Woodend
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Local talent to hone craft at VCASS
Two students from the Castlemaine region and one from Woodend have been selected to attend the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2025. Muckleford’s Thea Sydes, Castlemaine’s Stella Carlon-Tozer and Woodend’s Claudia Campbell are thrilled to have won three of the 20 places to study a Theatre Arts specialism alongside their VCE subjects…
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Urgent traffic solutions sought
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is calling on Department of Transport for urgent traffic solutions for Woodend’s notorious Urquhart/High Street intersection. Users of the intersection contend with main street congestion, a confusing layout with several turning points and high volumes of traffic accessing service hot spots including the Coles supermarket and train station. More than four…
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Students learn bushfire readiness
Grade 5/6 students at St Ambrose Primary School in Woodend undertook an important project this semester, addressing a critical issue: the increasing risk of bushfires in Australia. Worsened by climate change, these events are becoming more frequent and severe, posing significant challenges to communities. Current research emphasises the value of place-based, action-oriented bushfire education to…
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Telstra upgrade for Macedon
Telstra will be upgrading its mobile base station at Macedon West to bring new 5G coverage to the area. The mobile site is on the Calder Freeway between the Macedon and Woodend turn-off and provides coverage along the freeway and the surrounding area. Telstra 5G delivers increased capacity, which means more consistent speeds, smoother streaming…
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Postcards wanders Woodend
Travel and lifestyle TV show Postcards visited Woodend last week to highlight some of the wonderful food and leisure options available in town. The program included the lovely walk along Five Mile Creek through the middle of town, which has been the focus of Woodend Landcare’s revegetation works over the past 30 years. Presenter Brodie…
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State selection for Ava
Woodend’s Ava Ryan has been selected by School Sports Victoria to represent the state in the U12 girls soccer team at the upcoming National Championships in Western Australia in October. The 12-year-old St Ambrose Parish Primary School student attended a regional and two state trials before being offered a position in the team, along with…
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Changing the narrative
Macedon Ranges Suicide Prevention Action Group is hosting its annual community walk at Woodend in September. The walk will take on this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme: ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’. MRSPAG believes that, by changing the narrative, people can move away from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness,…
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Extension a retro revival
When Eric Burton decided to downsize he took it to the extreme. He bought the smallest house in Woodend – a single-room cabin measuring 23sqm on a substantial 1175sqm block in Forest Street. The bonus of the cabin, however, was that it came with a building permit. So instead of tearing it down and building…
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Bug-eyed for expo
The National Insect Expo is returning to Woodend for 2024 with international interest. Exhibition director, Dr Bert Candusio, said specialist collectors from several countries were eager to link with Australian breeders and collectors to develop potential entomology based commercial opportunities. “We are getting very serious collectors and businesses showing great interest in attending this years…
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Riots trap locals in New Caledonia
A Woodend couple is currently trapped in New Caledonia as riots and unrest cause chaos across the Pacific territory. Dr Maxwell Winchester and Dr Tiffany Winchester were on holiday and due to fly home last Tuesday when protests broke out over voting reform in the French-ruled archipelago. The unrest began over a new bill that…
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Lions clubs take action on melanoma
Australia, unfortunately, holds a grim title: the highest melanoma rate globally. Every 30 minutes, a person in the country receives a melanoma diagnosis, with someone succumbing to the disease every six hours. (Source: Melanoma Institute Australia). Screening stands as a crucial tool in combating these alarming statistics. In line with Lions Australia’s commitment to enhancing…
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A recipe for success
When Adam Bourke realised he had built up his bakehouse to become a defining feature of Woodend, he knew he’d done something right. After 34 years, Bourkies Bakehouse is now an institution in the town and Adam is preparing to hand the legacy over to new owners. What people may not know is that its…