Mount Alexander Shire
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Growth target set for state
Macedon Ranges Shire is expected to accommodate an additional 12,700 houses by 2051 in the Victorian Government’s latest draft housing targets. Last week Premier Jacinta Allan announced the draft targets for each local government area in the Housing Statement as part of a vision for Victoria’s next 30 years. The Premier said Victoria had the…
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‘Be curious and be kind’
Students and teachers from schools across Mount Alexander Shire came together at Castlemaine’s Western Reserve on Friday, to offer heartfelt words of apology to our First Nations people, ahead of the national day of healing on Sunday. It was an emotional morning as student leaders from six local schools spoke, with the innocence and sincerity…
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Record female numbers
Thirty years after Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club saw its first women’s team lace up their boots, the club is celebrating a record 166 female players, ranging from ages four to 54. May 3-12 is Female Football Week, a nationwide initiative to celebrate the immense growth of women’s football at all levels of the game and…
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Tours on Country
In honour of his father Uncle Brien Nelson’s vision, Uncle Rick proudly announces the launch of his social enterprise, Uncle Rick’s Waaman Tours. The launch party will take place at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on Sunday from 3pm to 6pm. Waaman Tours, led by Uncle Rick, are held out on Country and offer an…
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Friendship captures hearts
A novel published last year, inspired by the extraordinary friendship of Mount Alexander based teenagers, Jarrah Podesta and Mathilde Cross, has won a national literary award. The Children’s Book Council of Australia announced on Friday that August & Jones, by Sydney based author Pip Harry, had been voted the CBCA 2023 Shadow Judging Book of…
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The Compost Conversation – with Joel Meadows
Carbon cap and store There is a little trick you can do every time you add ingredients to your compost pile that can really improve how well it works. Cap your compost with carbon. Now, this might sound like something from the Kyoto Protocol that governments couldn’t get international agreement on, but it is much…
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Feeling the heat?
It can be hard to stay warm during these winter months, and let’s face it, it can be hard to make it out to the garden, where everything is cold, and it’s been oh so wet! Thank goodness for microbes, who, given the right conditions, keep reproducing, creating heat, and breaking down our discarded food…
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The harsh realities of living rough
People often talk about the pervasiveness of homelessness but what does that really mean? There are a multitude of different forms of homelessness, from staying temporarily with friends and family, couch surfing, living in a car, or living on the streets. But what does living rough really look like? One local man, Angel, and his…
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The true cost of the housing crisis
Jade Jungwirth“I can’t save money. I’m trapped paying way too much for rent and paying for rooms I don’t even need and I have no autonomy or agency over my own life. There’s no reason it should be this way. We’ve allowed economics to trump reality and people’s existence,” Steven said. The Express recently interviewed…
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Flagship festival to launch
Now in its 47th year, the Castlemaine State Festival is launching its 2023 season with a preview event at Castlemaine Goods Shed this Saturday January 28. The free public launch of Australia’s flagship regional arts event kicks off at 11am at the Kennedy Street venue with festival director Glyn Roberts presenting this year’s generous program.…
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Bin bandit put on notice
Castlemaine Police are seeking information from the public following a series of incidents where rubbish and recycle bins were mowed down by a vehicle across the township. Leading Senior Constable Wayne Cairnes said Mount Alexander Shire Council contacted them regarding the incidents, which took place sometime overnight on Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning on January 10-11 and…
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MainFM celebrates Australian music
94.9 MainFM will be celebrating all the diversity and talent of homegrown artists with a full week dedicated to playing Australian music in honour of Australian Music Month. Celebrating everything that’s great about Australian music, listeners can expect to hear even more local content, special programs, interviews, retrospectives and playlists. “Ausmusic Week has always been…