A friend sent me a photo of a bloke practising his golf at Victoria Park in Daylesford the other day.
Nice place to work on your handicap but only if you are prepared to yell out “fore” a lot as dog walkers dodge your golf balls. It’s a public open space, for all to enjoy, but are there limits for golfers?
Then there are the dog walkers, who often walk dogs off lead. Not just at Vic Park but all over the shire. We ran into a lot of them during our own dog walks around the Glenlyon Reserve – although we kept our dogs on leashes.
And as the other dogs barrelled towards us, with the owners yelling “don’t worry they’re friendly”, and us yelling back “the cocker spaniel is not friendly”, we decided that the reserve was not quite the place for elderly dogs.
During Covid outdoor dining was given a huge push, for all the right reasons. We still think back to days at The Cosmo in Trentham, in that wonderful beer garden, with our masks firmly on, and only dropped to take a sip of wine or beer. Strange days.
But it also meant public space was given over in some instances to dining. Frangos managed to procure the parking spots in Vincent Street, Daylesford for quite some time. But then it returned to parking – much needed in the main street.
And then there is Burke Square. The Daylesford Royal Hotel was given a permit for outdoor dining and tables appeared on the grassy area in Albert Street.
But six years later the tables are still there and now there is a bit of a push to have the tables removed and the area returned to the public for picnics and random gatherings.
It is one of the few bits of green left in the town unless you head up to the botanic gardens or perhaps Rea-Lands Park – but that is a bit of a walk.
Hepburn Shire CEO Bradley Thomas said all the shire’s outdoor areas were being reviewed in the next financial year and that public space often had conflicting uses – like the golfer and the dog walkers at Vic Park.
Both believe they have a right to use public land, and I guess they do, but common sense, or the pub test, must also come into play. I think most people would put the golfer in the wrong. Maybe.
Anyway, it’s another one of those watch this space thing, literally.
Totally unrelated, I really liked Bill Wootton’s poem in this edition of Local Lines, opposite.
We have all been there. You hear the rumble and then suddenly you are in the midst of bikers, trying to let them pass, and then realising there are still plenty more to follow.
And then you see them parked up somewhere, having a laugh and really enjoying being out in the regions.
I had a motorbike once. A midlife crisis I think. I was about 40. It was only 250cc but it was new and shiny and, I thought, really cool.
I bought all the safety clothing and rode it from Frankston to work at Mornington and back.
All was going well until I was riding it in our backyard one day, quite a big yard, and the dogs ran in front of me. I ditched the bike, dented the petrol tank and bruised my ego. I also realised that if the grass hurt that much, the road would be worse.
We sold it at a very reduced price. Just sayin’…

Hey there, I am Alfie – I may be a little character in size but I make up for it with a big love for life and an even bigger love for cuddles.
I love a good play session just as much as curling up for pats. I also love companionship and would be happiest in a home where someone is around often. I do need good fencing and some basic training – including house training. I am doing my best. Oh, I also need to be an only pet. Microchip number: 978101082242469
Come and meet me at MAAWs in Castlemaine.
5472 5277 | shelter@maaw.org.au

rumble

cocooned in your car a thunder
of bikers starts to pass

each engine amplifies
the quiet in your cabin

are there more ahead now than behind
still they come

you are mid-rumble
the wave is not breaking

on it surges
towards trentham

– Bill Wootton

Bill is a slow lane sort of driver whose knowledge of motorbikery is restricted to reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance many years ago. This is not Bill in the photo.

Local Lines features poetry by locals about local and any other matters.
Please submit poems to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

After a long break of not going to the movies – something to do with a broken ankle – the other day we went and watched a movie over in the Palace Regent Cinemas in Ballarat.
Now there’s not much I have to do to convince Donna to go. She thinks any movie is just a vehicle to get to enjoy buttery popcorn and sit in the dark away from my rambling theories. Sort of how pork is just a vehicle for the crunchy crackling – she doesn’t like pork but devours the crackling.
For me it’s certainly the buttery popcorn and the lemonade drink to wash down the fat and salt. But the faster and more action the better, and this one fitted the bill.
Crime 101 where old mate Chris Hemsworth’s character drives several high-performance vehicles including a Chrysler 300, a Dodge Challenger, a 1968 Camaro with a big-block engine, and a Cadillac CT5-V – schwing….
As we sat down in what used to be the Gold Class, and was clearly a worn shadow of its former self with most of the sticky recliners barely working, I smeared the footrest button with sanitiser to ensure a safe hygienic journey from the popcorn box to my mouth.
But the decadent delicacy did not deliver – unfortunately the vegans had invaded the joint and it was cooked with oil. Yuk.
This white anaemic pop of corn was so bland the herbivores had obviously recognised the fault and decided to bomb it with salt. Good heavens, woe betide we eat a little natural butter, but let’s go for the salt-infused cardiac arrest.
And to add lots of salt to serious injury, my wax-surfaced large paper cup with a plastic lid came with a paper straw which immediately imploded like a submarine in a war movie.
It is ridiculous that we no longer can enjoy proper popcorn with our movies because a vegan (who are estimated to be just five per cent of the population) might wander by and want olive oil popcorn.
I respect your right to be a grass grazer, but it is your choice not mine so give me back my buttered popcorn, made how nature intended it.
And as far as this bloody stupid paper straw business is concerned, sure let’s ban the plastic straws but not before you come up with a good alternative.
Here I am sucking up bits of paper through an imploded straw in an effort to save the planet while Trump and Iran are bombing the shit out of each other spilling God knows how much effluent and oil into the land and Strait of Hormuz.
Doesn’t make sense rant over…

The settlement of Glenlyon dates back to 1846 when Richard Babington and John Carpenter opened the first drinking establishment on a track between the Loddon River and Kangaroo Creek known as the Glenlyon run.

The area continued to grow over time with gold mining in the 1850s to the 1870s, followed by sawmilling and agriculture pursuits.
Hepburn Shire’s Daylesford and Glenlyon Heritage Study states Glenlyon was only ever a small goldfield and established itself as an agricultural and trading centre early on, with miners coming in from the dry forest of the Fryers Creek Goldfields to the north to take up fertile land.
The town had a roads board in 1860, reflecting its importance in the local transport and communications network, located on the road to Kyneton and Melbourne. One of the road board’s first tasks was to build a wooden bridge over the Loddon River and to construct corduroy roads (a type of road constructed by laying logs). Expenses were met by collecting tolls at several toll gates put up on the Daylesford Road.
The Victorian Government Gazette dated December 12, 1865 imparts the following facts: The roads board was replaced on December 12, 1865 when His Excellency Sir Charles Henry Darling proclaimed the Shire of Glenlyon. It consisted of an area of approximately 310sq kms and along with Glenlyon included the towns of Lyonville, Bullarto, Drummond, Coomoora and Yandoit.
After the proclamation in 1865, council offices were built in the town. The school had operated from 1861 and there were hotels, stores and churches. In 1867, the Department of Lands surveyed the township and developed a framework for growth.
Fast forward to 1903 and the Australian Handbook describes Glenlyon as a shire and post town. “There are three hotels, police station, shire hall, state school, Roman Catholic Church (St Paul’s) and school, Church of England and Wesleyan churches (and) a debating society. (The) town is not lighted. It is principally a farming district, the chief crops being wheat, oats, hay, peas and potatoes, 7932 acres being under cultivation. There are 750 dwellings, 696 ratepayers on the roll (and) 1s rates. Loddon Falls is a very romantic spot, about one mile below the township. Abundant supply of water from mineral springs. Population 300; of shire 2500.”
In 1915, the Glenlyon and Mt Franklin shires amalgamated, and Glenlyon became the new council’s meeting point.
The Argus newspaper of January 4, 1932 describes a big event happening in Glenlyon. People from many parts of the state and from other states visited the village for the Back to Glenlyon celebrations.
The back-to-school celebration was enjoyed by a representative gathering and took the form of a picnic and sports day. Other items included special church services, a picnic at Hepburn Springs and visits to local beauty spots and dances.
The population of Glenlyon dropped to 120 in 1961 and the council could no longer complete the necessary tasks required of its shire (roads, infrastructure, services and facilities). It merged with the Borough of Daylesford in 1966 to form the Shire of Daylesford and Glenlyon, which itself was later incorporated into the Hepburn Shire Council in 1995.

A fight with a bull in 1914

Irritated at confinement in a truck, a pedigreed Holstein bull attacked Cr. J. J. McCarthy, president of the Glenlyon Shire Council, its owner, when he endeavoured to take delivery at the Malmsbury station.
When Cr McCarthy entered the truck, he seized the bull by the tail. The animal tried to gore him, and an exciting contest ensued. Vigorous turnings and twistings resulted in Cr McCarthy seizing the ring in the bull’s nose and thus establishing a circuit of control.
Norman White, an employee, entered the truck, but the bull tried to attack him. Cr. McCarthy partly lost control and White was in danger, clever footwork alone saving him from the animal’s horns.
The sides of the truck resounded with the impact of the horns as the bull rushed at the two men. At last Cr McCarthy fixed a stallion’s leading chain and staff to the nose-ring but the bull broke free and dashed from the truck.
It raced through several streets, with White clinging to the rope. Mr Charles Breton assisted White to subdue the runaway.

Kyle Barnes caught up with an old mate, artist and sparky extraordinaire Gary Miles, who with his wife Jen, has recently opened an eclectic shop in Creswick called Imperial Lighting. Kyle chatted with Gary and used the opportunity to roll out every lighting and electrical reference and pun he could think of. Apologies in advance.

Kyle: So, what sparked your interest in lighting enough to start a shop?
Gary: I started getting a real shine for lighting about 10 years ago, renovating a lot of properties around Hepburn Shire and starting to work with people in their kitchens and dining rooms. I had a real interest in how light plays a role in our lives and in our homes. And what started out being a small thing started to grow. And as we started to look for more and more ways of doing things, it forced us to research and discover and to learn what light does in a room space. We play with things and break things down, light fittings, all sorts of things, from outside garden lighting to inside lighting in a lounge room. The past 10 years have been very interesting in what we can do with light, from light bulbs themselves to the fittings, where we put the light and where we put contrast in the room.

Kyle: Do you have any formal education in lighting?
Gary: It’s a self-taught thing. Jen has an eye for things and she’s half of the equation, she’s a really harsh critic and she is certain when I’ve got it wrong. I find it’s one thing to have a trade background being an electrician and to morph over a little bit into, I won’t say designer, but I’ll say it’s a keen interest in lamps, lights and styles.

Kyle: When did you hit the switch to kick off the business?
Gary: It was probably five years ago that we started collecting bits and pieces but Jennifer and I, going back maybe 15 years ago were bumping around through second-hand shops everywhere and Jen would look at an old Murano chandelier in the corner and tell me to buy that. And I would and I’d restore it and it’s probably an $8000 to $12,000 Murano that hangs in our bedroom today. We opened just on December last year and had a flurry of activity. Before that, every time I left when I was constructing the shop and I’d haphazardly leave the door unlocked, people would come in and start scavenging over all the stock, and our shop wasn’t even open yet.

Kyle: What about the task of fumbling around in the dark, getting stock in?
Gary: We started with Facebook Marketplace and in the early days I would do a two-day run around Melbourne. I’d go out to Berwick, Hastings…I’d go everywhere and I’d look at all these lights. We would also go to auctions only to discover that there’s a whole scam of people reproducing things, throwing them into auctions with a bit of dirt over them and you get it home and it’s a piece of junk. Straight in the bin. So now we’re researching heavily because you’re investing time in all this, finding out what’s real and reading the wording very carefully and what people describe things as. A Tiffany-style is not the same as Tiffany. It’s very different, despite the fact the light will look drop dead gorgeous. I have just recently purchased a Tiffany- style lamp and it’s sitting on my table over there and I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s gorgeous but it’s not a $4000 lamp.

Kyle: Your thoughts for the future and where will this little lightshow end up?
Gary: The exciting part will be to fire up a kiln and start casting. I want to make my own light, bend a bit of glass and do a bit of casting in metal and see if I can make something that I truly love myself. That’s for my old age when I’ve stopped running around being an electrician to the main street of Creswick. When that day finally comes, I’ll sit down in front of the kiln and we’ll start doing other things.

Image: Kyle Barnes | Scan the QR code for a wander around the store.

The Macedon Ranges is showcasing its most vibrant season, with the month-long Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival.
Spanning nine picturesque villages, the festival invites visitors and residents to slow down, explore and experience the region at its autumnal best. People can take part in a wide variety of experiences: from farmers and artisans markets, to guided walks, foraging, workshops and exhibitions.
Open gardens across the region, including those on the renowned Mount Macedon Autumn Garden Trail, offer a chance to experience the season’s colour at its peak, while wellness activities such as meditation and forest bathing provide opportunities to connect with nature.
At the heart of this year’s festival is an extensive line-up of food and drink experiences, including the much-loved Pie & Tart Trail with more than 50 savoury and sweet creations across the region.
For those looking to sip and sample, the popular Tipple Trail returns, showcasing more than 35 venues. In 2026, the festival will also introduce a closing night celebration.
The full program is available online, with visitors encouraged to plan their visit and explore the wide range of events and experiences on offer throughout April.
For more information, visit visitmacedonranges.com/autumn-festival or follow Macedon Ranges Naturally Cool on social media.

Hope is defiant!
Oh yes, she is
She is angry as hell
Snarling like a Mumma Bear
Screaming like a Banshee

She will have none of your shoulder shrugging excuses
About why you take no action
And why we, collectively,
Hold no-one to account

Hope will not stand by passively
As you reduce her name
To a mere platitude on a Hallmark card
She asks so much more of you than that

Hope stands solid
Grounded within the four pillars of her temple:
Beauty
Justice
Equality &
The common good

Do you see her now?
She is walking the black,
Fire ravaged earth
Crying out to all of us
To wake up from our techno-infused
Soma-sleep
From our Kool-Aid sipping
Insipidness.

Fist held up in defiance
She says NO!
No to war
No to ugly words & ugly intentions
No to all the ugly stuff, everywhere
Filling and killing our beautiful planet!

She says no to
Children’s imaginations being stolen from them by
Tech giants
And no to real conversations being replaced with mindless clicks
Of “like” or “dislike”

She says no to cliches of every kind
She will not agree with you 100% –
Perhaps, just 87.

If you ask her to comment about the future of A.I
Hope will answer you swiftly
A. I? “Axe it”
Cut free from that umbilical cord immediately
And think for yourselves!
But you know this in your bones already
Defiance is our only hope.

In October, 2021, a much-loved stalwart of Clunes, Bob McKinnon died. Bob was a talented poet, sculptor and writer. In 2022, as part of the annual Clunes Booktown Festival, a Poetry Slam in his honour was commenced.
The rules for the slam are simple: the poem must be the entrant’s own work; it must take no longer than two minutes to read; and it must embrace the theme set down for that year by the organisers.
This year, the slam took place before a capacity audience in the Tin Shed, and the theme was Hope and Defiance. The judges were Thuy On, an Australian arts, journalist, editor, critic, and poet and Megan Reidl a professional wordsmith, prolific creative and a nationally recognised spoken word artist.
There were 10 entrants from all over Victoria and for a number of them, this was their first time reading a poem in front of an audience.
The winner was Kim Collins from Castlemaine, a social worker who has left that field to now focus on children’s story writing and illustrating.
Kim is a lover of the arts in all its forms, especially she says, “the way art can ignite a little fire in us and stir us to action”. She believes in the importance of community, “to have good conversations, collaborate together, play together, and care for and about each other”.
Kim is also passionate about moving away from the ‘cult of the expert’ – and saying no to AI. Her hope is that people rediscover that their communities have so much wisdom within them, and we would do well to tap into that wisdom. “And that wisdom resides in human beings, not computers.”

Words: Jeremy Harper | Image: Clunes Neighbourhood House

A new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found discrimination against trans and gender diverse people is widespread – with serious impacts on safety, access to essential services and full participation in society.
Released on the International Trans Day of Visibility, Equal Identities examines the barriers trans and gender diverse people in Australia face in having their right to equality, dignity and respect upheld.
The review found consistent and distressing patterns of discrimination across schools and universities, healthcare, workplaces, housing and the justice system.
The Equal Identities report makes 19 recommendations for reform, grounded in Australia’s human rights obligations. These include nationally consistent laws that protect against vilification and violence, urgent improvements to data collection so services meet real needs, and system changes that make safety, dignity and equal treatment a lived reality.
“Trans and gender diverse people are part of every Australian community,” Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody said.
“They contribute to our families and society, and they are entitled to equal respect under the law like anyone else. But too often, their rights are not realised.
“The experiences shared with the commission show when there are gaps in legal protections, when services aren’t designed for everyone, and when data is missing or inaccurate, people are left out. The consequences can be devastating.”
The findings are organised around three themes: being safe, being seen and heard, and being able to participate on equal terms.
The commission noted the review is released amid heightened public discussion around gender, including the spread of harmful stereotypes online that promote restricted ideas about gender roles.
Dr Cody said the report makes clear the need for urgent action.
“The politicisation of trans peoples’ lives – including dehumanising trans people – must end. Leaders, institutions and media all have a responsibility to promote safety, dignity and inclusion.”
Words: Kyle Barnes

Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos has appointed Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Cr Tony Clark along with 10 other mayors from across Victoria to the 2026 Local Government Mayoral Advisory Panel.
Cr Clark said he was looking forward to robust, honest conversations with the Minister about the opportunities and challenges that face Hepburn Shire, rural communities and the local government sector. “Topics that I will be focusing on will be the financial sustainability of rural councils, legislation to safeguard the physical and online safety of councillors and council officers, and how local government can have a seat at the table with government on major policy development.”

Glenlyon Upper Loddon Landcare Group is looking for a motivated and community-minded person to join its committee in the role of secretary.
The secretary plays a key role in supporting the smooth operation and good governance of the group. As a committee member they will also help guide what the group works on and contribute to its future direction. Time commitment is about one to two hours per week. The group is a community-led environmental organisation that works to protect, restore and enhance the natural landscapes, waterways, and biodiversity of the Glenlyon and Upper Loddon region. Email: glenlyonlandcare@outlook.com

Ballarat Station’s new pedestrian overpass has opened.
The overpass features stair and lift access to each platform, ensuring people with disability, luggage or prams can cross the rail line safely and conveniently. Open balconies with glass balustrades at the lift landings provide views of the station’s iconic clock tower and train hall, creating a more welcoming and user-friendly space.

Celebrating the Genius of John Dowland with world-renowned lutist Jakob Lindberg is one of the series of Christ Church Concerts at Stanbridge Hall, Daylesford.
The event will be held on Saturday, May 2 at 2.30pm.
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DIUID

Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas has announced grants of up to $100,000 which will help men’s sheds update or buy new equipment, expand sheds and upgrade facilities or build a new shed to improve community access.
Ms Thomas said a shed was a place to connect, build community and access support. “This is about more than just tools and timber, we’re proud to support the incredible work men’s sheds do in Macedon (electorate) to help men stay connected, healthy and supported.”