Castlemaine
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Celebrating IWD in a new way
In keeping with the purpose of International Women’s Day, which is a global day created to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, Castlemaine’s Cate Mercer has invited local female musicians, singers and songwriters to come together to share words and song. “In the past few years, Kavisha Mazzella organised a coffee…
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Retirement village on hold
Plans for the development of an affordable retirement village for Castlemaine are on hold after the potential developer of the project pulled out for reasons connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disappointed working group behind the project said that much groundwork, discussion and planning had gone into the lifestyle village concept since a parcel of…
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Carla, Chloe set for BPL
In the just released Bowls Australia rankings for women the two top players in the nation are Carla Krizanic and Chloe Stewart, who grew up in Castlemaine and Kyneton respectively. And this week they are playing in elite company at the exciting Bowls Premier League 12 event spread over four days at Moama. Both are…
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Sounds of the commute
A community driven sound project is documenting and celebrating the sounds of the commute from Melbourne to Castlemaine and surrounds. Newstead electronic producer, vocalist, musician and sound artist Aimee Chapman is using the project to kick-off the 2021 Phee Broadway Theatre ‘At Home’ creative residency program. Her work, Coming Home, is inspired by the music…
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Affordable housing model makes conversation starter
Putting home ownership in reach of those who may otherwise never afford it is front and centre at this Thursday evening’s public Community Conversation event in Castlemaine. The conversation is set for 6pm in The Tap Room at The Mill and will primarily focus on the internationally successful Land Trust model as a way to…
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OAMs for Castlemaine climate activist couple
Australia needs to step up to the plate on climate action, Castlemaine’s newly named OAM recipients Neil and Heather Barrett say. The two veteran campaigners for the environment and climate action have been individually named recipients of the Order of Australia medal. Each told the Midland Express they initially thought the prestigious Australia Day honour…
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Austin’s wish to walk
Castlemaine youngster Austin Vearing is just like any other cheeky four year old. He loves cars, is obsessed with trains, jumping in muddy puddles and visiting the local park with his little brother. But Austin has cerebral palsy; he was born premature at 30 weeks and because of this he acquired a brain injury. Austin’s…
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Club Summer – poolside!
Poolside is looking like the place to be for the rest of summer – particularly if you’re young and local. Backed with a tidy sum from Vic Health, Club Summer @ Chewton Pool is a new pilot program packed with the sort of things summer memories are made of.Aimed at the 12-18 age set, the…
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‘Glamping’ comes to Castlemaine
While this year has been immensely difficult for local tourism operators, Big 4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park has used the lockdown closures as an opportunity to continue to revamp the historic park on the fringe of the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens. Park owner Claire Height said she decided she needed to get on with things. “In…
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A gnawing problem
Quite a few people are said to keep a secret in their closet. Turns out one Castlemaine area woman had a secret in her closet she didn’t even know was there. But when Karen Micallef recently shifted a suitcase that had been sitting beside her closet, all that was about to change. “I looked down…
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Concern over church plan for Castlemaine
A proposed church development that would become the largest place of assembly in Castlemaine is currently before Mount Alexander Shire Council. Residents have raised concerns about the application for 83 Blakeley Road, which would have the capacity to seat up to 870 people and an adjoining car park to accommodate 160 cars. The application outlines…
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EV tax slammed
With the first of the region’s new electric vehicle fast charge stations to roll out at Maryborough within days, advocates are slamming the state government’s proposed new tax slug on EV road users. “Electric vehicles currently make up only one per cent of vehicles on our roads so it’s far too early to disincentivise their…

