AUTHORITIES  have called for calm after Australia’s sixth bird flu case was confirmed at Hawks Nest, with thousands of department staff deployed to the coastline. Authorities insist there’s no bird flu crisis and no need to panic, despite a growing number of birds testing positive to the deadly virus along the Australian coastline. Poultry farms […]

EACH year some of Australia’s most outstanding classical musicians make the journey up the Bucketts Way to Gloucester and beyond to Rookhurst, before heading down a dirt track to perform in a near-century-old tin farm shed. It’s been happening since the Craven Creek Music Festival first kicked off in 2013, each year playing to a […]

DAVE Layzell MP, Member for Upper Hunter, has shared the news that the endangered Manning River turtle population appears to have bounced back from last year’s East Coast severe weather event. The storm swamped the MidCoast, Hunter coast and the Upper Hunter in May 2025, causing significant disruption native animals in those environments. Mr Layzell […]

Judges and winners: Marilyn Sanderson, Michael Duffy, Eva Brooks, Alison Gorman, Crystal Syned, Tess Nolan, John Hogan, Deb Pugh. Photo: Charlie Lethbridge Judges, Alison Gorman, Michael Duffy, Tess Nolan. Photo: Charlie Lethbridge THE winners of the inaugural Arts Gloucester Quills and Ink writing competition were announced on Saturday, 13 June. The competition grew from an […]

KOALA Azaliah and her joey Zali were hit by a car not long after 40 eucalyptus trees in their home were destroyed. Mother and baby recovered after intensive care at Northern Rivers Koala Hospital in Lismore, NSW, and were released back into the wild in October. But another joey, Guinevere, was not so fortunate, dying […]

MIDCOAST Council says the Manning River Underbore project remains on track, but has not ruled out water restrictions for northern parts of the MidCoast throughout October and November. The project reached a major milestone last week when a 750m pilot hole was successfully drilled under the Manning River, from Bootawa to Wingham. MidCoast Council’s Director […]

PICTURE this: you’re 23 years old, and while most of your peers are still navigating university or working out what to do with their lives, you’ve already chosen your destiny. Not fame, not fortune – but Mars. That’s the life of Alyssa Carson, a young American who has devoted almost every waking hour to one […]

GLOUCESTER Bowling Club’s Jim Grech represented the region at the NSW/ACT Blind Bowls State Championship held locally last weekend. He competed in Category B1, “directed” by good friend and fellow bowler Rob Heininger, winning Silver in the singles and Bronze in the pairs alongside Graeme Innes from Cudgen Bowling Club. Jim was diagnosed with Stargardt’s […]

Around 40 volunteers donated their time and skills to assist eight farming families in Wingham, Oxley Island, Pampoolah, Burrell Creek, Taree and Kimbriki. Around 40 volunteers donated their time and skills to assist eight farming families in Wingham, Oxley Island, Pampoolah, Burrell Creek, Taree and Kimbriki. RURAL Aid’s Farm Recovery Event in Wingham from 7-13 […]

IF you’ve ever needed a reason to step outside, tilt your head back, and marvel at the heavens, August is it. This month, the night sky becomes a stage for some of the most breathtaking celestial performances you’re likely to witness in years – and here in Australia, we have front-row seats. It all began […]