News

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.

Agriculture Victoria is encouraging bushfire affected farmers to access recovery support as it passes two months since the blazes brought significant impacts to agriculture and communities.

An Australian freshwater catfish has been dubbed ‘Wanda’ after a remarkable wander across four northern Victorian waterways.

Geelong-based HealthRFID is driving local job creation and opening up foreign markets through the development of its BloodControl technology, that makes delivering blood test result easier.

Eight more providers to keep kids engaged in sport have been announced.

Learn how to manage trees and shrubs for conservation and profit at the Southern Otways Master TreeGrower course

Families in Bendigo now have a safe place to call home as the Big Housing Build delivers more homes.

It is easier for Victorians in Melbourne’s west to access free mental health care, when and where they need it. 

Birregurra residents will now benefit from a new automated library kiosk for easy borrowing and pick-ups.

Upgrade works on Melton Highway are now complete, giving motorists in Melbourne’s outer west smoother and safer journeys.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is updating the Junortoun Flood Study to bring it into line with the latest climate change data and residential growth across the eastern Bendigo suburb.

The state government is continuing to back Victoria’s vibrant multicultural communities by keeping festivals and events affordable for working families.

A new report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) explains that many unmarried Australian couples may not understand the legal and financial consequences of separation, as growing numbers move away from traditional marriage and embrace more diverse relationship arrangements. 

A new Climate Council report finds record global levels of coal, oil and gas pollution is overtaking natural climate drivers like El Niño and La Niña – accelerating the “climate whiplash” phenomenon that pushes communities rapidly from one disaster to the next.

The search for Australia's most outstanding early childhood educators is underway with nominations opening today for the 2026 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards.

More homes are being built in Melbourne's best connected suburbs - many which have experienced some of the slowest housing growth over the past 30 years.

The state government’s pill testing trial saw record demand at the recent Pitch Music and Arts festival.

Victorian women are saving time and money with free care, close to home.