Mount Alexander Shire
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Foster carers needed
During Foster Care Week (September 12-18) leading child welfare organisation Anglicare Victoria is shining a spotlight on the urgent need for more foster carers across the state and the great reasons why people should give foster caring a go. Here in the north central region there is a critical shortage of carers, which means many…
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Farming for a better future
Farmers in Mount Alexander Shire are learning how to increase productivity and profitability through the practice of regenerative farming. They’re benefiting from workshops run by the Mount Alexander Regenerative Agriculture Group, which provide practical demonstrations and on-ground implementation. Regenerative agriculture has been identified as a critical means by which we can mitigate climate change and…
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Mysterious marsupials
La Trobe University researchers have caught on camera one of Victoria’s most elusive and threatened marsupials – revealing there’s more brush-tailed phascogales living in central Victoria than previously thought. The study, recently published in Austral Ecology, used nesting boxes combined with heat-sensing cameras to determine how prevalent the extremely shy, fast-moving creature is in the box-ironbark…
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Video celebrates local landcarers
A new ‘Landcare Celebration’ video pays tribute to the hardworking and passionate volunteer groups across the Mount Alexander region. The Connecting Country video was funded through a Mount Alexander Shire Community Grant and features a number of landcare volunteers talking about why landcare is important to their community and the vast diversity of projects across…
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Vaccine confidence booster
As demand to get the jab at Castlemaine Health’s coronavirus vaccination clinics has continued to grow in recent days, so too has confidence in vaccine supply say frontline health professionals administering the local rollout. While it’s been hard to miss the national criticism around the federal government’s role in facilitating adequate supply of – particularly…
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Don’t trash our bushland
Chewton residents are outraged after a significant quantity of rubbish was discovered illegally dumped in bushland in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. Among locals demanding action to clean up, and better police, the unsightly practice, Chewton’s John Ellis said the mess was discovered in bushland off Morgan Track.“It just makes me bloody angry,” Mr…
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Hop to it and do wildlife rescue
People keen to help injured native wildlife are about to get a great chance to do just that.A wildlife rescuers’ and transporters’ course delivered through Wildlife Victoria is coming up next month and Mount Alexander and Macedon Ranges locals are being encouraged to take part. “We’re desperately short of rescuers and transporters in our area,”…
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Blaze spotlights dog attacks
A devastating shed fire at Yapeen in recent days spotlights a wider issue of dogs attacking livestock in the area. Late afternoon, April 25 just gone, beekeeper and honey producer Noel Taylor was using gas to melt hive wax in his big honey production shed when his neighbour across the road phoned with the shocking…
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Local housing prices spiral
A local analysis of housing prices over recent months indicates it’s getting harder than ever to crack into the housing market in Mount Alexander. Newstead and District Affordable Housing member John Nieman says the group’s analysis of the local property market highlights the trend. The former local councillor is also raising concerns about what the…
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Deposit scheme wait
Litter along local roads and in public places is a pet peeve for Castlemaine local Bill Wiglesworth. He wants to see container deposit legislation introduced in Victoria as soon as possible. For this reason Mr Wiglesworth is among locals quick to welcome the state government’s plan to introduce a container deposit scheme by 2022-23, enabling…
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COVID's regional tourism windfall
While COVID has crunched overseas and interstate travel plans for many Victorians, regional Victoria has just quietly been benefiting from a visitor boom. Local accommodation venues, dining venues, visitor attractions – and even local artists – have all been among those enjoying a financial uptick as Victorians have taken time out to holiday in their…
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COVID’s regional tourism windfall
While COVID has crunched overseas and interstate travel plans for many Victorians, regional Victoria has just quietly been benefiting from a visitor boom. Local accommodation venues, dining venues, visitor attractions – and even local artists – have all been among those enjoying a financial uptick as Victorians have taken time out to holiday in their…