedon Ranges to centre stage
By Preeshita Shah From the Macedon Ranges to the stages of Sydney, Angus O’Farrell is living his theatre dreams. The Alice Miller School student is one of four winners of the 2025 John Bell Scholarship, selected from 88 applicants across the country for a week working alongside some of Australia’s leading actors and theatre professionals…
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Let’s take back the track
The second annual Take Back the Track event will be held in Castlemaine on Sunday, February 15. A national campaign, the walk/run is a way to raise awareness about the violence, harassment and intimidation experienced by many women and gender-diverse runners and walkers. Last year’s event saw more than 150 communities across the country organise…
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Discover the Lost Trades
The keepers of traditional and lost trades from local areas and far flung corners of the world will gather at Hanging Rock to showcase the finest levels of human craftmanship. The Lost Trades Fair is back this year in the region where it began, on March 28 and 29. It is a celebration of skill,…