By Donna Kelly  

By the time you read this, something I just can’t believe will have happened.  I will have turned 60.

“How could this be so?” I hear you ask. “You look so young in your photo,” you  cry. Thank you, but I assure you it is true, and also that this photo is about 12 years old.

If something ain’t broke and all that…  

I am writing this two days before my birthday on May 29 so I don’t yet know  what 60 feels like, but I don’t feel like 60. Something around the 40 mark perhaps.  

The body, of course, tells a different story now and again. Lately more now. I  decided last year, turning 59, that I would work hard to become a fitter 60-year-old.  

Then I broke my wrist celebrating my father-in-law’s 80th so that put the gym off for a while.  This year, with my wrist all good, I went hard at the gym and am now suffering from Achilles heel tendinitis.

It is not the end of the world but I can sort of see it  from here, especially if I stand on my tiptoes. Makes the gym hard again.  

So I am stumbling through the 60s goal posts a little worse for wear. I was also  going to take a nice long break from alcohol, as you should now and again, but I think I chose the wrong life to give up drinking.

I mean, I have to deal with Kyle on a daily basis.  Celebrations, or commiserations, have already been taking place.

I am one of  those people who like a “birth month” although that seems to have fallen on deaf ears  to those around me. Just Kyle really.

I was hoping for a gift a day but I don’t think I will even see a gift on Thursday. That’s OK, I have more than enough, and am really  at the point where I need to start giving things away.  

I remember the last few years with Mum. Every time we left her place, she would call me back in and ask if I wanted a bag, a scarf, a set of golf clubs way too short  for me, and I don’t play golf. I took them all. I guess it was her way of letting things  go.

When I think about it she might have been a bit of a hoarder. Not in a “can’t get  inside the house way” or “there is nowhere to sit down” but in a “I bought another shirt and now it’s in the wardrobe with 20 more with tags still on them”.

Maybe she was just a serial shopper.  Anyway, back to me. I haven’t yet applied for a Seniors Card, I just can’t even.  And when I am offered seniors price seating at the cinema, I still say no. Just makes it  all a bit too real.  

But we were talking to friends the other night on the phone and they shared the news that their nephew, all of 32 years, a really nice bloke, and has spent a year living  with them and in and out of Peter Mac, has now been told his cancer is terminal.  Anything from six months to two years.  That makes you think.  

So I will wake up on May 29, wish myself  Happy Birthday and start the guilt game with Kyle when he says things like “you told me not to get you anything”.

The only thing I really do want is a cake. I ordered it four years  ago and it never happened. Something called lockdown got in the way. So if this turns up I will be a happy woman. Although I am not  sure how anyone can slice it up. Just sayin’…  

In the winter of 2021, I remember doing a call around the real estate agents for our now non-existent Country Life podcast. The market was absolutely red hot and a lot of building had started – if you could secure a builder, and properties’ days on market were off the charts.  

I replayed a couple of interviews from that time to refresh my memory and put a smile on my face after a long day this week talking to buyer’s advocates about the current state of the market, which you will find in our House.Land.Home real estate  feature in this edition.  

The worrying topics then were around infrastructure in our shire and how we  would cope with all the new residents.

According to one agent, a particular house  was listed for just shy of a million and after several (sight unseen) buyers had a bit of  a bidding war over Facetime, it was sold for $1.3 million in just a few hours. Ah, the  good old days.  

So during Covid, there were three buyers competing for each property, often  bidding above the asking price to secure a house.

Post Covid, we had two buyers  negotiating close to the asking price. Then interest rates started to climb, creating one  buyer for every five houses.

Now with the cost of living and higher taxes, there is one  buyer for every 10 houses.  I am no expert, unlike the Reserve Bank, so please do your own research and do  not base decisions on what I have to say.

But it isn’t that hard to figure out what to do  if you are ready to move on, upgrade, downsize or sea change.  

The state of the market is the same everywhere in regional Victoria, whether you are talking about the not-so-regional Mornington Peninsula, the Bass Coast or our own little bit of paradise here in Central Highlands.  

Therefore, it seems if you buy and sell in the same market you are not going to  lose your shirt. If your real estate agent tells you your expectations are too high, you  should probably believe them or get a second or third opinion.

If you can’t sell for what you need, don’t sell, if you don’t have to.  

There has been a market correction for a bunch of reasons. The first is a natural  correction off the back of the pandemic panic buying.

The second is the money grabbing state government who have pushed a raft of taxes through on investors, second home owners and accommodation operators.  

They have absolutely hobbled our real estate market with overlaying taxes and fees  that have made investors go to other states. Whether it be commercial or residential investors the story according to the three buyers’ advocates is the same.

There must  come a point when we, the people, have no more to give.  It simply doesn’t seem to pay to try to get ahead of the game through blood, sweat and tears only to be smashed over with taxes from both federal and state  governments, and then we have Hepburn Shire  Council going for a 10 per cent rate rise.  

It only took a couple of years to find  ourselves in this situation and perhaps it’s only going to be a couple of years and a change of state government to get us out.

But you can’t  live on hope or a crystal ball. So if you are in the enviable position of owning your home and wanting to sell it, my advice to you, for what it’s worth, is to buy and sell in the same market.  No expert rant over…  

The Ballarat Airport Aerodrome Emergency Plan was put to the test in a dramatic simulation of a disastrous plane crash last week.

The emergency exercise, carried out in coordination with all major emergency service agencies, simulated a crash landing at the Ballarat Airport that resulted in serious injuries and a single fatality. 

It was developed to test the effectiveness of the Ballarat Airport Aerodrome Emergency Plan and associated emergency management arrangements, including staging of resources, and the coordinated
response to aviation emergencies.   

The exercise involved the temporary closure of the newly expanded airport runway, designed to provide a realistic environment. 

The simulated crash was caused by a medical incident on board the flight that was carrying 12 passengers. Due to complications that arose from the medical incident, the plane was
forced to make an emergency landing but crashed upon landing. 

The exercise was limited to the initial response agencies and their immediate actions. It is anticipated that analysis of the emergency scenario will be used to help guide future updates to the Ballarat Airport Aerodrome Emergency Plan. 

The incident involved the cooperation of the City of Ballarat, Victoria Police, Country Fire Authority, Fire Rescue Victoria, State Emergency Service, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria University, and the Department of Health. 

Words & Images: Supplied, City of Ballarat

Compost made from the Hepburn Shire Council food and garden organics is now available for residents to use in their gardens.

The garden gold is available for local households who have dropped off organics or who have a kerbside organics collection.

Residents can book themselves a bag (or two) through the council’s website at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/compost

The compost can be collected from any of the council’s transfer stations on dates ranging from Tuesday 10 to Sunday 15 June.

To help spread the garden gold love around the offer is being limited to one booking per household.

Karen started First Stop Disability Services in February 2019 with two aims.  The first was to offer support services for Hepburn Shire NDIS participants to support them to achieve and surpass their goals. The second was to provide a long-term financially rewarding career for local support staff.  

And it’s working.  

Karen says she has the “best job ever”, although she has worked hard for it, and is providing care by local people for local people.  

“At the end of the day, to work close to home is a gift, to work in a rural town and have full-time work close to home is a monster gift.

“I have worked to obtain a diploma in counselling, Certificate 4s in disability, bookkeeping and business, these  are now benefiting our own community – which is what I have always wanted to do.”  

Karen said a lot of bigger companies were sending staff from Melbourne to  regional areas like Hepburn Shire on a temporary basis and then looking for locals to  eventually fill the role.  

“I just want people to know there is an established company quietly providing  support services already here, with staff and the means to look after people in the  good, and the not so good, times.

“All my staff are local, they live here and work here,  we only concentrate on the Hepburn Shire region. I have no interest in growing  my company outside those borders. We want to be able to properly do the care that  needs to be done. We just want to look after our own people.”  

Karen said staff job security was also important and local work meant people  were not driving long distances in the cold of winter or avoiding kangaroos in  summer.

“I started the business because a friend of mine has a disability and had been  telling me for years to get involved, but I also did a Certificate 4 in bookkeeping so we can do plan management as well.  

“I like the administration side of things, I have the analytical skills and experience  to do the plan management side and pay the invoices on behalf of the NDIS,  and have a highly qualified team leader on the support services side and we work  together to provide exceptional supports and training for staff.  

“So, we have two specialty areas, plan management and support services, and we  just want to grow organically. I want to look after the clients I have and let people know if they are ever in trouble, regardless of whether they are with me or not, we  have services available in case of emergency or disaster of any sort.  

“And I want to let  the support workers  living in the region  know we are around  and wanting to build  a list going forward  if they want to full time in Hepburn  Shire. We offer on-the job training for those  wanting to dip their  toes into an industry which is critical for local people with disabilities within our community.  

“We will remain a localised, high-quality service offering exceptional support to  our regional participants, while offering a long term financially rewarding career for  workers.  

“First Stop Disability Services can help with plan management; assistance with  personal care activities; development of life skills; assistance with daily routines;  house tidying; and community and social participation.

“We recently purchased the (pictured above) accessible vehicle to assist all clients in the area, some advised us they were  having trouble finding suitable transportation. We provide supported independent  living 24/7 care to local residents and are always on the lookout for staff able to work  overnights.”

Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

The Celebration of SAORI Exhibition has returned to Clunes, showcasing more than 100 works by over 30 artists from across Australia.

The exhibition launched at the Clunes Warehouse on Saturday, June 7 and is now continuing through to Sunday, June 22 offering art lovers and textiles fans a unique chance to revel in the colours, textures and forms that are part of this unique hand-weaving method.

A celebration of texture, fibre and colour, along with the SAORI method of weaving itself, the exhibition showcases the work of over 30 artists from across Australia.

Co-ordinated and curated by accredited local SAORI teacher, Clunes’ Prue Simmons (pictured above) of Dyeing To Weave studio, the exhibition brings together students from across Australia who are supported through her studio weaving programs.

Showcasing more than 100 woven artworks, it is the largest SAORI weaving exhibition ever held in Australia.

Visitors can explore this expressive, niche art form, meet the artists, and even try SAORI weaving themselves.

Many of the distinctive works, ranging from garments to home décor, will be available for purchase, offering original pieces to art lovers and creative inspiration for fellow textile artists alike.

SAORI is a freestyle weaving style which originated in Japan during the 1960’s. A modern take on traditional weaving, it celebrates self-expression, mindfulness, and innovation over rules or repetition.

Often described as “weaving meditation,” it encourages intuitive creativity, where artists use texture, colour, and freestyle techniques to create truly one-of-a-kind pieces.

Celebration of SAORI Exhibition is open from Saturday 7th to Sunday 22nd June 2025. Open daily (closed Tuesdays) from 10am to 4pm.

The exhibition is being held in the Esmond Gallery (upstairs/lift available) at The Warehouse – 36 Fraser Street Clunes, Victoria 3370

with Natalie Poole

A lifetime of service  

Trentham’s Edith Kathleen (Kath) Tresidder was born on March 12, 1907 in Blue Mountain, Trentham the second of five children to Martin and Ada  Tresidder. Her father was a farmer at Cold Spring Farm, near Trentham and her mother kept house.  

After leaving school she was a domestic, but yearned to help people. In 1934,  Kath with her eldest sister Frances, left home to commence nursing training at the Mooroopna Base Hospital in the Goulburn Valley.  

Kath graduated from her training and continued to work at the Mooroopna Base Hospital. A few years later, in July 1939, she qualified as a midwife at St George’s  Hospital, Horsham.  During World War II, Kath was nursing at Wembley Private Hospital in Horsham when she enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service on December 16, 1941, aged 34 years.

She saw service on Thursday Island and Rabaul from August 30,  1943 to May 16, 1947 serving 1817 days. She was promoted to lieutenant in 1943.  

While serving, she contracted tuberculosis and entered the Heidelberg  Repatriation Hospital upon her discharge from the armed forces in May 1947. She  lost a lung due to the condition.

Immediately following her discharge from the  Repatriation Hospital, Kath returned to Cold Spring Farm near Trentham where she  looked after her ageing parents, and sister Sarah who had chronic arthritis.  

She returned to full-time nursing in 1948 when she began at the Trentham Bush Nursing Hospital. Kath eventually became matron of the hospital and was the sole nurse for the six-bed hospital. She was assisted by a young woman who worked as the cook and laundress.  

The demarcation between nursing duties and domestic duties was not so clear in  those days and Kath involved herself in the preparation of meals and laundry duty as well as her matron and sole nurse commitments.

Dr Gweneth Wisewould was the town doctor at this time and Kath and Gwen got on very well and became friends.  

From the Trentham Bush Nursing Hospital, Kath went on to nurse at Clunes District Hospital where she continued until her retirement in 1980, aged 73 years.  

She moved to Bendigo in 1981 and became a resident of the Returned Serviceman’s League units. With a nursing background and having never married,  Kath continued in an informal way to serve the profession she had entered as a young woman by attending to other residents when the need arose.  

In her 90th year, Kath returned to the district in which she had been born and had lived a large part of her life.

In January 1997, she became a resident in the  Trentham Hostel, a facility attached to the then Bush Nursing Hospital.  

She had lived a wonderful life, serving many communities with her nursing skills  but ultimately wanted to return to the place she called home for her final goodbyes.  

Kath passed away peacefully on March 30, 1997 and is remembered on the Mooroopna Base Hospital Graduates’ Honour Roll and on her gravesite at Tylden, with the symbol of the Armed Forces.   

Healthy Loddon Campaspe’s 2025 Active Living Census has been launched in recent days and is now available for Macedon Ranges residents to complete online.

The Active Living Census was conducted first in Bendigo in 2014, and then expanded out to other Healthy Loddon Campaspe councils in 2019.

It’s now regarded as a vital regional survey and collects important data on residents’ health, wellbeing, and lifestyle habits to guide future community planning and investment.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe, a Victorian State Government-funded initiative aimed at improving health outcomes in the region, is delivering the 2025 ALC in partnership with the six local government areas of Greater Bendigo, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Loddon, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander shires.

Covering key topics such as physical activity, nutrition, life satisfaction, and access to recreational opportunities, the ALC will provide a snapshot of how people in the Macedon Ranges and the broader region live and what barriers they may face to staying healthy and active.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor Dom Bonanno urged all residents to take part by completing the online census.

“Much like the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ nation-wide Census every five years, this locally targeted Active Living Census really helps us to get a clearer picture of health-related statistics and needs within our area, which we can then draw on in considering future initiatives,” he said.

“I strongly encourage all Macedon Ranges residents, no matter your age or any other demographic, to fill out this anonymous survey for the benefit of our broader community.”

Completing the census online is easy, anonymous, and takes around 15 minutes. Everyone who completes the census online will be eligible for weekly prize draws.

To assist Macedon Ranges residents in filling out the survey, Macedon Ranges Shire Council will host a number of drop-in sessions locally throughout June and those keen to know more can visit mrsc.vic.gov.au/HLC for details.

To complete the Active Living Census visit go.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/alc, and for more information visit www.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/alc.

There can be few moments of relief greater than the recovery of a much-loved missing pet as the well-publicised rescue of labrador Ted from a Trentham mineshaft in recent days illustrates.

A big team effort on Monday June 2 saw local CFA crews and Bendigo’s Oscar 1 rescue team safely rescue labrador Ted from where he was trapped down an eight-metre deep mineshaft in Trentham bushland.

Ted and his Labradoodle buddy Penny had gone missing four days earlier on Thursday (May 29) sparking a huge community search and online campaign after the dogs’ owners, Chantal Henderson and family, discovered them missing.

Luckily, a neighbour had heard Penny’s frantic barking and was then able to locate Penny guarding the top of the shaft with poor Ted stuck inside.

On Monday June 2, faithful Penny and her stuck buddy Ted were found on Pronk Track in Trentham at around 11.43am that morning.

A quick call was made to Triple Zero and the Trentham Fire Brigade and Oscar 1 swung into action, with assistance also from Hepburn Shire Council staff and Forest Fire Management Victoria.

Ted was kept calm with food and water until rescuers could safely bring him back up at 2:53 pm, happy and straight into owner Chantal Henderson’s waiting arms. 

A very relieved Chantal had plenty of praise for all concerned with the rescue, posting on social media:

“Our family is ever so grateful for all the support and well wishes we have received these past five days.

“Thank you to Ruth and her daughter for their perseverance searching the bush after hearing their barking. Without you they would never have been found.

“Penny was found guarding Ted who had fallen down a straight 8 meter mine shaft some time before or around Friday lunch time. Both dogs are in unbelievable condition, a little lighter than usual, but otherwise excellent.

“Thank you to our rescuers, Trentham CFA, Hepburn and Moorabool shire rangers/officers, Forest Management and CFA Oscar 1 Mine Rescue.”

 Trentham Fire Brigade Captain David Wheeldon said: “when we arrived, as you would expect, Penny was quite agitated, but luckily one of our firefighters knew the owners because they lived next door to them.

“We were able to get a hold of them to come down before Bendigo’s Oscar 1 crew started the rescue process.

“Throughout the morning, we were providing Ted with plenty of food and water.

“The members of Oscar 1 descended down the 8m shaft to safely extricate Ted and hand him back into the arms of his owners at around 2.53pm, happy, healthy and well.”

The “ruff” yet ultimately relieving incident serves to highlight the ongoing dangers posed by old mine-shafts in the area.

While on scene Trentham Fire Brigade members had worked with Forest Fire Management Victoria to locate and red-tape a number of open mine shafts in the area in an effort to help prevent future incidents.

Images: Supplied

In what has been flagged as the next significant step in the long-term strategic land use program, the Hepburn Shire Council has adopted its ‘Future Hepburn Settlement Strategy and Implementation Plan’.

Adopted in recent days at the council’s scheduled May meeting, the Future Hepburn is being described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the shire’s approach to land use and development”. 

Mayor Cr Don Henderson said the adoption of the implementation plan was an essential step forward following the initial endorsement of Future Hepburn in September 2024.  

“In September 2024, Council adopted the Rural Strategy along with Town Structure Plans for Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford/Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon, and Trentham. These were informed by significant community engagement, including five township community panels,” Cr Henderson said. 

“The adoption of the Rural Strategy and Structure Plans provides the framework for the next phase, which is integrating these priorities into the planning scheme to guide future land use and development decisions across the Shire.” 

“The implementation plan outlines the steps required to translate the community’s vision into planning controls and includes further engagement, formal Council decisions, Ministerial approval, and input from an independent planning panel.”

The newly adopted implementation plan details how the council will deliver on the strategy’s recommendations, with prioritisation based on financial sustainability, alignment with current strategic projects, delivery of community benefits, and management of associated risks and opportunities. 

“This approach strikes a balance between cost and urgency, ensuring rural, environmental, and township character protections are implemented efficiently. It ensures that key protections and strategic goals will be realised within this Council term,” said Cr Don Henderson. 

There will be further community consultation on specific structure plan changes that varied significantly compared to the June 2024 consultation draft. These consultations are to occur before any planning scheme changes are initiated by the council for those areas under the implementation plan. 

Future Hepburn forms part of the council’s broader strategic planning responsibilities. The strategic planning team is also advancing work on an Integrated Transport Strategy, leading planning advocacy, responding to major state government projects (including renewable energy proposals like VNI West and the Nyaninyuk windfarm), opposing the Western Renewables Link, and supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy and Sustainable Hepburn initiatives. 

The council has reaffirmed its commitment to long-term, strategic planning through its draft Council Plan and Budget, with over $1 million allocated to delivering on Future Hepburn. 

This story based on a Hepburn Shire Council media release.

Trentham groups are coming together on June 24 to launch Voices of Hope, a sponsor-a-tutor program to help young girls in Afghanistan continue their education.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2022, girls and women in Afghanistan have had their freedom, safety and rights stripped away. Everyone has the right to education. But girls and women in Afghanistan have been deprived of this fundamental right.

From the age of 14 on, they are no longer allowed to attend secondary school or higher education. In partnership with refugee-led groups Women For Education and Ride for Education, Trentham Singing Circle, Rural Australians for Refugees and Trentham CWA are launching Voices of Hope for Refugee Week 2025.

Lida Hazara Nayeeb, (pictured above) founder of Women For Education, will be speaking on the difference that the sponsor-a-tutor program is making in the lives of hundreds of girls in Afghanistan.

The country risks a lost generation as educated women are essential for its development. Afghanistan – or any other country – cannot advance if half of its population is not allowed to pursue an education and participate in public life.

Photographer and documentary-maker Muzafar Ali will be stopping in Trentham midway on his 4000km ride across Queensland, Victoria and South Australia in June to raise awareness about the need for education for refugees.

Hamida Samar, 27, arrived in Australia two years ago after fleeing the Taliban in fear of her life. Hamida and the Trentham Singing Circle will be performing songs for peace.

The Trentham Voices of Hope launch is timed for Refugee Week, an annual celebratory week across Australia to promote greater awareness of refugees and highlight the issues they face and their contributions to the Australian community.

The launch is at The Mechanics Trentham (pictured above) on Tuesday, June 24 from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Head to www.events.humanitix.com/voices-of-hope-trentham Want to know more but can’t make it? Email rartrenthamgmail.com or call Sandy on 0401 714 880.

Words and main image: Eve Lamb

Reading a story in The Local back in April, Blackwood resident Noel Ewer’s attention was quietly captured as he realised it was about his own Great Uncle Thomas.

The story that ran in the April 7 edition reported a tree planting ceremony held back in March in Daylesford’s Avenue of Honour on Daylesford-Malmsbury Road.

The tree being planted was to honour the memory of Private Thomas Alfred Chaplain, Noel’s great uncle who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War One.

Born in 1882, the young Thomas had attended Daylesford State School and later worked as a miner but in May 1915 as WWI raged he enlisted, joining the 26th Infantry Battalion of the Australian  Imperial Force.

The 26th Battalion was a unit raised from Queensland and Tasmania, part of the 7th Brigade and Thomas became among the first Australians to provide reinforcements at Gallipoli, landing there in early September 1915.

Thomas and his battalion endured the brutal conditions of the peninsula – steep terrain, relentless enemy fire, disease and hunger as they played a key role in holding the line at the infamous Lone Pine and Russell’s Top, where trenches were so close that battles were fought not just with bullets, but with grenades and bayonets.

Sadly, it was in these conditions that Thomas fell ill with dysentery, a fate that claimed many young men in the trenches of Gallipoli. He was evacuated to a hospital ship, but succumbed to his illness on the 8th of November 1915.

Thomas was buried at sea, far from his Daylesford home, yet forever remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial in Turkey (Turkiye).

Now aged 82, his great nephew Noel says the story in The Local caught his eye for obvious reasons.Noel’s mother, Marion Ewer (nee Chaplain) was Thomas’s niece.

“My grandfather Robert  was Thomas’s elder brother,” says Noel.

“I’m 82 now and as far as I know I’m the last of my mother’s family, probably the last of the Chaplain line.  I’m not aware of any others.”

Noel has a photos of his maternal grandfather, Robert (Thomas’ brother) and of his own mother Marion (Thomas’ niece), but unfortunately no photos of Thomas himself. He values the information he has been able to amass about his Great Uncle Thomas and says he wouldn’t have known anything about the recent Avenue tree planting in Thomas’ honour had he not read the recent article.

“I was quite pleased to see it,” says Noel who’s been living in Blackwood for about 35 years now.

“We had been to the RSL in Dayleford a couple of years back and they showed us a history book done by local school kids that records all the Daylesford soldiers that went to World War I, including Thomas, and I had been told a little bit of the history. I knew his name was on the war memorial.

“My (maternal) grandfather Robert, his elder brother, worked as a bullock driver and there was also another older brother called William who was also a bullock driver but he never married.”

Suffice to say, visiting the historic Daylesford Avenue of Honour now offers added cause for a little quiet reflection for Noel as he remembers his Great Uncle Thomas and watches the tree that’s been planted in his memory slowly grow with the years.

With Eve Lamb

Coliban Water Channel Walk, 9km section.

There’s some beautiful country up around Sutton Grange and Mount Alexander (Leanganyuk) and today we’re going to sample a handsome piece of it.

After driving to the designated meeting spot, my sturdy walking accomplice, Paddy H, and I join the Great Dividing Trail Association walkers for a 9km hike along a section of the Coliban Water Channel. This is a concrete structural fete that would almost certainly verbally activate even the most reticent of civil construction engineers.

First up we leave some of our cars at our meeting spot on the Harcourt-Sutton Grange Road – which will ultimately become our finishing point for today’s walk.

We now car pool, and ferry some the cars a few ks to the actual start point of today’s walk at Earls Grate, an important Channel structure used for catching and clearing debris and potential contamination, located off the Faraday-Sutton Grange Road, just a tad east of the Mica Grange Garden and sculpture park.

The walk ahead is fairly flat with a rise and fall of 225m and is being led by two GDTA stalwarts Mick Evans and Ed Butler who begins by telling us a bit about the historic, but still used, Coliban Water Channel itself. 

The Channel was built in the nineteenth century to meet the water needs of Bendigo, a city rich in gold but very poor in water. Designed by J M Brady and completed in its first stage in 1877, it had the Malmsbury Reservoir as its water source.

Ed tells us that all up it’s a 70km walk with many original bluestone structures along the way. It’s been expanded over the intervening 150 years and still serves a major water need, but today it’s pretty much bone dry.

We set off,  contouring around the eastern flank of Leanganyuk (Mount Alexander) and the sprawling, undulating landscape is impressive with its granite outcrops.

“So, 70 km all up,” I muse aloud to Paddy H as we stride along with the group as it strings out along the Channel path.

“What!?” Paddy H’s face is ashen and I realise he didn’t quite catch the detail of Ed’s informative talk just before we set off from Earl’s Grate.

“That’s the total distance the Channel walk covers, not what we’re walking today,” I soothe. “It’s just 9km today.”

Relief issues across my walking accomplice’s sun-tanned features.

“It’s a pretty impressive engineering fete,” I say.

“How can you tell an engineer is extroverted?” my walking companion asks.

“I don’t know.”

“He’s the one looking at your shoes when he talks to you!”

In the months since we’ve been joining the GDTA for some of its scheduled walks I’ve discovered that the easy, companionable, and frequently informative chit-chat is a pleasant aspect of participating in their program.

Today’s walkers have travelled from locations including Daylesford, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Clunes.

“Did you do a test run for this walk?” I ask one of today’s leaders, Mick Evans, as we stroll along.

“Yes,” says Mick. “We’re a pretty relaxed group but we always do a reconnaisance visit before we lead a walk.”

A bit further along I chat to a retired nurse who tells me a bit about her former demanding work and her current work running a couple of B&Bs, before we move onto food and cooking.

Further on, a walker from Leonards Hill and I talk birds. She tells me about peregrine falcons roosting in the city as I spot a wedge tail eagle gliding about Leanganook’s sunny outcrops.

The views across the plains, although in dire need of rain, are fairly magnificent and at about the half-way mark we all pull up for lunch at Byrnes Tunnel, blasted through granite as part of the water course.

It’s a decent stop for lunch, and everyone kicks back for a while and relaxes before we cover the last few ks, admiring bushland and a young olive grove along the way, to finally finish at our initial car plant site.

“Great spot and I never would have seen it if we hadn’t done this GDTA walk,” Paddy H announces as GDTA members, well satisfied with today’s leisurely adventure, disperse issuing farewells and reminders that there’s some good walks coming up on the program ahead.

Words, Video and Images: Eve Lamb

Hepburn Shire Council mayor Don Henderson has issued a statement following the state government’s recent temporary backdown on the controversial emergency services levy (Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund).

In a statement Cr Henderson said:

“While we welcome the temporary reprieve announced by the State Government regarding the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, it remains only a short-term fix to a broader issue that continues to place farmers at an unfair disadvantage.

“We urge the State Government to urgently carry out a full review of the levy and implement a permanent, more equitable solution. Farmers are already under significant pressure due to ongoing drought conditions and rising operational costs.

“Council has previously written to both the Treasurer and the Minister for Local Government to express our concern that the levy places a disproportionate financial burden on rural and regional communities like ours, particularly on our primary producers. We will also be writing to the Premier.”

The council has confirmed that it will continue to advocate for a permanent review of the levy.

by Kyle Barnes  

It is easy to speculate on the property market and to talk about anecdotal evidence, but when it comes time to list your property you want to be on the front foot before you knock on your agent’s door.

I imagine there would be many a buyer trying to get what they need or want for their property rather than what  it’s actually worth. In recent years we have experienced a huge uptick in growth mainly because of the pandemic, but as the saying goes what goes up must come down.

But  that saying isn’t all that relevant in the property market, as  what goes up always goes up. But sometimes it just takes a bit longer according to the graphs published, right, by matusik.com.au, which show price increases alongside  world events and key market drivers.  

According to domain.com.au, Hepburn Shire’s property  price has declined 10 per cent but we are not the worst hit.  

Indigo Shire which takes in places like Beechworth and Rutherglen, a particularly beautiful part of the world, has declined by a staggering 16 per cent. To get the reason for  these fluctuations and what the future might hold we talk to the experts.  

Provincial Group CEO and chief property advocate Max Waller  

Max said in regional Victoria, the property market remained subdued but had  shown early signs of stabilisation in the past three months following the sale price decreases observed in 2024.  

“Recent data from CoreLogic points to a gradual recovery, with early ‘green shoots’ indicating improvement.

“However, rising costs – including vacant residential land tax, short-stay levies (including Airbnb), and the new Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund levy – continue to challenge owners’ sustainability and dampen market momentum,” he said.  

“In contrast, Melbourne’s metropolitan market is showing signs of stronger recovery, driven by first-home buyer activity and a gradual return of upgraders transitioning to larger homes.  

“Regional areas maintain their unique lifestyle appeal, attracting buyers benefiting from flexible work-from-home arrangements, but overall, cost of living remains the dominant factor affecting market capacity and demand and we envisage this will  continue for the rest of 2025.

“With further potential interest rate decreases we expect improvement in buyer demand into 2026.”  

Mr Waller said while recent interest rate decreases had been welcomed, their positive impact has been largely offset by rising living costs and increasing property related taxes.  

“The anticipated further easing of rates is expected to gradually support market  activity, particularly in metropolitan areas where moderate growth of circa 3 per cent  is projected for 2025, with further acceleration into 2026.

Local regional markets  typically follow the trends set by metro areas, as greater population confidence begins to build.”  

Mr Waller said the filming and upcoming auctions of The Block had sparked  renewed excitement and attention for Daylesford and Hepburn Shire, potentially  leading to a short-term uplift in buyer enquiry and foot traffic.  

“However, for a sustained resurgence, the local fundamentals – such as  employment, cost of living, and lifestyle infrastructure – must align. The show’s focus effectively taps into the emotional appeal and rewards of regional living, which a great  highlight to share of our area.”  

Mr Waller said the past three months had seen a reduction in high-end sales across Hepburn Shire, with only about six sales recorded between $1 million and $1.5 million.

“Most transactions have occurred below $800,000, indicating price sensitivity in the current market. Nevertheless, unique and architecturally distinct homes continue to attract a niche buyer segment that is often less influenced by broader economic pressures.

“Savvy, high-net-worth investors are also leveraging the subdued market to secure quality assets.”  

Mr Waller said the impact of property-related taxes – including new levies – was best viewed as part of a broader equation: rising taxes, increasing cost of living, and  higher interest rates are collectively constraining market growth.  

“No single tax is solely responsible, but their cumulative effect can be significant.  Despite these pressures, Hepburn Shire continues to report strong longer-term rental  demand and steady returns due to continuing low supply.”  

Infolio Property Advisors Central Victorian buyer’s advocate Kathy Hodge  

Kathy said it state of play was better for her as a buyer’s advocate.  

“I am working with some clients at the moment who are making a permanent  move up here, so that’s not going to affect them. But as a buyer’s advocate it’s putting  us in a really good position, because it’s enabling us to really negotiate. There are fewer buyers, and I can be quite aggressive in where I’m seeing value in properties.  

“(But) I haven’t been buying in Hepburn Shire for a while. I’ve actually got a  couple of clients I’m working with at the moment and we’re looking the Castlemaine and Malmsbury areas but I think across the region, it is relatively similar in that  there’s still a hangover from Covid pricing in the minds of vendors.

“And it is a matter of constant education on the part of the agents. I think that  possibly they’re not conditioning the vendor to the change in the market. Well priced, realistically priced properties that are presented well, sell quickly. And that’s  always going to be the case.

“It’s the overpriced properties that are sitting on the  market for months, over 100 days. Then they go stale, and the vendor will get sick of  everything, and then they’ll take it offline.”  

Kathy says prices have dropped between 15-20 per cent, especially on properties  that were highly inflated during Covid.

“Probably on average, it’s 10-15 per cent at  least.” Recently introduced property and land taxes are also causing headaches.  

“If you’ve really got two markets, certainly in that sort of Castlemaine area,  because it’s more of a working town, we’ve got people buying and selling within the  same market but not so much people from Melbourne coming up.  

“I think it’s more hitting Daylesford, Trentham and the Hepburn areas, where  people are looking at second properties, and that’s where they’re getting hit with the  land tax, which has had a huge impact on the short-term rental market, which has  been a little bit oversupplied in those areas.  

“You do have cashed-up Melbourne buyers but they’re few and far between. But  the regular person looking to buy a holiday house somewhere is really feeling the  pinch and pulling back on that.”  

McRae Property Melbourne principal and buyer’s agent David McRae  

David said he had personally been hit by dropping prices in the shire.  

“We developed a very nice farm at Porcupine Ridge and I sold that in the middle of last year and missed the market by about $800,000 – but still did quite well.”  David said there were different markets.

“I think there’s a market up to $800,000  and then another to a million, and then a million to one and a half. The higher you  go the thinner the air gets. It’s as simple as that.  

“And I think people are frightened of anything that needs a lot of work – because  of builders and costs and the unknowns. If you want to buy something so you get  good value from you buy something that’s unrenovated.

“But then you’ve got to face  the challenge. The renovated properties are hanging on to their value much better.”  

David said the regional Victoria real estate market had long way to go before it  was healthy again although recently interstate investors were showing interest.  

“I don’t know about the regional areas, but it’s just started in Melbourne.”