Mount Alexander Shire Council
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Parky Pals welcome you
Parkinson’s disease is affecting more and more people world-wide and no-one really knows why. A Parkinson’s diagnosis is a confusing and challenging time and the local community has formed a support group with the assistance of Dhelkaya Health and a Community Health nurse. Already about 30 people attend monthly. ‘Parky Pals’ is a monthly get…
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Soil saviours gather at Sidonia
Another successful ‘Healthy Landscapes’ course has been run with record attendance from landholders attending from all over the region and an average of nearly 200 acres per participating property. This valuable course is designed to help landholders learn about managing their land starting with their most valuable resource, soil. Currently the region is experiencing an…
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The government’s bitumen
EXCLUSIVE – The state government denied responsibility for a public road in the Mount Alexander Regional Park and for years failed its statutory duty to inspect, repair and maintain its condition. Joseph Young Drive is an 8.5km stretch of winding road that cuts through the regional park from one end to the other. It amassed…
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A platform for young makers
An inaugural Wesley Hill Young Makers Market aims to create a platform for young people in Mount Alexander Shire’s vibrant artistic and creative community. The program, supported by Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Quick Response Youth Grants, will form part of the Wesley Hill Market from 9am to 1pm on Saturday May 31. In keeping with…
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Residents asking ‘WTF’: Where’s the footpath?!
Pedestrians are concerned about the safety and accessibility of the newly constructed kerb at the delivery dock of Castlemaine’s Woolworths development. The large concrete edging has created a dead-end for people using wheelchairs or prams and left community members questioning who is responsible for remedying the situation – Woolworths, the developers or the council? Local…
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Roo savaged by dog, left to drown
A kangaroo was saved from the Coliban Main Water Channel by wildlife rescuers after it was attacked by an off-leash dog in Elphinstone on March 28. Volunteers from Wildlife Victoria were called to the scene and managed to extract the 70kg male kangaroo from the water channel, before providing medical assistance. He was taken to…
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Legacy project completed
After more than a decade closed to traffic, the Vaughan-Tarilta bridge (or low-level crossing as the experts call it) has been replaced. The original timber bridge crossing the Loddon River was built in 1868. The closure of this vital crossing has caused long detours and limited access for locals. The replacement concrete crossing came with…
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“We’re not giving up”
Mount Alexander Shire Council is advocating for federal funding to deliver an affordable housing development in Castlemaine ahead of the upcoming federal election. The project will create 22 affordable rental apartments on council land at 65 Templeton Street. Apartments will be a mix of one and two bedrooms, a household type that is currently lacking…
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Planning powers at risk
Planning powers could be overridden if local councils do not co-operate with the Victorian Government’s latest housing targets to reach 2.24 million new homes by 2051. Macedon Ranges Shire is expected to accommodate an additional 13,200 houses by 2051 in updated plans released last week. It is an additional 500 homes on what was initially…
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Parking, parrots and potential fires
Mount Alexander Shire Council is seeking a permanent speed reduction along a one-kilometre stretch of Golden Point Road at Chewton to address road safety issues at Expedition Pass Reservoir. Following on from the article ‘An accident waiting to happen?’ (published in the Express on January 7), which outlined community concern about haphazard parking along the…
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A community united in Castlemaine
Australia Day is a contentious day, and instead of bringing the nation together, it divides sections of the community in their beliefs about how the day should be celebrated, if it should be celebrated at all, or when it should be held. And yet somehow, the Mount Alexander Shire community has found a way to…
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Councils prioritise Indigenous relations
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has joined more than 30 per cent of Victorian councils and once more decided against hosting Australia Day celebrations in reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. This action has been in place since August 2023 when the council voted 5-2 in favour of moving the annual Australia Day Awards and citizenship ceremony. To…