AS bat season nears in the Hunter, health authorities are warning residents to take extra care and avoid all contact with flying foxes or microbats. A spike in sick and distressed bats arriving at wildlife hospitals across Northern NSW and Southern Queensland in recent weeks has prompted the alert. Authorities stress that touching or handling […]
Historic monastery opens its doors
Rev Maree Armstrong, priest of St John’s Stroud, hosts morning tea. Local Stroud farmer Dawn Tawse. Brother Christopher-John, flanked on the left by Brother Bruce-Paul, Linda Simpson and Melissa Davey-Dew, and on the right, Rev Maree Armstrong. MORE than 80 visitors gathered at Stroud’s mud brick monastery on Saturday 30 August, for a peaceful and […]
Still no decision on the Stratford Renewable Energy Hub
THE NSW Government is yet to arrive at a decision to either approve or reject an application by Yancoal to convert its Stratford coal mine into a renewable energy hub. No firm date has been given as to when a final decision will be made. If approved, the project will require the construction of 660,000 […]
Green growth brings risk of bloat and pulpy kidney
LOCAL Land Services (LLS) is encouraging livestock producers to take steps to reduce the risk of bloat and pulpy kidney as Spring arrives. Pulpy kidney, also known as enterotoxaemia, can cause sudden death in sheep, goats and cattle on high carbohydrate, energy-rich feed, with fat, healthy livestock in prime condition particularly susceptible. “Pulpy kidney is […]

Drilling underway on Manning River Underbore
A PERMANENT water supply is expected to be restored to Wingham by early December, with contractors working to install a new pipeline under the Manning River. The previous pipeline, which had supplied water to Wingham from Bootawa Dam since the 1960s, was damaged when it crossed the river during the May flood, unexpectedly cutting off […]
Koalas to be celebrated with festival at Tinonee
A FESTIVAL will be held to celebrate and support the region’s koala population on Saturday, 20 September at Tinonee Recreation Reserve. “There will be a fun, festival atmosphere for the whole family to enjoy,” MidCoast Council said in a statement. “There will be stalls and games to keep everyone entertained along with free koala tree […]
Garden Club experience ‘magnificent’ showcase property
THE showpiece garden of John and Irene Nosworthy was the highlight of the August meeting of Gloucester Garden Club. John and Irene purchased the 2.6 acre block in the Meadows in 2018. Although the basis of the treescape had been planted, the property was badly overgrown at the time. Seven years later, Garden Club member […]

Extra funding required for road repairs across the MidCoast LGA
MIDCOAST Council plans to spend more than $68 million on roads this year. Despite the eye watering number, Deputy Mayor Jeremy Miller says it isn’t enough to get the road network to “where the community expects”. “We know that we need to invest an additional $35 million into our roads each year to keep them […]
Long-awaited Great Koala National Park finally announced
THE proposed boundary for the long-awaited Great Koala National Park (GKNP) was announced on Sunday, with conservationists celebrating and the forestry industry in panic mode. The GKNP, which will cover an area between Kempsey and Woolgoolga, will add 176,000 hectares of State Forest to existing reserves to create a 476,000-hectare National Park. The announcement indicates […]
Government release 20,000 Home Care Packages
THE Federal Government has announced it will deliver 20,000 Home Care Packages in the next eight weeks. A further 20,000 packages are set to be released between November and the end of the year, with the remainder of the promised 43,000 to be delivered by mid-2026. The Australian Government subsidises organisations to provide home care […]