On Sunday, July 14, the Daylesford Town Hall will take on a Parisian ambience. U3A spokesperson Janet Quilty said the French National Day event would celebrate all things French, and an important feature of the evening will be the music.

“This will transport us through Europe on a grand musical tour. As well as the performances from the Daylesford Community Brass Band, some of the musical highlights of the evening include wonderful soloists.

“We will immediately be taken to Paris with Val Goodwin singing Chanson D’amour, and by the band’s musical director Mark Lyall with Softly Awakes My Heart.

“Christine Douglas will fly us to Italy with the beautiful aria O mio babbino caro and the music will then take us as far as the Gates of Kyiv before bringing us back to France with Evidemment from Eurovision 23, and of course, the Can Can.”

The event starts at 5pm, BYO food, drinks, cutlery, crockery and glasses. People are welcome to make up a table or join one and make new friends.

Bookings are essential through Monica Cole via onicaske@hotmail.com or 0425 851 679. Tickets are $25 with the proceeds going to support the band in purchasing new instruments. The band’s major sponsor is the Bendigo Bank Daylesford District.

Janet said those wearing something French are eligible to win prizes. “With great music, prizes for themed table decorations, costumes and some exciting raffle prizes, it will be a brilliant evening,” she said.

Vive La France!

The Melbourne Cup is coming to Trentham as part of the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

The tour, courtesy of the Cup’s manufacturer W.J. Sanders, and its sister company ABC Bullion, will start in Cowes on June 28 and will arrive in Trentham on October 16.

There it will head to the Hotel Trentham, owned by Australian Basketball Hall of Famer and Olympian Chris Anstey.

Chris bought the hotel in July last year. “It sits in the middle of a historic street, and the street had lost its heartbeat a bit, so we wanted to give it its heart back. It’s a pub for the locals, nothing too fancy,” he
told news outlets.

“I spent as much time (on the application) as I’ve spent on anything since high school. We can’t wait to put together the sort of visit the town deserves.”

The day will include a parade down the main street. Along with Australia, the Cup will have also made an appearance around the world, visiting New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, the USA and Japan.

The final route was decided after a record-breaking number of applications were received by the Victoria Racing Club from towns and cities around the world.

Manufactured in Australia for the VRC using 1.69kg of ABC Bullion 18-carat yellow gold, and recently independently valued at $750,000, the Cup has been hand-forged by W.J. Sanders since 2016.

Each year, the Cup takes over 250 hours to produce at the W.J. Sanders workshop in Marrickville, Sydney.

Every team member contributes to making the trophy, starting up to eight months before the race, which occurs on the first Tuesday in November.

“We are deeply honoured at W.J. Sanders and ABC Bullion to play a role in crafting this remarkable legacy,” said Darren May, general manager at W.J. Sanders.

“The Lexus Melbourne Cup embodies the true essence of being proudly Australian made and it fills me with immense pride that, in a world of mass production and lean manufacturing, our team of talented craftsmen and women have been entrusted to create this iconic symbol of international sport.”

Melbourne Cup Day is on Tuesday, November 5

Eganstown artist and hobby farmer Louiseann King reckons there’s something just a little bit magical about alpacas.

The local creative makes no secret of the fact that she’s more than a tad smitten with the alpaca and its prized fibre.

Louiseann converts that passion into artisan product as she makes beautiful hand-woven items, weaving the fibre from the alpacas that reside on her family’s own local hobby farm property using her own loom.

Right now she is busy preparing to bring upwards of 30 of her beautiful hand-woven items to the upcoming Design Exchange Market taking place in Ballart’s Mining Exchange building over this Saturday and Sunday July 6-7.

Louiseann has made the shawls and scarves on her loom and will also be bringing the loom itself along to provide demonstrations of the creative process that she relishes.

“It’s a year’s work or more,” she says of the items she will bring to this weekend’s event.”

Also an artist and sculptor, Louiseann says she loves to bring the colour palette of the local landscape to her creations.

The Design Exchange Market will feature a diverse range of unique, quality handmade works by numerous independent artists and artisans, offering a chance also to chat to the makers about their work.

“We’ve had the alpacas for about five years now,” Louiseann said. “We have about 15. I fell in love with them and their beautiful fleece.

“I’ve come to the shawl in particular because it is so minimal in its shape yet so maximal in terms of potential function.”

The Design Exchange Market takes place in Ballart’s Mining Exchange Building on Lydiard Street this Saturday July 6 from 3pm – 8pm and Sunday July 7 from 10am – 3pm.

Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

Prolific independent musical theatre company Theatrical is presenting The Boy From Oz, playing for a limited season at the National Theatre, St Kilda from July 6-21.

And among those taking part in one of the lead roles is former Daylesford and Creswick resident, and accomplished performer, Maureen Andrew.

Maureen has had an exceptional and ongoing career in music theatre, film, stage and television with over 50 years’ industry experience as an actor, singer, dancer, producer and director.

Her first touring gig was with the original cast of Hair in 1971 travelling throughout Australia and New Zealand. Then there’s been Elton John, Billy Elliot The Musical, Calendar Girls, Hugh Jackman’s Boy From Oz, Cabaret, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Saturday Night Fever, Grease the Mega Musical, Sunset Boulevard and Scrooge the Musical.

Television credits include Neighbours, My Brother Jack and Blue Heelers. And many Central Highland music fans would have seen Maureen’s tribute cabaret shows including Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Shirley Bassey, and Marlene Dietrich.

In The Boy from Oz, Maureen plays Peter Allen’s mother Marion Woolnough. “It’s a marvellous role, so emotional and pivotal to Peter’s life. I am so pleased I finally got to do it. And the cast are all wonderful people who are very passionate about performing.

“I am realising the longer I last in it (performing), there is a certain insanity performers are born with, and that includes artists, writers, anyone who has a creative endeavour, there is something passionate in us from an early age and we just keep going. I still think I am 16.”

Also starring in the musical is Peter Allen tribute artist Matthew Hadcraft, who has been performing his own Peter Allen show across Australia since 2015.

“There is no one quite like Peter Allen. His infectious energy, love for his audiences, free-wheeling enthusiasm and sense of fun is still so captivating decades after his death. He’s a true Australian icon, and I feel very lucky that I get to play him and perform his legendary songs,” says Matthew.

“Peter came out as bisexual, and although it’s not explicit (he always talks about you/me/us and never used gendered pronouns), you can hear his coming out journey through some of the lyrics in his songs.”

The Boy From Oz has a true ‘Peter Allen in concert’ feel to it. The biographical musical follows his fascinating global career and life with Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli in bars, nightclubs and concerts across the world.

From Australia to Asia, to winning an Oscar and selling out performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York, The Boy From Oz showcases Peter Allen’s one-of-a-kind gift as a musical storyteller with hits like I Still Call Australia Home, I Go To Rio, I Honestly Love You and the biographical Tenterfield Saddler.

Tickets: www.theatrical.com.au

Words: Donna Kelly

There were several key reasons to strike up the band. No more leaky roof, no more underfloor damp woes, no more dodgy floor boards … to name but a few.

Very recently, Tuesday June 18, to be exact, Daylesford Community Brass Band joined with Daylesford Museum Reserve Committee of Management, museum volunteers, friends and VIPs to celebrate the opening of the town’s significantly upgraded, restored, and generally fixed band room.

The band has been serving the community for 160 years and rehearsing in the room at the back of the heritage listed museum building for over half a century, as co-tenants of the building, alongside Daylesford and District Historical Society that runs the museum.

But as upgrade works on the band room reached the pointy end over the past four months, the band had been temporarily using a front room in the building, made available to it by the historical society.

The major upgrade of the band room is part of a wider works project to maintain and restore the building, a project overseen by Daylesford Museum Reserve Committee of Management using funds from state, federal and local government tiers.

Works to the band room included underfloor excavation, drainage works, floor rebuild, replacement of the slate roof, upgrade of architraves and skirting boards, new lighting and more.

Secretary of the Daylesford Museum Reserve Committee of Management Sue Howard said about $600,000 in state and federal funding had been attracted and spent on the wider works project over the past three years, including just over $280,000 on the band room.

“These works have conserved the building and helped the tenants be in these spaces as intended,” Sue said, highlighting also the state heritage listing of the building in February this year.

Band members like president and accomplished cornet player, Shani Clark made no secret of their delight at seeing the works on their rehearsal room done and dusted.

“It’s very hard to find the words to express what this means to the band,” Shani said.

“We no longer have to chase the raindrops around with a bucket or be in danger of falling through the floor boards.

“The band has been in this room for 50 years and we now have a space that’s going to last another 50 years.”

D&DHS president Barry Files also took to the mic to reflect on the significance of the works project, recalling a worrying moment prior to work beginning, when three sheets of roofing blew off.

“That’s all behind us now, and as co-tenants (of the building) we’re looking forward to many more years,” Barry said.

Barry also reflected on the band’s gratitude for temporary use of the room that the historical society had kindly offered to it for the purpose.

“The band said there’s a few notes in there… and I naturally thought they meant cash,” Barry mused.

“But when they left to move back in here, the floor was scattered with B-flats and G-sharps.”

Museum curator Gary Lawrence received a special recognition award, presented by DEECA regional manager Kylie Shanahan, acknowledging his vital role in seeing the upgrade through to reality.

“Community is what it’s all about and a space like this is a point of connection,” Gary said, accepting the award, and suggesting that anyone in the community who was suffering from nothing to do could resolve their boredom by getting along to the museum and becoming part of the volunteer crew.

The contractors involved in the works also came in for special mention for the “many times they went over and above” during the major upgrade.

Shani says the band is now hugely enjoying using their beautifully upgraded space to rehearse in.

It will perform at the annual French celebration event in Daylesford Town Hall on July 14, and is also looking forward to a special performance as part of the Christ Church concert series on November 30.

At that concert the band will premiere an original composition which they have commissioned using a Rosalind Pyers donation made in 2022.

“The sound in here is much better too since we got a new floor and carpet,” Shani said.

She says anyone interested is welcome to get along to band rehearsals that happen every Monday evening, and consider joining the band and learning an instrument themselves.

“If anybody wants to learn, or has an instrument they haven’t played for a while, we have quite a strong training band that rehearses from 6pm to 7pm on Mondays and our main rehearsal is from 7.30pm,” she said.

“Just follow the noise.”

Words & Images: Eve Lamb

Avian influenza virus has been confirmed at an eighth Victorian farm, which was already in quarantine.

Tests have confirmed the high pathogenicity H7N3 strain at a small commercial egg farm, which is located within the current restricted area in the Golden Plains Shire, where movement restrictions were already in place.

All poultry at the property will be humanely disposed of under veterinary supervision, consistent with national policies and the site will be cleaned and cleared of the infection

New accessible community toilet facilities have opened at Bullarto Reservoir.

The project was delivered through a partnership between Central Highlands Water and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action with the Bullarto Reservoir a major source of water for the Daylesford and Hepburn community.

CHW managing director Jeff Haydon said the toilet facilities would “further improve the amenity for the various recreational users visiting the reservoir and will serve the community for many years to come”.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council CEO Bernie O’Sullivan has responded to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission’s decision to refuse an application for 50 electronic gaming machines at the Romsey Hotel.

“Council is pleased that the application has been refused, affirming council’s opposition to the application in consideration of community sentiment and the negative wellbeing impacts,” he said.

“However, council remains supportive of business investment within our towns such as Romsey and would continue to encourage proposals that demonstrate positive benefits without the need for electronic gaming machines.”

The state government has announced the locations of the final six Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Hubs – with three to be established in regional Victoria including Central Highlands Rural Health at Kyneton.

Hubs are expected to help at least 4000 more girls and women access sexual and reproductive health services every year.

A public submission and survey process is currently underway with close to 9000 responses to date – it closes on July 31.

Results from Hepburn Shire Council’s Community Satisfaction Survey have been released.

The state government-commissioned survey is administered by JWS Research and covers the period from June 1, 2023 to March 18, 2024 and is now conducted quarterly instead of yearly.

In the survey 72 per cent of survey respondents rated the shire’s overall performance as ‘average and above’, an increase from 70 per cent in the previous year.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said it was pleasing to see improvements in many of the key metrics.

“We recognise council has lots more to do to improve its service delivery, but seeing this upward trend in many service areas is a further step in the right direction.

“Of the 17 service areas surveyed, council recorded improved results in 12 areas compared to the last survey and the same result in one area. There was a decline in satisfaction in four service areas.”

However, the council still finds itself below other small rural shires and state-wide results in 14 of the 17 areas surveyed.

The survey results for overall satisfaction in those 14 areas were:

Hepburn 2024 | Hepburn 2023 | Small Rural 2024 | State-wide 2024
Overall performance: 49 49 53 54
Customer service: 64 66 66 67
Appearance of public areas: 64 60 71 68
Recreational facilities: 61 57 67 68
Enforcement of local laws: 56 53 60 61
Community decisions: 46 42 50 50
Sealed local roads: 29 33 41 45
Planning & building permits: 35 39 43 45
Business & community development: 56 54 57 57
Environmental sustainability: 57 56 59 60
Value for money: 42 41 47 48
Waste management: 65 64 67 67
Recreational facilities: 61 57 67 68
Lobbying: 48 44 50 50
Community decisions: 46 42 50 50; and
Slashing & weed control: 42 39 46 45
Those closest to small rural shires and/or statewide results were:
Tourism development: 61 62 61 59; and
Overall council direction: 44 41 44 45
The best result was for Consultation & engagement: 52 46 51 51.
They survey findings said one in five residents (21%) rate the value for money
they receive from the council in infrastructure and services as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
Almost twice as many rate the council as ‘very poor’ or ‘poor’ (39%).
Link: www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/Council/Plans-and-publications/Performance

Words: Donna Kelly

It’s the sense of tradition, history and occasion that Creswick’s Philip Greenbank most loves about his role as town crier.

As official town crier for Hepburn Shire since 2015, Philip belongs to the rather exclusive group of individuals in Australia and worldwide who continue to preserve a tradition dating back to at least 1066 and the Norman conquest of England with William the Conqueror.

However, Biblical references suggest the time-honoured role of town crier as official public information bearer and announcement-maker goes back even further.

“Town criers used to give you the news and information,” says Philip who first became a town crier in 2014.

He says he became a town crier “by accident” after he was invited to attend a town crier competition.

After trying on the role himself he soon discovered an aptitude for it, swiftly taking out second place in the very first town crier competition in which he participated.

Today he is president of the Australasian Guild of Town Criers and among just five town criers in Victoria, 15 or so in Australia, and about 400 worldwide – about 20 percent of whom are women.

As official town criers they get to fulfil time-honoured declarative duties at important public, ceremonial and civic events – like the declaration of new mayors and deputy mayors, special anniversary and official occasions.

Adding a sense of pomp, pageantry and special occasion is very much a part of their public function today. In a private engagement context they may also provide formal services such as emceeing at weddings and other private celebrations.

Philip says that when he serves as town crier at community events, however, he does so in an entirely voluntary capacity, with sometimes a bit of recompense for travel costs where warranted, although town criers may receive payment for private engagements.

When The Local caught up with him for a chat last week, Philip was looking forward to serving in his official town crier capacity for a Victoria Day Council engagement on July 1, reading the historic Proclamation at a special anniversary event in Melbourne to mark the historic separation of the Colony of Port Phillip from NSW, thus forming the Colony of Victoria (precursor to the state of Victoria).

“You get to go places and meet people,” he reflected ahead of the significant public engagement taking place at the Melbourne Town Hall.

The experienced town crier also served in his official capacity at another special event that many Creswick locals witnessed recently.

On Thursday 6th June 2024, a worldwide event took place to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day known as D-Day 80.

Organised by England’s Pageant master Bruno Peeks, the day began with over 370 Town Criers from around the world reading the “D-Day 80 Proclamation”.

In Creswick, Philip did the honours, reading the Proclamation at the cenotaph before an appreciative crowd. School children read the D-Day Heroes poem, and bell ringers took part in the “World in Ringing out for Peace”.

Looking ahead, Philip will fulfil traditional ceremonial town crier duties in proclaiming the duly elected mayor and deputy mayor for Hepburn Shire Council following the upcoming local government elections later this year.

He says that hundreds of years before social media, printing presses and traditional media services, town criers served a vital role in informing the often illiterate town folk and community of important official announcements and sometimes even issuing important community warnings.

These days taking part in town crier competitions is also a much-enjoyed aspect of the role with town criers  judged on factors including volume, clarity, diction, inflection, accuracy, confidence and bearing.

The role is clearly not for shy retiring types, and Philip says many who shoulder it are motivated by the sense of public theatricality it enables, though his own motivation is more a strong appreciation for keeping tradition alive.

“I love the tradition and the history behind it,” he says.

“People come up to me and say ‘I love your costume’. But it’s not a costume. It’s town crier livery’,” says the dedicated town crier whose official town crier kit once saw him mistaken for the Mayor of Melbourne by visiting tourists who requested selfies with him as he strolled down Collins Street following a public engagement.

“You also get kids saying ‘look mum there’s a pirate!’,” he says.

“And no, it’s not a hat,” Philip corrects. “It’s a tricorn… because it’s got three corners. The three most important parts of the uniform are the tricorn, the bell and the scroll, and the coat is custom-made in the style of an 18^th century coachman’s coat.”

Just for the record, Philip says the notion that town criers get about declaring “Hear Ye! Hear ye!” whenever they’re about to make an announcement, is much misplaced.

“There is a common misconception that town criers’ first proclamation is ‘Hear Ye. Hear ye’. But that is an absolute no-no,” he says.

“We use the original French ‘Oyez’ (pronounced Oh yay) and we always start a proclamation by saying Oyez three times. ‘Hear ye’ comes from Hollywood.

Anyone who thinks becoming a town crier might just be for them can find out more by contacting Philip at 89agtc@gmail.com

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

Clunes residents will soon have added financial incentive to recycle many of their glass and plastic containers following the installation of a reverse vending machine in Fraser Street.

To be operated by TOMRA Cleanaway, the WestZone operator for the state’s container deposit scheme, the machine has been installed on land held by the town’s local IGA supermarket.

Expected to become operational from this Friday (July 5), the new reverse vending machine follows similar ones already operating in Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham.

“We are proud to be partnering with the local Clunes IGA to host this new reverse vending machine which is expected to go live Friday 5 July,” a TOMRA Cleanaway spokesperson said.

Clunes IGA supermarket owner Dianne Hill says the supermarket agreed to provide the land for the machine after the site was identified as one of the few locations in the town suited for the machine due to the fact that it has both three phase power and staff on site seven days a week.

Earlier this year the Hepburn Shire Council reported that soon after the installation of the reverse vending machine in Creswick, that machine had received a record 9500-plus containers in just one-week courtesy of 112 customers, pointing to the success of the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) in reducing litter and supporting community fundraising.

CDS Vic is a state government initiative that provides a 10 cent refund for every returned eligible drink container returned across the state.

Words: Kyle Barnes

Vendors’ expectations need to be adjusted with a drop in property prices after the panic buying and selling of the pandemic.

That’s the view of Central Highlands buyers’ advocates Kathy Hodge and Max Waller. Journalist Kyle Barnes talked to Kathy and Max, along with local real estate agents, about the current state of play in the real estate market.

Infolio Property Advisors buyers’ agent Kathy Hodge represents buyers from Melbourne and those who live abroad, and has bought properties for several clients who have lived overseas and are relocating back to Australia after a considerable time.

Kathy said there was possibly an oversupply of overpriced properties and there was still a lot of vendor resistance to meeting the market expectations.

“Properties’ days on market are blowing out compared to Covid times where things moved pretty quickly. Having said that though, I think well-priced, well-presented properties are still selling well.

“The biggest hurdle now is pricing and vendor expectations are a little unrealistic. Anecdotally some properties are on the market for six months without a price adjustment. But good, well-priced properties might be selling in three to four weeks.”

Asked if there was a set percentage drop needed, Kathy disagrees.

“I don’t think there is a set percentage. Sometimes, for example, if a property was priced at $1.5 to $1.55 million you might want to adjust it to under $1.5 million. So, you might adjust it to $1.45 to $1.48 million, something like that.

“Often it’s that psychological barrier of the next increment. Also, if people put a range from $1 million to $1.5 million into their search engines they might not capture a property that is just out of that range.”

Max Waller, CEO of Provincial Group, a property advocacy and finance broking company, talks through some figures to better clarify the market position.

“Firstly, the market is down by 5.3 per cent from May 2023 to May 2024, but we must remember that we were down 6.8 per cent already on the May 2022 to May 2023, so the market had already started its decline.

“But coming off May 2021 to May 2022, where we had gained 16.4 per cent, you can see if you date it back through the years it’s been really strong in 2020–2021 which is obviously because of Covid.

“So now we are starting to see a collective and compounding drop of circa 11–12 per cent of the value since May 2022. And then there is the more important bit to the relevance to the current state of the market and that is the supply.

“(If you) have a look at June ’23 versus May ’24, and for a population that is the size of the Daylesford and Hepburn area, we are talking about over 100 extra properties on the market than we had 12 months ago.

“So, with the old law of supply and demand, and how the market reacts to this message, there is a consistent message across the market about stock supply, and because it’s not selling it’s accumulating.”

Max said in terms of a vendor wanting to sell their property they should first and foremost understand what the market is doing right now before venturing into it.

Vendors needed to be really prepared to understand the market, their competition, its pricing, how long properties have been on the market and how many properties are for sale in comparable form. This will help make better decisions in relationship to two things, Max says.

“Firstly, how will I appropriately price this property to get a result and secondly, is it the right time to sell my property or should I be reconsidering? There are two measures in this decision – the market and the individual’s personal situation.

“The data will show people very clearly what they would have got in May 2022 is not what they’re going to get now. There has been a very clear shift of 11–12 per cent. The gloss on this, and the exception to the rule, is the unique property market.

“When unique properties come up from time to time, because they are rare and in short supply, they do tend to get the asking price.

“For them it doesn’t matter what the market is doing, those properties are special, and they will be received and perceived as special by the buyers in the market.”

Jellis Craig Daylesford’s senior sales consultant Gary Cooke said they had been seeing a steady rebound in the market with the number of buyers looking and enquiring online and attending open houses in May and June.

“These numbers have been significantly higher than what we saw in the first four months of the year.

“This has resulted in stronger sales in both May and June. Previously we saw a very large amount of stock on the market, and a small number of buyers.

“The balance of available stock and available buyers seems to be levelling out, returning to a more consistent market.”

Gary said vendors often asked if they should hold until spring and avoid the winter period but said there was no reason to wait if properties were correctly priced, with potential owners aware they were buying in a region with a real winter season.

“We live in a cold climate area, and we are used to selling in the cold climate. Depending on the property, I would suggest there would be no reason to hold off listing, now that we are seeing a more consistent market, which we are predicting will continue to keep improving.

“There have been price corrections since Covid and it’s clear properties priced correctly are getting sales activity.”

Belle Property Daylesford’s principal director Will Walton said currently regional Victoria was in a correction phase after experiencing unforeseen rapid growth during Covid. Compounding this is the worldwide economic slow down.

“Traditionally most buyers in our region were purchasing a second home to enjoy, however now managing the mortgage of the principal home elsewhere may create a challenge for the traditional purchaser to consider a regional purchase.

“It’s important for potential vendors to look at what sale prices are being achieved versus listing prices. A property correctly priced (and) marketed widely combined with exceptional presentation will always perform best in achieving a great result.

Everyone wants to believe their property is the best, however listening to an agent’s opinion on comparable sales is important in considering an independent view.”

McQueen Real Estate director Kim McQueen said the current property climate in the region is one of the toughest she can remember and “we have never worked harder with buyers to get deals done”.

“There are a combination of factors affecting our market – high interest rates and the cost of living crisis, land tax increases and the looming Vacant Residential Land Tax and other costs deterring buyers from entering the investment and holiday home market and soaring building costs affecting land sales.”

Kim said increasing stock levels combined with a decrease in buyer activity had culminated in sluggish mid-year transactions.

“There has been a sharp price correction particularly over the past six months with the heady Covid prices a distant memory. This has led to some good recent results with May being an exceptional month for McQueen Real Estate.

“But it was a culmination of many months of hard work to get buyers to the table and have them transact. May included some record sales for the region and for McQueen Real Estate with the highest price paid for a home within the Trentham township of $2.5m and a $4 million plus sale in Porcupine Ridge.

“Well-presented properties that are realistically priced with patient vendors will succeed in this market.”

Kim said whether a property should wait until spring depended on the property.

“Winter in our region can be beautiful and homes with roaring log fires and cosy interiors can present beautifully. But properties with stunning gardens may present better in spring.

“When will the market pick up? I think as soon as we get news of an interest rate decrease the buyers will be back in larger numbers. The desire to move to our beautiful region is still strong.”

“The real estate market has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past few years, with Covid-19 significantly impacting buyer and seller behaviours. As the pandemic wanes, the market is shifting, offering both challenges and opportunities.”

BigginScott Daylesford director Tom Shaw said amid ongoing reports of the RBA keeping interest rates steady since November 2023, June witnessed a 12-month record in sales, especially in the Creswick area, which has been a hot spot for buyers.

Good quality stock has fuelled strong buyer activity, resulting in some buyers missing out, he said.

“Currently, the market remains vibrant, driven by cautious optimism and pent-up demand. Many homeowners are debating whether to wait until spring to sell their properties. Traditionally, spring is the prime selling season, but given the current conditions, waiting might not yield better results.

“Firstly, Daylesford is experiencing a correction from the inflated prices seen during the pandemic. Buyers are more discerning, and the bidding war frenzy has subdued, creating a balanced market. Realistically priced and well-marketed properties can still attract strong interest and competitive offers.

“Secondly, waiting until spring could mean more competition, as many sellers might have the same idea. Listing now could give sellers an edge. With interest rates remaining low, buyers are still motivated, and current inventory levels are manageable, creating a favourable environment for sellers.

“Prices have adjusted from their pandemic peaks but remain strong. Realistic pricing can still yield good returns. The appeal of moving to more spacious, less densely populated areas like Daylesford remains strong, with many still looking to this region for relocation.

“While spring remains a popular time to sell, the current conditions in Daylesford suggest that selling now can be equally advantageous.”

The community of Newstead is getting set to celebrate a big birthday milestone for its historic railway station with a free public event planned.

This Sun July 7 the Newstead Arts Hub that now occupies the town’s historic railway building will host a free community celebration acknowledging that it’s been 150 years since the railway arrived in the township.

Organisers are inviting everyone to get along at 2.30pm to join the community celebration at the former railway station.

There will be food, fellowship and a chance to indulge in the nostalgia of yesteryear, when the train service was such an invaluable part of the Newstead community.

They’re hoping many of those who attend will also bring stories, photos or any memorabilia relating to the railway in Newstead.

Beverages will be available to purchase and to help with planning, organisers are encouraging bookings to the free event with more information available from the Newstead Railway Arts Hub’s own website.

The Greater Bendigo City Council has adopted a plan to guide the ongoing development, management and promotion of the O’Keefe Rail Trail at last week’s council meeting.

The 49 kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail, which runs from Bendigo to Heathcote, is one of Greater Bendigo’s primary nature-based attractions for both residents and visitors to the region for walking, cycling, trail running and horse riding in some sections. 
 
City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the O’Keefe Rail Trail Plan 2024 outlines key actions to improve the way the rail trail is governed, managed, maintained, promoted, funded, activated and evaluated.

“The recommendations and content of the plan creates clarity with the City and the O’Keefe Rail Trail’s key stakeholders and reaffirms the City’s commitment to working with the Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail group,” Cr Metcalf said.

“It ensures that a clear, proactive and planned approach is taken to the ongoing development and management of the trail to promote increased usage by both local residents and visitors alike.

“Significant infrastructure and investment to develop the O’Keefe Rail Trail into what it is today, has already taken place and the aim of the plan is to build on this to ensure that the trail can achieve its full potential as a sustainable recreational and tourist trail into the future.”

Key actions of the Plan include: 

• Improving amenities along the Rail Trail (toilets, drinking fountains, wayfinding signage and seating) 
• Improving safety along the Rail Trail (improved road crossings at high traffic areas, reviewing areas of shared use with motor vehicles)
• A greater emphasis on supporting biodiversity values along the trail
• Ongoing management including detailing how the City will manage and maintain the Rail Trail along with confirming a commitment to continued working with the Friends of the Bendigo Kilmore Rail Trail (FBKRT) 
• Ongoing marketing and promotion of the Rail Trail 
• Defining level of infrastructure and maintenance service standards to help clearly define the expectations for the Rail Trail.