Mount Alexander Shire Council
-
Depot gets green light
Lisa Dennis A contractor’s depot will be built on farming land at Muckleford after gaining approval at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The VCAT decision has overturned a refusal by Mount Alexander Shire Council to grant a permit to applicant Slingo Earthmoving Castlemaine. The application for land at 315 Butchers Road, Muckleford, was knocked…
-
Bridge back on agenda
Jade Jungwirth The highly controversial Froomes Road Bridge is once again on the agenda of tonight’s Mount Alexander Shire Council meeting. At the beginning of 2020 the council resolved to award the contract for the bridge’s replacement, but after receiving negative feedback from residents and a petition with 1300 signatures, the council temporarily suspended awarding…
-
A little bit of Christmas magic
Jade Jungwirth A group of local women has spent endless hours making hand-crafted Christmas wreaths to place around the townships of Castlemaine and Maldon. Seventy-three-year-old Lana Osterfield organised the wreath-making efforts, using vines pruned from her ornamental grapevine, with eight other retired crafters. “The council had approached a group of craft people to make decorations…
-
Christmas shop controversy
Jade Jungwirth A number of Maldon shop owners have expressed outrage at a new red arrow pointing to ‘Santa and the Christmas Shop’ (Vanilla Spice). Traders approached members of Maldon Inc (Maldon’s business association) to discuss their anger and confusion regarding a new addition to the Maldon wayfinder sign that is promoting the Maldon Christmas…
-
Council denies permit
Jade Jungwirth Mount Alexander Shire councillors aired mixed views on the refusal of a double-storey development and two-lot subdivision opposite picturesque bushland at Castlemaine. The Parker Street application attracted 11 objections from across nine properties as well as council officer recommendation for refusal. Council officer reservation was largely due to the design, appearance and layout…
-
Upgrade for notorious road
Lisa Dennis Walmer’s notorious Fogartys Gap Road is one of 47 roads across the state to be upgraded thanks to an injection of funds from the federal government’s Black Spot Program. Bendigo MP and Victorian Black Spot Consultative Panel chair, Lisa Chesters, visited Walmer on Friday to announce an allocation of $18.4 million to substantially…
-
Improving access and inclusion
Do you want to help improve access and inclusion for people with a disability in the Mount Alexander Shire? Express your interest in becoming a member of the new Disability Action Plan Working Group with Mount Alexander Shire Council. The group will provide input, advice and feedback on the development of council’s new Disability Action…
-
Vaping, what you should know
While the message about the dangers of cigarettes seems to be getting across to the next generation, there appears to be an alarming new threat – vaping. In response to a growing concern about vaping among young people, Castlemaine Library is hosting a community information night on August 18. This free information session is an…
-
Drop the limit please: Residents petition council
Eve Lamb Safety concerns have prompted Campbells Creek residents to petition the Mount Alexander Shire Council calling for the maximum speed limit to be reduced on the main road through the locality. The petition comes as one concerned local personally contacted the Express to detail her worries following a car crash that left one car…
-
Harcourt flood study kicks off
The Harcourt community is being asked to do its bit to help protect the local area from future flooding. The North Central Catchment Management Authority is supporting the Mount Alexander Shire Council development of a Flood Study for Harcourt and calling on residents to share their knowledge of past flood events to better inform how…
-
National conference coming to Castlemaine
In recent years, main streets and town centres have faced many challenges to their survival. First, shopping centres, then online, and finally, COVID. Now they’re faced with worker shortages and price increases. However, in comparison to metro main streets, regional precincts have done it even tougher with a smaller population to call on for support…
-
Bid to host Games
Eve Lamb It may not yet be approved as a Commonwealth Games inclusion. But if mountain biking does get the official nod then Harcourt’s La Larr Ba Gauwa Mountain Bike Park should be the place to host it. This is the case being strongly – and jointly – put by both the City of Greater…