Castlemaine

  • Creating pathways for people in crisis

    Creating pathways for people in crisis

    A Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Forum being held in Castlemaine next week aims to highlight the pathways available to people in crisis. Local suicide prevention organisations HALT (Hope Assistance Local Tradies) and The ELM Network (Every Life Matters) are joining forces to host the forum, which will bring representatives from a range of local…

  • Tait bound for New York

    Tait bound for New York

    Castlemaine artist Catherine Tait will share her art on the world stage with an exhibition at an exciting new gallery space in New York next month. The talented painter and sculptor has pushed the boundaries to create her latest exhibition Old Friends – moving into silverwork jewellery and also dabbling in printmaking to create some…

  • Bringing Ernest to life

    Bringing Ernest to life

    Insights and stories behind renowned colonial goldsmith and jeweller, Castlemaine’s own Ernest Leviny, are on offer as part of a unique ‘armchair journey’ at Buda House this Sunday. The talented Ernest Leviny bought the historic local property in 1863 and two generations of the Leviny family then occupied Buda for 118 years until 1981. This…

  • On track to tackle plastic waste

    On track to tackle plastic waste

    Local tourism railways have played a key role in the development of innovative recycled plastic sleepers that may ultimately help solve the nation’s wider recycling crisis. Castlemaine’s Victorian Goldfields Railway and the Victorian Miniature Railway at Harcourt have both been involved in trialing or using the innovative railway sleepers made in Mildura by Integrated Recycling…

  • An age-old challenge

    An age-old challenge

    Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal has come up with a membership scheme to help meet the challenges of operating a grand old theatre in a regional setting. Tim Heath and Felicity Cripps now manage the theatre on their own, having recently parted ways with their former business partners. The beautiful 150-year-old building is the cultural heart of…

  • Tower proposal revisited

    Tower proposal revisited

    A proposal to construct a new Optus telecommunications tower at Castlemaine’s Wesley Hill is set to be revisited. The revised proposal would see the tower moved about 100-200 metres inside the reserve and away from nearby homes. Those impacted, however, say that the tower is now closer to residents in Railway Avenue who may be…

  • Twenty years of dance

    Twenty years of dance

    Castlemaine’s long-running hip-hop dance school Movement Zone is celebrating 20 years of dance with a special event at the Theatre Royal on Saturday August 3. Dancers past and present, parents and supporters are encouraged to get along to ‘Ready, Set, Glow’. The school’s humble beginnings began in Melbourne in 1999. It was co-founded by renowned…

  • Big-hearted gesture

    Big-hearted gesture

    Homeless people and those doing it tough are being offered a warming soup and roll and a warm dry place to escape the bitter winter cold at a new soup kitchen in Castlemaine. Launched last week by members of St Mary’s Parish with the support of other churches and the wider community, the soup kitchen…

  • Courage on climate workshop

    Courage on climate workshop

    Locals worried about climate change and its impacts are being encouraged not to despair and invited to join with like-minded others to help address the global issue. The Castlemaine-based group Central Vic Climate Action is gearing up to coordinate a range of community actions including this month’s upcoming public workshop in Castlemaine. Group members like…

  • Movement on supermarket proposal

    Movement on supermarket proposal

    Retail competition for IGA in Castlemaine appears to be on the horizon with movement in recent days toward establishment of a new player on the town’s supermarket scene. A Woolworths brand supermarket is proposed with a new application for a larger supermarket premises and a separate liquor retail outlet lodged by the Lascorp Development Group,…

  • Let off some steam!

    Let off some steam!

    With the school term break now in full swing, a special steam train running between Castlemaine and Maldon has been offering kids the chance to let off some holiday steam themselves. The Victorian Goldfields Railway Steam Train for Kids is rolling down the tourist track between Castlemaine and Maldon on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays during…

  • Climate call continues

    Climate call continues

    Castlemaine students are among the many Australians who continue to demand meaningful action to address climate change. And on Friday afternoon the local teens took their concerns to the streets yet again. This time at least 50 students including many from Castlemaine Secondary College took strike action, marching from their schools to Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal…