Castlemaine

  • Check off that Christmas list

    Check off that Christmas list

    Castlemaine traders will be open late again this Friday evening as part of two late night shopping nights that have been coordinated by Business Mount Alexander and supported by Mount Alexander Shire Council in partnership with the Castlemaine Fringe Festival and local businesses. Business operators will be open until 8pm providing the perfect opportunity to…

  • A little French tête-à-tête

    A little French tête-à-tête

    Friday mornings mean just one thing for a growing group of Castlemaine locals – time for a little French tête-à-tête. Originally from France, Delphine Laboureau-Ormancey is a dual citizen who last year returned to Guildford after a 20-year absence. The French language teacher and tutor has now introduced regular weekly French chat and coffee sessions…

  • COVID test clinic shifts

    COVID test clinic shifts

    While more than 95 per cent of eligible people living in Castlemaine have now been double vaxxed, the town’s newly relocated COVID testing clinic is experiencing strong demand for testing, particularly from people who’ve attended exposure sites. The drive-through clinic last week shifted from where it had been operating in Mostyn Street to the McGrath…

  • Local stars shine at MVAs

    Local stars shine at MVAs

    Soul virtuosos Emma Donovan & The Putbacks were the standout triumph at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. The group, which has a local connection, scooped up three awards at the 17th annual event at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Thursday evening including Best Soul, Funk, R’n’B or Gospel Act, Best Group, and Best Album for…

  • Debut album drops

    Debut album drops

    Castlemaine singer/songwriter Nadia Phillips has launched her highly anticipated debut album A Million Birds and One Stone. The EP has hit Bandcamp and music streaming services just as the talented 19-year-old, now based in Melbourne, and band The Girlfriends prepare to join fellow Castlemaine artists Dallas Woods and Galaxy Hop as part of the ‘Comin’ Down…

  • Dance fun on wheels…

    Dance fun on wheels…

    Not about to be rolled by something like a mere global pandemic, the Maine Rollers are actively doing their bit to get the good times up and rolling again. With COVID restrictions eased, the enthusiastic Castlemaine group has been quick to return to the Wesley Hill Stadium for their much-loved weekly Skate Fit Friday Sessions…

  • Creating a ‘safe space’ in Castlemaine

    Creating a ‘safe space’ in Castlemaine

    Suicide prevention and postvention group ELM (Every Life Matters) has received funding to create a new ‘Safe Space’ in Castlemaine to support community members struggling with mental health issues. The dedicated volunteers are now on the hunt for a suitable venue for the new initiative and members of the community who would be interested in…

  • Epic orchestra performance

    Epic orchestra performance

    This Saturday is a special one for Resonance String Orchestra as it delivers Epic, its debut Mount Alexander Shire live performance in the Castlemaine Town Hall. Led by its artistic patron Zoe Knighton of Victoria’s acclaimed Flinders quartet, the 50-piece community string orchestra comprises both adult and junior members who live in the Macedon Ranges and Mount…

  • Thefts show disrespect

    Thefts show disrespect

    The repeated thieving of donated goods from the front of Windarring’s Castlemaine recycled goods store has staff and supported workers there feeling more than a bit fed up. One of the store’s two Australian Disability Enterprise coordinators, Deanne Watson, says the incidence of people helping themselves to items that have been donated and left at…

  • A day of jazz

    A day of jazz

    Castlemaine Jazz Festival organisers are planning to hold a mini event this Saturday – ‘A Day of Jazz’. The pop-up event will take place at The Village Square performing space in Frederick Street, Castlemaine, and will feature some of the artists who were to appear at this year’s jazz festival. Artists to hit the stage…

  • Near-miss scare on railway line

    Near-miss scare on railway line

    Victorian Goldfields Railway crews were left in shock following a near miss between a train and a child on the railway line on October 31. About 4.45pm on the Sunday, the crew of the train operating from Castlemaine to Maldon saw four young children on the rail corridor about 100 metres from the Midland Highway…

  • Musos conference in the ‘maine

    Musos conference in the ‘maine

    Much of the region’s live music muscle will be headed to Castlemaine this month for a debut three-day music conference aimed at helping the industry rebound from COVID-19. To be staged at Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre, Senior Citizens Club, Town Hall and Theatre Royal over Friday to Sunday, November 19- 21, the inaugural Gold Sounds…