Macedon Ranges
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Drone daredevils take fishing to new heights at Upper Coliban Reservoir
A daring Kyneton fisherman and his mates have tackled the first-ever drone fishing at Upper Coliban Reservoir in a stunt that put everything on the line. Armed with his rod and a VB stubby of courage, Sam Foreman dangled metres above the water, suspended in a chair from a purpose-built drone while captured on film.…
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Kyneton’s Lost Trades Fair move to Bendigo confirmed
Kyneton will no longer host the popular Lost Trades Fair as organisers sign up for the next three years in Bendigo. City of Greater Bendigo mayor Margaret O’Rourke announced yesterday that Bendigo Racecourse would host the 2020 fair in March. The news follows reports of organisers seeking a new location and sounding out the City…
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Lancefield plan endorsed – Councillors divided on ‘community opinion’
Passionate pleas for council to dump a restrictive development plan for Lancefield have ended in disappointment for some landowners. Macedon Ranges Shire councillors endorsed a development plan overlay on three residential areas in the township in a 5-4 vote at their ordinary meeting last Wednesday. Lancefield local Robert Green said the move had taken away…
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Solar win for social enterprise
A Kyneton not-for-profit cafe’s annual power bill will be slashed by around $5000 a year after the installation of solar panels. The Social Foundry has installed a 20kW solar system thanks to a $20,000 grant from energy retailer Powershop and support from the More Australian Solar Homes community solar bulk-buy. The 68-panel solar system will…
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Licensed to kill
Hundreds of kangaroos across the region shot by incompetent hunters issued state government permits to kill, need to be euthanised by wildlife rescuers to put them out of their misery. Manfred Zabinskas, who runs a wildlife shelter in East Trentham, said rescuers were regularly finding kangaroos that hadn’t been “killed cleanly”. “They’ve been shot horribly.…
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Traffic plan draws criticism
A Kyneton residents group has criticised a council plan to manage increased traffic flow through the town as new housing estates and infill development are expected to see the population reach 10,000 by 2036. The draft Kyneton Movement Network Study, currently on public exhibition, aims to guide and provide the transport infrastructure needed to cope…
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Hungry for more
Central Victoria’s reputation as a foodie destination stands to gain international recognition from Greater Bendigo’s bid to become a designated City of Gastronomy. The submission to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network could put the region on the world map for food and beverage alongside the likes of Gaziantep (Turkey), Chengdu (China), Parma (Italy) and Tsuruoka…
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Towering troubles ahead
A group of Woodend residents are petitioning local council to stop plans for a 33 metre tall mobile phone tower at Woodend Train Station. The Optus proposal forms part of the Victorian Government’s Regional Rail Connectivity Project to improve coverage in black spot areas but locals want to see its location reconsidered. “There’s no objection…
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Car park confusion
The installation of new one-way traffic signage and line marking arrows in the Woolworths car park in Kyneton caused considerable confusion for shoppers taken by surprise last week. Sections of the car park are owned separately by Woolworths and Macedon Ranges Shire Council and the safety improvement works were undertaken by council in response to…
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Locals join fire fight
Local firies joined the fight at Bunyip State Park and Gippsland firegrounds last week. A Macedon Ranges strike team with firefighters from across the district was in force, as well as crews from Harcourt and Campbells Creek and CFA members from Castlemaine and Newstead. The strike team comprised members from the Coliban and Mountain brigade…
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Urgent call for change
Biolinks Alliance has submitted an urgent call for more research and funding to the 2018 inquiry into Australia’s faunal extinction crisis. The Kyneton-based alliance comprises 18 landcare and environment groups dedicated to repairing regional landscapes and saving threatened species. Board member Karen Alexander OAM, who authored the submission, said Victoria was the most cleared state…
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History-making Kyneton show
The 2018 Kyneton Show made history when the pavilion opened for the first time on the Friday night. Kyneton Agricultural Society president Michael O’Sullivan said it was a real hit. “It did mean bringing forward everything with entries closing a day earlier but people really embraced it and there was no resistance to it,” he…