News
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Ballantinia, banksias and blue-banded bees
In 1997 an enthusiastic group of local residents joined forces to form the Harcourt Valley Landcare Group. Twenty five years later the enthusiasm of this hard-working local group has been sustained and they will celebrate their longevity and success with a special event this Sunday. Since its inception, Harcourt Valley Landcare has completed more than…
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Energy park on hold
Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group has put its community energy park project on hold indefinitely after receiving confirmation from the state government that regulatory barriers can’t be overcome in the next term. The vital step to enable the project to move forward was for the government to amend the Plantations Act to allow for non-forestry uses,…
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Blaze at Carlsruhe
Fire tore through a two-storey mudbrick home at Carlsruhe early last Thursday morning. Brigades from across the district turned out to the blaze at a property on Institute Road about 2.30am. The fire gutted the upper storey of the home while the lower level sustained significant smoke and water damage. All occupants of the home…
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Artists deliver new course
Eve Lamb Established Castlemaine artists Zoe Amor and Helen Kelly know what it’s like to turn a personal passion into a professional practice. Unfortunately, for many talented artists, it’s not always something that comes about easily – or ever. But now the two accomplished practitioners are teaming together to deliver a new course aimed at…
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Hoons to face court
Two men have been charged after police responded to a hoon driving incident in Woodend on July 15. Police received reports of two utilities doing burnouts in High Street about 11.45pm. Police discovered tyre marks on the road and located two vehicles matching the description nearby. The driver of one of the vehicles, a 19-year-old…
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Bid to host Games
Eve Lamb It may not yet be approved as a Commonwealth Games inclusion. But if mountain biking does get the official nod then Harcourt’s La Larr Ba Gauwa Mountain Bike Park should be the place to host it. This is the case being strongly – and jointly – put by both the City of Greater…
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Snap rally to stop logging
More than 50 people attended a snap rally in Gisborne on Friday to voice their concerns about VicForests’ salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest. Members of landcare and friends groups, Wombat Forestcare members and the Sybil Disobedients (Extinction Rebellion Ballarat) rallied to demand that the Victorian Government cease the logging and legislate the promised…
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Our organics are not ‘waste’
Transitioning to a localised economy is both pressing and exciting. As we learn of recycling industries in crisis, rising fuel prices and unaffordable lettuce, the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) members scratch their collective heads, especially when it comes to removing food organics from landfill and increasing local food growing capacity. YIMBY composters are…
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Bust of the late Felix Cappy unveiled
Lisa Dennis A huge crowd gathered at the Castlemaine Town Hall on Sunday to witness the unveiling of a bronze bust to celebrate the life and achievements of the late Felix Cappy OAM. Felix was born and bred in Castlemaine and devoted his life to community service, charitable work and preserving the town’s history. Felix…
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From gallery to garden
Eve Lamb Castlemaine’s botanical gardens have a new feature … and if you think you’ve seen it somewhere else before then you’re spot on. Ever since it was created back in 2009 by local artist Zoe Amor, the striking bronze sculpture, Dusk, has graced the portico at the front of Castlemaine Art Museum in Lyttleton Street. But…
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Tragedy commemorated
Two prisoners of war with Kyneton family have been honoured in the 80th anniversary of their tragic deaths. Civilian Harry Darley Holland and Sydney McGregor, Private 2/22nd Battalion, were among those to perish on board the unmarked Japanese transport freighter SS Montevideo Maru. The freighter was torpedoed on July 1, 1942, off the coast of…
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Macedon Ranges mayor takes up Plastic Free July challenge
How can an environmentally conscious resident reduce their single-use plastic uptake even more? That’s a question facing Macedon Ranges mayor Jennifer Anderson this month as she tackles her own challenge for Plastic Free July. The Australian-born initiative is a global movement that encourages people to reduce their plastic use to lessen their environmental impact. This…