Mount Alexander Shire Council has adopted a $48.5 million budget for the year ahead, following community consultation and feedback.

Highlights from the budget include commencement of construction of levees, graffiti management, Christmas celebrations and significant investment in local organisations.

Other features include $14.5 million in capital works, which will see upgrades to sports and recreation facilities, continued restoration of the former Wesleyan Church in Chewton, and replacement of bridges over Myrtle Creek and Fryers Creek.

Council is responsible for delivering more than 100 services to the community, including family and children’s services, youth programs, aged and disability care, business and economic development, community planning and development, waste management, library services, and emergency management.

Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Mayor, Councillor Rosie Annear, said that Council is proud to deliver a budget that was developed in consultation with the community.

“It’s a collaborative effort to put together the budget,” said Mayor Annear.

“As well as the input of Councillors and Council staff, we received over 100 submissions from residents during our initial community consultation, and another 40 in our second round of consultation.

“Our community told us that the shire’s sports and recreation facilities need an upgrade, so we’ve made plans to construct gender-neutral change rooms at Camp Reserve and Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve. This will be in place at the reserve’s while we work to upgrade facilities at these sites over the next few years.

“These changes will significantly improve safety and remove barriers to participation for a lot of people, particularly women, girls and gender-diverse people.

“Other plans to improve our sporting and recreation facilities include the installation of lighting at the Bill Woodfull Recreation Reserve. We’re also creating a youth space in Taradale, installing a new netball court at Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve, upgrading lighting at Harcourt Recreation Reserve – and that’s just to name a few projects!

“We know that Christmas decorations and celebrations are important to our community, so we’ve allocated funding to make sure everyone can enjoy the festivities.

“We’re also progressing our work on affordable housing, which is a priority for all Councillors and our community.

“We’ve taken community feedback on board, synthesised it and incorporated it into our budget.

“New initiatives in the budget that are a direct result of feedback from our community include projects to support community organisations such as Business Mount Alexander, Maldon Inc., Castlemaine Safe Space and Castlemaine Fringe Festival.

“Every year we hear from more and more residents about what they’d like to see included in the budget.

“It’s really rewarding to be able to include so many of these community requests and suggestions into the budget.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to have their say on the draft budget, and to those people who came to a Council meeting to speak to us in person.

“We learnt so much about your ideas and what projects are important to you.”

The budget includes an increase to average rates income of 3.5%, in line with the rate cap set by the Victorian Government. Waste charges have been increased by 1% to reflect the rising costs of waste management.

“The rates rise is difficult but necessary. We’ve spent a lot of time discussing and thinking about what is appropriate for our community, and what is financially sustainable for the organisation.

“There’s been a significant increase in the costs of construction over the last 12 months, and Council will have to do more with less which is something we need to keep in mind.

“Overall, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with this budget, considering the current economic climate.

“I’m thrilled that we’re able to put funds towards so many things that will make big and little differences to residents in our shire.

“Thank you again to our community – for your engagement, your patience and for helping us to make our shire such an incredibly special place to live.”

Budget highlights

Capital works

The budget includes $14.5 million for capital works to improve infrastructure such as roads, bridges, drains and footpaths.

• A number of recreation projects including:
  • construction of additional change rooms and installation of sports lighting at Bill Woodfull Recreation Reserve ($1.2M)
  • creation of a youth space in Taradale, including a playground renewal ($510K)
  • lighting upgrades at the Harcourt Recreation Reserve ($357K)
  • installation of temporary change facilities at Camp Reserve and Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve while facilities are upgraded over the coming years ($751K)
  • installation of a new netball court at Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve ($649K – subject to government funding).
• Progression of multi-year projects including:
  • commencement of construction of Castlemaine and Campbells Creek levees ($2.27M)
  • restoring of former Wesleyan Church in Chewton ($409K)
• Replacement of the following bridges $2.32M – depending on successful recipients of grant funding):
  • James Bridge over Myrtle Creek.
  • Burgoyne Street Bridge over Fryers Creek, Vaughan.
• Continuing a number of annual renewal and replacement programs across a range of assets including:
  • community buildings ($165K)
  • plant and machinery ($1.34M)
  • swimming pools ($135K)
  • road resheeting and resealing ($1.3M).
• Several minor projects including:
  • bell mouth sealing program ($51K)
  • construction of storage shed at Newstead Recreation Reserve ($77K)
  • potential installation of outdoor exercise equipment in Newstead and one other site ($51K).
• Commencing investigation and design for a section of Newstead flood levee ($92K – subject to government funding) and replacement of flood gate ($143K).

Locals and travellers driving in South East Queensland are expected to benefit from significant improvements to safety and traffic flow through Yatala with the upgrade of the Yatala South (Exit 41) Interchange now complete, the Federal Transport Minister and Member for Ballarat says.

Two of three northern Gold Coast M1 interchange upgrades are now finished, with work ongoing to upgrade Exit 49 at Pimpama, Catherine King MP says in a media statement issued last week.

To increase capacity and improve network efficiency, a new bridge was built over the M1, and the roundabouts on both sides of the interchange were upgraded to traffic signals.

The on-ramps and off-ramps have been realigned and lengthened to improve safety by reducing queuing back onto the M1.

Pedestrians and bike riders will also benefit from the upgrade, with new and improved active transport facilities included throughout the interchange.

A new pedestrian bridge has also been built across Halfway Creek to provide safe pedestrian access along Lahrs Road and connect with existing facilities.

The $82 million Yatala South (Exit 41) safety project was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, which each contributing $41 million.

For more information, visit tmr.qld.gov.au/exit41, email exit41@tmr.qld.gov.au or call 1800 955 939.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Member for Ballarat, Catherine King: “It’s fantastic to see the Exit 41 interchange upgrade complete, with more than 130,000 motorists who use the M1 at Yatala each day benefitting.

“We are committed to keeping Queensland moving by investing in critical infrastructure projects like this across the state, with two of three M1 interchange upgrades now complete.

“I look forward to celebrating the completion of the third M1 interchange upgrade at Pimpama next year.”

Kyneton Sports and Aquatics Centre’s pools are scheduled to reopen from today following the installation of a new boiler system that’s now expected to produce more reliable and consistent pool temperatures.

Today’s scheduled pools reopening follows a temporary closure over recent days, that had been required to facilitate upgrades.

The new boiler installation replaces the pre-existing system, which had reached the end of its life. The timing of the replacement has strategic to ensure heating during the coldest months of the year and to minimise impacts on key programs such as Learn to Swim.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council says it has optimised the temporary closure by also undertaking essential maintenance and painting. Key dates included:

• Monday 26 June – Wednesday 28 June: Full centre closure.
• Thursday 29 June: Centre reopens, except for pools.
• Today, Saturday 1 July: Pools reopen, returning to warmer pool temperatures. It will take some time to adjust the boiler following the changeover (this will potentially take up to a day).

The investment in new gas boilers at KTSAC is an interim measure to maintain services with minimal disruption. A longer-term goal of transitioning from gas to electric heat pumps powered by carbon-zero electricity is outlined in the Council’s Counting Down to Zero plan to target net-zero emissions by 30 June 2030.

A new pedestrian bridge over Five Mile Creek in Woodend, bequeathed by resident Josephine Clancy, has officially opened following a ceremony held onsite last month.

Jo Clancy, a long-time resident of Woodend and a passionate member of the local Landcare Group, has left a lasting legacy to the community with the gift of a new 24-metre long footbridge.

Family, friends, community members, Macedon Ranges Shire councillors and staff, the bridge’s designer and contractor attended the event. After some of Jo’s friends, colleagues and family members shared their memories, a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the bridge’s opening and Jo’s contribution.

Images supplied by Woodend Landcare.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council says it will plant around 250 new trees across the shire over coming weeks to support the environment and town amenities as part of the annual street tree planting program.

The planting is scheduled to occur between July and September, allowing optimal conditions to ensure the successful establishment and growth of the newly planted trees.

This year’s program emphasises Riddells Creek, with Council planting more than 150 trees as part of a multi-year program to address vacant locations across the town.

Trees will also be plantedat select locations in other towns, considering factors such as new developments, customer requests and tree replacements.

Director Assets and Operations Shane Walden said Council’s Township Street and Park Tree Management Policy outlined the carefully considered approach for tree selection.

“A range of things are considered, including site suitability, aesthetics, functional and environmental attributes, diversity and resilience and the potential to contribute to a town’s landscape character,” he said.

Trees are selected from a ‘Preferred Species List’. This list is regularly updated in consultation with specialists. The tree stock is purchased from local nurseries. All newly planted trees are maintained by Council for two years, which is the time it generally takes for them to mature.

“Following maturity, Council undertakes routine inspections of these trees, as we do with our township street and park trees. This is to ensure they stay healthy in the long term and are not obstructing paths, roads, and other infrastructure,” Mr Walden said.

Residents in the streets where the tree planting is taking place will be notified of the works.

Council’s sustainable, waste-conscious approach includes upcycling stakes from trees felled during the June 2021 storm and reutilising existing water wells from previous programs.

Residents can view detailed information about the trees to be planted by viewing Council’s Street Tree Planting Program – Riddells Creek.

A renowned Indigenous chef is coming to Kyneton Town Hall in July in celebration of NAIDOC Week 2023, featuring a live cooking demonstration to scintillate the senses.

Mark Olive, aka ‘The Black Olive’, has been a chef for over 30 years and has featured in his own television series The Outback Cafe, on SBS programs The Chef’s Line, On Country Kitchen, and The Good Cooks, and appeared in a range of cooking, lifestyle and travel shows nationally and globally.

During the special event on Thursday 13 July, only a week after officially opening his new restaurant ‘Midden’ at the Sydney Opera House, Mark will take the audience on a culinary adventure where participants will be immersed in a cultural experience while learning to cook with Indigenous food, herbs and spices and a variety of other ingredients, some found in our own backyard.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Acting Director Community Amy Holmes said NAIDOC Week provided an opportunity to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“It’s important to reflect on and celebrate the positive contributions First Nations people make to our society through their rich history and culture,” she said.

“We’re excited to be welcoming someone of Mark’s cooking calibre – I encourage everyone to come along to this unique event and enjoy an amazing cultural, cooking experience.”

The Hepburn Shire Council has released the draft Masterplan for Glenlyon Recreation Reserve, which aims to provide insights for future planning, provision, and enhancement of this popular community asset.

The ten-year masterplan has been informed by community feedback, and the council is again encouraging the community to have a say.

The council will hold a drop-in session to discuss the Masterplan with staff and anyone interested is welcome to attend from 10am to 11.30am on Saturday 22 July at the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve.

“It’s important that we hear from the community on what they like, or what might be missing in the masterplan. We also want to know what should be prioritised when it comes to planning future improvements,” said Mayor, Cr Brian Hood.

“When we spoke with the community last year, it became clear there was a strong desire to preserve the reserve’s natural charm while seeking overall improvements to enhance its usage, accessibility, and safety,” said Cr Hood.

The draft masterplan proposes the development of a new accessible community pavilion, while retaining the existing pavilion as a picnic shelter and storage area, in recognition of the heritage significance of the building.

Council has included $150,000 of funding in the 2023/24 draft budget to progress designs of the community pavilion. This means consideration can be made to progress the pavilion to construction in the 2024/25 financial year.

Other aspects in the draft masterplan include creation of a social gathering area, upgrades to the playspace, and redevelopment of the cricket net. It also includes flood mitigation planning to address the flooding and inundation from the Loddon River during heavy rainfall.

“A significant challenge for Council in considering the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Masterplan is Council’s ability to afford the proposed 45 recommendations,” said Cr Hood.

Further scoping work would need to be undertaken to understand the overall cost of the potential actions, along with Council’s ability to attract sufficient capital funding from external partners and stakeholders over the next ten years.

Enhancing accessibility and safety are paramount considerations within the draft Masterplan. Proposed initiatives include installing safety beacons on power lines, renewing fences and gates, establishing new pathways and roadways, maintaining existing egress tracks, improving wayfinding signage, and installing an accessible horse mounting ramp.

“Glenlyon is a growing community, and we want the recreation reserve to be a place everyone can utilise and enjoy, particularly children and families,” said Cr Hood.

All feedback received during the public exhibition phase will be thoughtfully considered to inform the finalisation of the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Masterplan.

To review the draft masterplan, visit Council’s Participate Hepburn webpage. Submissions will close at midnight on Tuesday 25 July.

Juniors aged six to teens are being invited to make the most of the range of free programs offered by Hepburn Shire Council over these winter school holidays.

There line-up of free fun on offer includes sessions on things like skateboarding, art, cartooning, song writing, podcasting and cooking.

“We have lined up a terrific program of events these holidays, for children from 6 years, through to 18 years,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood.

“There’s a bus trip to Melbourne planned for young people aged 12 to 18 to give them an insight into how to create their own podcast or build skills to present on radio,” said Cr Hood.

“For younger children we have sessions where they will learn how to make pasta, draw from nature, create beautiful t-shirt tote bags, and paint your own BOREALIS,” he said.

“As NAIDOC Week (2 – 9 July) is during the school holidays, there will also be special activities at our libraries to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“All these activities are free, so I encourage families in our Shire to make the most of the varied and interesting program of events.”

Waste litter dumped on the Western Freeway will be disposed of in the near future, VicRoads says.

The comment comes after a local resident recently complained that medical waste had been discarded near the Pykes Creek bridge.

Myrniong local Dale Barry had recently noticed the rubbish which had been dumped near the Pykes Creek Reservoir and then made “numerous calls to VicRoads and Melbourne Water”.

But Dale said that despite this, “nothing has been initiated to investigate the numerous bags of rubbish”.

However, when contacted regarding the waste, the Department of Transport and Planning said it was aware of the site in question, and was working to clean it.

The Department’s Regional Director Grampians, Simon Grant had been publicly quoted as saying that illegal dumping remained an “ongoing challenge” for the Department – and that they would attend the site and “rectify this issue in the coming days”.

He had also encouraged “everyone to dispose of their rubbish in a responsible manner and to be aware of the impact that roadside dumping can have on the surrounding environment.”

Fines for littering from a vehicle range from $370 to $740 and illegal dumping can be reported to the EPA by contacting 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) while issues or hazards on the road network can be reported on VicRoads hotline 131 170.

Entries for this year’s 40th anniversary Daylesford Art Show open from this Saturday July 1.

The Daylesford Art Show, organised by Daylesford Rotary over the Melbourne Cup long weekend, was a great success last year, raising over $15,000 for Rotary community projects and this year’s show is particularly special as it’s the event’s 40th anniversary.

Held in Daylesford Town Hall, the show highlights the work of the many talented artists from throughout the region, and incorporates the Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa Central Victoria Landscape Art Prize. 

A percentage of the sale price of each painting sold during the Daylesford Art Show supports Rotary projects in the community.

Although the 2022 show is over, you can still view the artwork online at www.daylesfordartshow.com.au.

Entries for the 2023 Daylesford Art Show will open July 1 with intending artists then able to go to www.daylesfordartshow.com.au  for details and entry forms.

Six local lakes, including Daylesford’s Jubilee Lake, across the wider Macedon area are offering some family outdoors fun with rainbow trout stockings carried out recently, in time for the current school holidays.
As a result of the recent trout stockings there’s more fishing fun in stock at:
Nursery Reservoir in Macedon
Quarry Street Reserve Lake in Trentham
Glenlyon Dam
Hanging Rock Lake in Woodend
Jubilee Lake in Daylesford
Walter J Smith Reserve in Riddells Creek
Thousands of rainbow trout will be stocked in more than 80 lakes across Victoria and Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas said fish stocked into local lakes would encourage families to make lasting memories in the great outdoors and get kids hooked on a healthy new hobby.
The state-wide stocking program released almost 10 million fish in 2022, with the majority produced
at Snobs Creek and the VFA’s native hatchery at Arcadia, near Shepparton.
The program is supported by the reinvestment of recreational fishing licence fees and the state’s $96 million investment to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture. The full list of waterways stocked for these holidays can be found at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/holidaytrout.
In Family Fishing Lakes, a daily bag limit of five trout applies, of which only two trout can exceed 35
centimetres. More information about bag and size limits, permitted equipment and licensing can be
found in the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide, available free from most bait and tackle shops, online at vfa.vic.gov.au/fishingguide or via the free ‘Vic Fishing’ app on your smartphone.
Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas: “There’s family fishing lakes throughout our region featuring easy access, regular stockings of catchable-size fish and many are in or not far from town, so the kids can jump on their bikes to try their luck.’

Nearly 325 Victorian schools, including Hepburn Primary, Daylesford Primary and Daylesford Secondary, are getting a share in $8.2 million for ‘vegetation clearing and activities’ intended to reduce the risk of harm from a bushfire, a local MP says.

Students in Macedon will have “safer school environments to learn in, with the state government funding key Bushfire Preparedness projects” the Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas says.

Ms Thomas last week announced that schools in Macedon are among more than 350 Victorian schools to embark on a “maintenance blitz” in coming weeks with $13.5 million allocated through the Planned Maintenance and Bushfire Preparedness programs that will involve “vegetation clearing”.

Central Highlands Water says it welcomes the Essential Services Commission’s Price Submission final decision, which it believes sets out water pricing certainty for the next five years.

The local water authority last Friday said that through “extensive community engagement” the following key themes emerged: Customer Care, Equity, Sustainability and Reliable Services – to meet customers’ needs.

“Due to this customer and community influence, a balanced pricing plan has resulted, prioritising affordability of services with important future infrastructure investment needs,” CHW said in a public statement.

“We thank and acknowledge our customers and community, from across the region, for their participation during the development of our price submission over the past 18 months,” CHW said in the statement.
 
“Our price submission was informed by one of our biggest engagement programs to date. We spoke to more 1,000 customers across our region from all demographics, community groups, businesses, land developers, Councils and Traditional Owners and other stakeholders.

“We are confident the ESC has rigorously assessed all the information CHW provided. The ESC’s final decision focuses on affordable and reliable water and wastewater services. It also takes into consideration the need for us to invest $251 million in major projects like sewer services for future generations, water security upgrades in response to climate change, customer-focused digital technologies, infrastructure to support new development areas for our growing region.

“During our engagement, feedback from customers and the community was about keeping bills affordable, while supporting the need for CHW to invest in environmental sustainability and in new infrastructure projects, while also helping vulnerable customers who need additional support.

“We will continue to offer support to all customers, particularly those in need. We will do this by doubling support to vulnerable customers to $2.5 million over the five-year period.

“We will also ensure that future services are developed by working closely with our Traditional Owner and local Aboriginal community partners to achieve our joint aspirations.’

Cat owners in Hepburn Shire must keep their cats securely confined within their property between sunset and sunrise from 1 July 2023.

The cat curfew is a key action in the council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP), which aims to reduce the chance of cats breeding, fighting, becoming injured or killing wildlife.

“When we asked our community about the priorities for the DAMP, 90 percent of survey respondents supported the introduction of a cat curfew,” said Cr Hood, Mayor of Hepburn Shire Council.

“We know our community loves and cares for their pets. The curfew will help to reduce the risks associated with allowing cats to roam outdoors at night,” he said.

The RSPCA and Cat Protection Society of Victoria are both supportive of curfews. Many Victorian councils have already introduced cat curfews.

To report a breach of the cat curfew, shire residents can call the council on (03) 5348 2306 or report it via the council’s website with a description of the cat and any information on the pet’s known address. A Community Safety Officer will investigate and communicate with the cat owner.

“Our focus is on education for cat owners and of course, where appropriate, staff will take further action consistent with our Cat Management Policy, which may include issuing an Official Warning, a Notice of Objection or a Notice to Comply. Where pet owners repeatedly do not comply with the curfew, it may be appropriate to escalate to an Infringement Notice,” said Cr Hood.

“We also strongly encourage cat owners to make sure their pets are registered with Council.”

All cats over three months of age must be microchipped and registered. The first period of registration is free for microchipped and desexed pets in Hepburn Shire. Registration is due for renewal in April each year.

“Registering your pet is part of being a responsible pet owner. It will help you be reunited with your furry friend should it go missing,” said Cr Hood.

“Ensuring cats are registered and contained within an owner’s property at all times is also a requirement under the Domestic Animal Act.