News

Winner of Moorabool Shire’s Community Event of the Year, the Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival offers an action-packed day out.

More than 220,000 Victorian families have received a free Baby Bundle, packed with essentials to help new parents and carers through the first few months.

Community groups are encouraged to apply for funding from Hepburn Shire Council's latest Community Grants Program.

Hepburn Shire Council’s free digital literacy program, Tech Talk and Tea, is back from Tuesday, March 24.

The 2026 Daylesford College Live4Life members have joined the Blue Tree project, a movement that encourages communities to paint trees blue as striking visual reminders to speak up and help reduce mental health stigma.

Passengers on the Ballarat, Craigieburn, Upfield and Seymour train lines are now able to use tap and go technology.

Hearings on the Western Renewables Link project have finished.

With their earthy scent and riot of colours, fungi signal the quiet arrival of autumn. They appear overnight on forest floors and garden beds - delicate mushrooms pushing through leaf litter after rain.

Last week’s 11mm of rain has worked its quiet magic, and right on cue the lawns and nature strips of Daylesford are dotted and ringed with mushrooms. Among them, however, lurks a familiar trickster: the yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus).

In December I wrote about a puggle (baby echidna) named Pickle, who had been brought to the wildlife shelter after its mother had been fatally injured by earthmoving machinery.

In another boost for the Creswick community, the Victorian Government has secured CresFest for another year - attracting visitors and fueling local businesses.

If you think vegetables are boring, bland or only something you eat out of guilt, the Edgy Veg Awards 2026 would like a very polite (but firm) word with you.

Easter Services

An Anzac Day Service will be held at the Bullarto Public Hall on South Bullarto Road on Saturday, April 25 at 2pm. Due to the unpredictable weather the service will be held in the hall adjacent to the flag pole. The order of service is available on the day. Everyone is welcome.

The Central Goldfields Art Gallery will host a lecture on Maryborough’s Chinese Communities: The gold rushes and beyond delivered by Dr Sophie Couchman, below, on Wednesday, April 22 at 10.30am.

The Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough will host an Artist Talk & Demo on Sunday, March 29 at 2pm.

Tylden was named after Brigadier-General William Burton Tylden (1790-1854) who died of cholera during the Crimean War. He is buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Eastling, England and words on his headstone read: “In memory of his religious and consistent character.” Religious belief was at the forefront of life in Tylden. By the 1860s, four church denominations were - Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Baptist churches are all identified in newspapers of the time. The district’s first school was opened at Tylden South in 1858 by the Wesleyan Church and another in 1861 by the Presbyterian Church. The churches were centres for the community, a place for the most important events of life such as christenings, wedding and funerals. Apart from having a regular Sunday service for the parishioners, they conducted sports days, fairs, bazaars, dances, and concerts.

Get ready to dive into the vibrant world of art this Easter at Daylesford Arts’ Autumn 2026 Art Exhibition at the Daylesford Town Hall. Daylesford Arts president Gleeson, pictured above with one of her works, Lauriston Reservoir, said it would be "a cosy, in-person event where you can stroll among stunning artworks, meet the artists and soak up some serious creativity vibes".

Now and again, I am on the ABC Ballarat with Steve Martin for a segment called Paperchase. They call up local editors and have a chat about what is making the news in the region. So sometimes Steve calls me.

The big news and rumours of early '26 have been confirmed with the Palais Hepburn's opening gigs locked in and tickets available in mid March. For a town which has had its share of false starts, from an abundance of music venues only 18 months or so ago to next to zero, this is welcome news. I was lucky enough to view the progress in the weeks leading up to the opening, one of the town's many recent exciting makeovers. Palais Hepburn has locked in some great shows for April with tickets now on sale via the events section on its Facebook page.

Day two of Clunes Booktown Festival kicks off on Sunday 22 March, with a feast of activities for readers, storytellers and music lovers. The festival’s massive 20th anniversary party kicked off with perfect weather conditions and about 8,500 visitors on Saturday. Highlights included lifelong environmental activist Bob Brown (Defiance), Hear Me Roar - Fearless Female Characters in Crime Fiction with Vikki Petraitis, Fiona Hardy and Adrian Hyland, and Real Pigeons creators Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood leading a “Birds of Booktown” children’s parade through the Kids Village. In the evening, Castlemaine’s Kim Collins took out the annual Bob McKinnon prize, named after the late poet, sculptor, writer and Clunes stalwart, in the Poetry Slam. Gomeroi astrophysicist Krystal De Napoli closed the night with an enthralling Night Sky Dreaming event.

“The nicest street” in Daylesford is about to be unveiled. At a cost of $2-$3 million Eddy and Malinka Comelli, and business partners and artists David and Yuge Bromley, are transforming the Rex Shopping Arcade into an avenue resembling the relaxed and colour-filled lanes of Eddy’s Italian childhood.