After 30 years together, Kevin Quick and Ivy Owen have said “I do”, marrying in Creswick on February 5.

The pair met in 1994 and spent the next 14 years together travelling around Australia. However Ivy thought she was still married to her first husband and would need a divorce to marry Kevin.

After years of not knowing, in 2024, she found out her first husband had died in 1986. She was free to remarry and the idea became a reality. 

The wedding was held at Creswick Health’s nursing home on Wednesday, February 5 – with Ivy, aged 91 to Kevin’s 83 years, joking she was a cradle snatcher. 

The event was planned by staff at Creswick Health who went to town ensuring the aged care facility was transformed into a wonderful wedding venue. 

The ceremony was attended by many of the residents in the nursing home, as well as family, friends and staff from Creswick Health and was presided over by Ballarat civil celebrant Tania Gunn. 

Tania, who also works full-time in aged and community care for Grampians Health, said it was a beautiful event. “

It brought tears to my eyes because there was so much love for Ivy and Kevin – and event organiser Cindy Stone and her team went above and beyond. 

“They even had a lovely honeymoon suite for them to have a nap and Kevin stayed on for the evening meal. It was all just delightful. 

“They are the most senior couple I have married and are just as in love as the younger couples I’ve married.” 

Tania said Ivy’s dress was beautiful. “It belonged to the grandmother of Cindy, and it looked gorgeous on Ivy. It was a dress with jacket and she had a beautiful necklace of pearls to complement that along with a lovely bouquet. 

“It was a very emotional day and there were lots of tears from everybody there.” 

Kevin, who lives independently in Clunes, proudly uploaded photos to the community’s Facebook page within an hour of the nuptials. 

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Contributed 

With structural cracks clearly visible and many of its exquisite little features broken and decayed, the historic fountain in Queens Park, Clunes, is clearly in need of some significant TLC.

Responding to questions from The Local, the Hepburn Shire Council has, in recent days, confirmed that it intends to explore future funding opportunities “to achieve renewal works to the historic feature”.

Much to the concern of locals – and visitors – who appreciate and value unique heritage assets, the little 1880s fountain is visibly falling victim to time and weather.

The Local wanted to know what’s being planned to restore and renovate this much-loved aesthetic treasure before it crumbles and cracks much further. In an email responding to the questions Hepburn Shire Acting CEO Bruce Lucas said:

“The Queens Park fountain is a much-loved historic feature in the township of Clunes. Our Parks and Open Spaces team monitor the fountain and carry out water quality maintenance as required.

“The Queens Park Masterplan, that has established the long-term vision for the parklands, was formally adopted at the 19 March 2024 Council Meeting.

“The Masterplan identifies and addresses gaps in infrastructure requirements; improved accessibility and safety; and increase participation, visitation and reserve connection opportunities for the local community.

“One of the actions contained in the Masterplan is to ‘Refurbish the existing Queens Park Fountain and check for any damages, leaks or blockages, (and to) provide feature paving around the fountain which is consistent with the post-contact heritage aesthetic’.

“Delivering this action from the Masterplan is currently unfunded and would need to be considered with other Council priorities and attracting relevant external funding.

“Council has commenced implementation of the Masterplan actions through the installation of a shade structure over the Queens Park playspace. The project is co-funded by the Victorian Government’s Tiny Towns Grant Program and Council.

“Council will continue to explore future funding opportunities to achieve the renewal works to the Queens Park Fountain.”

Featuring a recurrent floral motif, the unique little fountain was built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Words: Eve Lamb

A safety issue with operating equipment has forced the temporary closure of the Clunes public outdoor swimming pool.

A couple of other public outdoor pools in the Hepburn Shire have also been temporarily closed to enable equipment checks to be conducted.

An issue with the pool operating equipment at the Clunes pool (pictured above and below) has prompted the Hepburn Shire Council to close that pool until further notice, and to issue an update advising people of the closure.

In a social media post this afternoon the council has advised that: “We’re very disappointed to say that the Clunes pool will be closed until further notice because of a safety issue with the pool operating equipment.

“The Daylesford and Trentham pools will also be closed until further notice as these pools use the same operating equipment and need to be assessed to ensure safety and that they’re working as they should,” the council’s social media post confirms.

“Creswick Splash Park will remain open,” the post states.

“All pool equipment at the three pools is being assessed by an independent consultant this week. We’ll provide further updates once we know more.

“We understand that this news may be frustrating to hear. Council always takes the safety of community and staff with the utmost importance,” the post states.

This story based on a Hepburn Shire Council report

Helen Garner, Costa Georgiadis, Clare Wright, Nicole Chvastek and Heather Ewart are just a few of the thought-provoking special guests set to feature in discussions at next month’s Clunes Booktown Festival.

Acclaimed Aussie writer Helen Garner will discuss her latest book, The Season, in which she follows her grandson’s under-16 footy team.

In typical Garner style, this book explores many themes – ageing, family, masculinity, and the epic theatre of Australian football. Her sharp observations will be drawn out, in conversation, by author and critic, Sean O’Beirne.

In panel discussion, author Kate Grenville (Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place), author Jane Harrison (The Visitors), and historians Clare Wright (Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions) and Amanda Laugesen (Australia in 100 Words) will explore the reality behind Australia’s colonial myths in an enlightening session with Kingston’s own Professor Barry Golding.

In another session three experts in the environmental field – Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, Milkwood’s Kirsten Bradley, and permaculture co-founder David Holmgren – will discuss the challenges of our rapidly changing climate and how we can adapt, not only our gardens but also various aspects of our lifestyles, in an increasingly uncertain world.

Television presenter Heather Ewart is set to spill the beans on her travels around Australia while hosting ABC TV’s Back Roads and writing her new book, The Great Aussie Road Trip, in conversation with travel writer Tim Richards.

Heather promises to reveal some of her favourite hidden gems, essential preparations, and personal tips for getting the most out of journeying around Australia.

That’s just a snapshot of what’s on the festival program taking place over March 22-23, with organisers of the big bibliophiles’ bash aiming to attract diverse audiences and highlighting genre spanning soft crime to one of the latest big book trends – ‘romantasy’.

While the genre that meshes fantasy and romance is not totally new, online audiences in particular have been identified as driving its current popularity, Clunes Booktown program manager Angela Crocombe says.

Accordingly, organisers of this year’s festival have included a romantic panel in the lineup to highlight Aussie ‘romantasy’ writers.

Authors Alexandra Almond (Thoroughly Disenchanted), Keshe Chow (The Girl with No Reflection), and Lili Wilkinson (Unhallowed Halls) will discuss the genre with agent Alex Adsett.

Along with author talks, panel discussions, and workshops, more than 120 book stalls will offer up tens of thousands of new, second hand, and collectible books.

The jam-packed weekend will also feature an Historical Walking Tour of Clunes, a Poetry Slam, an immersive Kids Village, and the return of Clunes’ legendary Hay Bale Maze.

And film buffs will be in for a treat too, with a screening of the dystopian classic Mad Max in Clunes’ historic central garage, now known as The Tin Shed, where part of the film was actually shot.

Ticket sales have opened with more details on the festival website.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

with Eve Lamb

Clunes’ Christine Lethlean is renowned for her beautiful textile work and well known through her role as a textiles art tutor and regional  co-ordinator for the biennial Textile Palette exhibition held at Clunes’  Warehouse. But this talented 3D conceptual artist is equally at home working with media spanning print, sculpture, paint and lead to create  works that constantly push her own creative boundaries in a quest to elicit in others a desire to look more closely.  

Eve: Hi Christine, what are you working on there?  

Christine: This sculpture is a 3D depiction of my own hands. I’m using papier mache and I will paint it and then add a rust treatment so that it looks metallic.  

Eve: Once it’s completed will it be able to be displayed outdoors?  

Christine: Yes. It will be suitable for display outdoors. Right now I’m doing the undercoat. I’m aiming to capture all the imperfections of my own hands, things like wrinkles and sunspots.  

Over the past 22 months I have been creating work focusing on the ageing woman, body shape, and the concept of letting go of what was and moving into what is. Work I have produced as part of this project was exhibited in several different exhibitions last year including at the fortyfivedownstairs gallery in Melbourne and at Oxygen College in Ballarat, and I’m continuing with this  project.  

Eve: What sort of work has this ongoing project included so far?  

Christine: It has included making a full-scale cast of my own body, working  predominantly in papier-mache using layers and layers of tissue paper, but also  using electrical duct tape and plaster cast. It’s my first ever full-scale life-sized  sculpture.

It’s called How Did I Get Here? and it’s concerned with the issue of homelessness that’s impacting more and more middle-aged and older women in our community. My daughters, who are both creative, have helped me with this project by  taking photos of me because the work is based on my body.

The girls take the  photos of me and then I work it up. But I’m also working with textiles, painting – I prefer acrylics, printing, graphite and charcoal for drawing. All of what I use in my work is recycled.  

Eve: Do you have any special events or exhibitions coming up?  

Christine: Yes. I will have work in a show called Threaded that will be running for three weeks at Caelene Nee Glen Gallery in Brighton opening February 20. It runs to March 9.

I will probably have six or seven pieces in that, predominantly  textiles. It will involve four textile artists. Three of us are from regional Victoria and one is from Melbourne.

Eve: Do you have any preferred subject matter?  

Christine: Portraiture, landscape, even abstract. But I also do a lot of still-life.  Still-life but really moody…  

Eve: Have you ever worked in any other field?  

Christine: Yes. In a former life I was a health professional, a registered nurse. I was brought up on a farm in Western Australia’s eastern wheatbelt. We learned how  to make something out of nothing. I’ve always had an eye for aesthetics. I’m very  privileged now but I’ve had a difficult and challenging life.  

Eve: What area of nursing have you worked in?  

Christine: Aboriginal health, mental health, drugs and alcohol. I’ve learnt to walk with people.  

Eve: And you teach art as well don’t you?  

Christine: Yes, I teach people how to create a masterful art piece using textiles and  scraps. I have my studio here in Clunes where I teach on Mondays and Wednesdays,  and I also really like to regularly invite guest artists in for special workshops as well.  Every January I do printing classes – woodcut, linocut, monotype printing.  

But I also teach all over the place. This year I’ll be teaching in Melbourne, Ballan,  Broken Hill, Adelaide, Mildura, probably Geelong…  

I do like to teach. I think curiosity is a quality that is so underrated. When  something is giving you the shits you’ve got to get to a space where if something  hasn’t worked you just ask ‘well, what happens if I do that instead?’.  

I’m always working on projects that stress the shit out of me. But you’ve got to  make mistakes because it pushes you into new parameters.  

As part of Hepburn Shire Council’s budget savings measures, Trentham and Clunes libraries will no longer open to the public on Saturday mornings from March.  

Acting Council CEO Bruce Lucas said that the decision to not open the two libraries on Saturday mornings was made after careful consideration of usage and borrowing rates, and aimed to minimise disruption to the community.  

“As we worked on developing our Financial Vision, we carefully examined each council service to identify potential efficiencies. As we move forward with this effort,  we expect to make ongoing adjustments to our services to ensure they are more  efficient and cost-effective for our community.  

“The adjustments we’re making to our library operations will allow us to operate  more efficiently and offer services in a cost-effective manner, focusing on peak demand  times.

“Saturday mornings are our least busy times at our Trentham and Clunes sites.”  

The council will continue to have two libraries open to the public on Saturday mornings at Daylesford and Creswick.  

Meanwhile, the council has received a grant to expand community access to its four libraries beyond opening hours through the Open Access Libraries initiative, which allows library members to upgrade their membership to access library buildings beyond regular opening hours in the absence of onsite staff.

“This initiative supports our community to utilise their local library at a time that  suits them most. It aims to increase their opportunities to learn and share knowledge,” Mr Lucas said.  

“The extended hours will suit families to come and enjoy their love of reading, students to study, and our community to access knowledge and learning outside our regular library hours.”  

Council will roll out Open Access Libraries from March starting with the Trentham library, and then introduce the program at Clunes, Creswick and  Daylesford.  

Library members will be invited to participate in a comprehensive induction program to upgrade their library membership.

This will grant them exclusive access to facilities during non-operational hours, from 8am to 8pm, seven days per week, including public holidays.  

Clunes Quick Shear promises a day of hot competition in more ways than one.  

Staged at the town’s local showgrounds on Saturday, February 22, it draws gun  shearers from across the state and much  further afield, notably including Kiwi  shearers who share a fair bit of healthy  rivalry with the Aussies.  

And then there’s the Undie 500.  

“This year we’re introducing a few new things including a women’s-only shearing category and the females-only Undie 500,”  says Jenny Redpath, treasurer of the Clunes and District Young Farmers who run the annual fundraising event.  

“We’ve run the open Undie 500 for the past couple of years and we always get a few  girls who enter but this year we thought we’d also give a females-only Undie 500 a crack as  well, and put up the prize money for it.  

“So get your good jocks on and if we can get at least 10 girls we’ll run it. It only costs  $5 to enter.  

“It’ll be the same course over the (showgrounds) oval covering 500 metres with a few obstacles thrown in like hay bales to get over, and you’ve got to skull a glass of  water. It happens after the shearing sashes have been presented, on dusk.”

If that’s not enough to give you your fill of classic country entertainment for the day, there’ll also be a couple of live music acts set to hit the stage when the day’s competition is done and the winners’ spoils awarded.  

“We’ve got Billy Menhennet who was on Australian Idol and then we’ve also got the band No Plans on after him,” Jenny says.  

As to the (often blisteringly) quick shearing itself, competition categories include novice, intermediate and open divisions as well as this year’s newly added women’s and seniors’ (over 50s) divisions.  

Shearers race each other against the clock and are also judged on shear cleanliness – with qualifying heats culminating in a three-sheep shear off.  

“Because we’ve added a few new things we’ll be opening a bit earlier so we can get  cracking,” Jenny says.  

“We’ll be opening the gates from 11am and the shearing will get started from 12.

“The prize money is the main draw-card and the chance to win your section. The  open section winner gets a perpetual trophy and the Bushy Hill Memorial Shield.”  

Now in its ninth year, the Clunes Quick Shear regularly draws around 50 competing shearers including some noted top guns with last year’s reigning open category winner, Caleb Morgan, among those set to return again this year.  

“His blistering winning time last year was 24.22 seconds…unbelievably fast. It’s  pretty amazing watching them.”  

Over the years it’s been running the Clunes Quick Shear has raised plenty of  money for many good causes. Last year it raised $5873 for the Royal Flying Doctor  Service.  

This time the dollars raised will be going to benefit the region’s own Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute in Ballarat.  

The event is family friendly with entertainment available for the kids and onsite catering including food, coffee and bar. It’s a gold coin donation to get in the gate.  

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Supplied    

The region’s farmers are hoping for a good autumn break with decent rainfall following a year of well below average rain.

An analysis of 2024 rainfall data from almost 200 Bureau of Meteorology weather stations right across Australia show that  Ballarat was Victoria’s  driest centre for the past year, having received 442mm – or equivalent to just 64 percent of its annual average.

The BOM’s data analysis shows that the next driest centre for the past year was Stawell (339mm or 72 percent of its annual average) and then Horsham (266 or 73 percent of its annual average).

Local farmers like John Drife, whose family has been farming for many generations at Glendaruel, just south west of Clunes, says last year’s lower than average rainfall significantly impacted the amount of hay that was cut and baled on his property.

However, it was a mixed bag with some good outcomes with his grain crops of canola and wheat – both of which served to compensate John, and quite a few of the region’s farmers, for the lower-than-average hay yield.

“We were short on rainfall right through spring so our hay paddocks  produced about a quarter to a third of what they should produce – about two rolls to the acre when it should have been about six to the acre,” John says.

With his down-on-average hay yield now shedded, John’s been busy in recent days getting the last of his large round straw bales, made from the season’s wheat  stalks (remaining after the wheat grain has been harvested from them), out of the paddocks.

“It’s been a pretty evaporative summer so far,” he says.

“We’re feeding stock at the moment every day and we don’t normally start until February.

“We are looking for a good autumn break (with rainfall) in early April.”

Clunes farmer Malcolm Hull says the availability of on-farm water is  now becoming a real issue especially for local farmers who rely solely on  dams.  

“The dams are very low now. Water is the issue.”  

Malcolm says his barley crop of 2024 was saved “by the skin of the  teeth” by rainfall that arrived in late October-early November.  

“I’ve kept some grain back still sitting in the silo knowing we will more  than likely need this before the autumn break,” he says.  

“The stock are nibbling their way through hay very quickly and I suspect  we will have to buy some in. We didn’t have such a great spring and now with this hot dry summer the stock are cleaning the paddocks out.”  

A little to the east, Ullina farmer Tim Barry is planning to start dry sowing up to 900 acres of grain crops once again, from April.

“There is no real subsoil moisture at the moment so we will need good  autumn rain to get up and growing,” Tim says.  

“We will dry sow starting about April 14 with canola, and then we’ll sow  wheat in early May. We’ll also be looking at sowing some oats as well which  are milled locally at UniGrain at Smeaton.  

“Last year the last rain was the difference between a terrible year and a reasonable one. Our cereal hay was still quite good but grass hay was nearly non-existent.”  

Words” Eve Lamb  

Clunes locals are keen to form a new group to ensure the community gets good ongoing benefits from the 330 megawatt Nyaninyuk windfarm proposed for just west of the township.  

Acciona is looking to establish the wind farm between Evansford, Clunes and Waubra, on the western side of Mount Beckworth with the proposal now in the  planning and approvals phase.  

The proposed development is valued at $700 million and projected to generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 210,000 households with the Western Renewables Link power conduit route proposed to pass just south of Clunes.  

In recent days Clunes community members, farmers and council representatives  were among those who met to discuss the proposed development and ways to ensure  the community and landholders can broker the best impact compensation deals.  

One of the meeting’s several co-convenors, Malcom Hull says general consensus  emerging from the meeting is around the need to form and formalise a group to advocate on behalf of the community and to negotiate with the wind farm’s  developers to ensure the community receives ongoing benefits.  

“It’s coming and it was started back in John Howard’s day. This isn’t about being  pro or anti wind farm. It’s about making sure the community doesn’t get dudded,”  Mr Hull said.  

He points to impact compensation deals that other communities have negotiated  from the establishment of renewable energy projects in their area, as examples of what  can be achieved.

“Waubra is getting $90,000 a year for the community,” Mr Hull said.  

“Rokewood is getting $230,000 a year and every person who lives in Rokewood  (and was living there before the windfarm was established) is getting their power bill  paid for the next 25 years.  

“We need to formalise an entity that can argue on behalf of the community and  it’s up to the community to put thoughts forward as to how money could be spent –  maybe a community battery, maybe electric vehicle charger points, maybe money for  the CFA …”  

David Lawrance of Farm Gate Renewables was among those who attended and  spoke at this month’s community meeting.  

Mr Lawrance says communities, including landholders, are doing “the heavy  lifting” in the clean energy transition and need to be fairly compensated. But he  says that if communities like Clunes don’t pro-actively stand together then they risk  missing out on getting fair compensation.  

“You have a voice in this. You shouldn’t be a silent victim,” Mr Lawrance says.  

Farm Gate Renewables operates on a commercial basis, providing consultancy  and advocacy to negotiate better ongoing deals for impacted farmers and landholders.  But it also works on a pro bono basis to help communities that are impacted by  developments to get the best outcomes they can in terms of fair compensation.  

Mr Lawrance says providing legal advice on possible different structures that an  effective community advocacy group may be able to adopt is one way that Farm Gate  Renewables can assist communities like Clunes.  

From here, Mr Hull and fellow co-convenors like Dr Tess Brady, say locals who  are interested in being part of the proposed community advocacy group should attend  the regular Sunday evening community drinks gatherings that take place at Attitude  Clunes.  

“If people have got skills, legal skills for example, or any other skills or ideas, we’d  be more than happy to hear from them,” Mr Hull said.  

Dr Brady says the ongoing Sunday evening community drinks gatherings at  Attitude Clunes happen from 5pm (daylight saving hours) with all welcome to  attend.  

“We are looking closely at other cases, other communities and the kinds of  compensation they’ve had,” Dr Brady says.  

“It’s pro community and how can we turn this thing into something positive for  us. The main aim is to avoid contention and find consensus.  

“The big picture here is a redistribution of wealth into the regions. If you add up  the amount of compensation around, it’s big dollars.”  Words: Eve Lamb | Image: File   

A woman from Mount Macedon has been charged with drug trafficking in recent days, following a police investigation into a death at a retreat that was held in Clunes last April. 

No charges have been laid in relation to the death itself, however police say that during an investigation they found evidence the 53 year old Mount Macedon woman was trafficking drugs.

The investigation was launched after a Ringwood woman died on April 14, last year while at the retreat.

A Victoria Police statement said an autopsy had been conducted, but a cause of death was unable to be determined.

It also stated the Mount Macedon woman has been charged with trafficking psilocin, a hallucinogen found in psychedelic or “magic” mushrooms.

She will now be required to face the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates’ Court on January 29.

Following the Ringwood woman’s death last April, Soul Barn, the Clunes venue where the retreat took place, had distanced themselves from the private event.

In a social media post, the Soul Barn stated that it hired out its workshop space to external businesses, and that no one who had been working at the retreat was associated with Soul Barn.

“There are no words to express the deep sorrow and shock we are feeling here at Soul following the tragic incident that occurred,” the post had stated.

It had also stated: “We share the shock and devastation of everyone involved and our hearts are with those families affected.”

This story based on a Victoria Police report

NGV Kids on Tour 2025 has partnered with more than 150 community venues across Victoria this January to offer free art-making activities – and that includes Daylesford, Clunes, Creswick, Trentham and Kyneton. 

Activities include making a playful cat and dog ear headband, illustrating a Kusama-inspired pumpkin and creating fashion designs for paper dolls. Coinciding with the NGV’s summer exhibitions Yayoi Kusama and Cats & Dogs, NGV Kids on Tour celebrates the work of local and international artists and designers, as they draw inspiration from the colour and vibrancy of nature and the world around them. 

In celebration of the Cats & Dogs exhibition, children can design a Furry Friend Headband, a set of cat or dog ears inspired by their own beloved pets or furry animals in their lives that they can take home and wear. 

Kids will also be able to enjoy the work of iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in the Lots of Dots with Yayoi Kusama activity and children’s book.

Pumpkins have appeared in Kusama’s artworks since a young age growing up on a seed and plant farm, and this drawing activity invites children to add their favourite colours and designs to dots on a pumpkin and write a short poem about the humble fruit. 

Younger children will be able to spot big dots, little dots and shiny dots in Lots of Dots story time sessions. 

Melbourne-based fashion designers and sisters Fatuma and Laurinda Ndenzako from slow fashion label Collective Closets celebrate the beauty and history of the African continent through their designs.

The designers have developed the Fashion, Culture & Creativity with Collective Closets activity where kids and families will create paper dolls and design their own vibrant clothing for the dolls to wear. 

Children will learn about bogong moths in the drawing activity developed by Dr Deanne Gilson, a proud Wadawurrung woman living on her ancestral country at Ballarat.

And the tour invites teenagers to learn about the creative practices of emerging artists and build skills for their own art portfolios through an activity developed with Gamilaroi Yinarr weaver and textile artist Sophie Honess. Link: www.ngv.vic.gov.au/kids-on-tour 

Clunes’ Mulberry Manse sets the scene for an evening of beautiful music featuring celtic harp this Wednesday January 8.

Multi award-winning Scottish singer songwriter and harpist Chloe Matharu (above) is on her second Australian Tour.

She will perform at Clunes’ Mulerry Manse alongside acclaimed folk-soul duo Andrea Kirwin and Claire Evelynn.

Matharu is an award winning Scottish-Indian singer songwriter and harpist from the west coast of Scotland.

Many of her songs draw on her time as a navigational officer in the merchant navy, inspired by the natural world as experienced at sea.

On tour she performs solo with her harp in English, Scots, and Welsh. She is now on tour with Kirwin and Evelynn enroute to Tasmania’s Cygnet Folk Festival.

Australian/Fijian folk-soul artist Andrea Kirwin and her wife Claire Evelynn (above) have been performing as a duo together since 2021.

In this time they’ve developed a very special live show blending the ethereal sounds of the celtic harp with Andrea’s originals that feature guitar, cigar box guitar, harmonica and stomp and her rich, velvety vocals.

Date

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:30pm

Location

Mulberry Manse
8 Roses Lane, Clunes, Clunes VIC 3370

Details

More details can be found through the Mulberry Manse Facebook page, with bookings online through Trybooking

Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

You know things are warming up and Christmas is almost here when the public pool season starts.

In the Hepburn Shire it started on Saturday (December 7) with council-managed outdoor pools opening for free throughout the shire.

To celebrate the start to the pool season the Clunes, Daylesford and Trentham outdoor pools all opened over the launch weekend (Dec 7-8) between 1pm to 6pm regardless of any predicated cooler weather (21 and below).

The new aquatics season for the shire’s pulbic pools and Creswick Splash Park is now scheduled to run through to March 13 2025 (Labour Day public holiday).

2024/2025 Pool Opening Times

 Fees

Entry is free to all council pools and the Creswick Splash Park.

Locations

Daylesford pool

Location: Central Springs Road, Daylesford

Facilities: 50m Pool and toddlers’ pool

Trentham pool

Location: Corner of Market Street and Camp Street

Facilities: 25m pool and toddlers’ pool

Clunes pool

Location: Bull Millgate Reserve, Clunes. Turn off at Ligar Street and Clunes – Campbelltown Road intersection

Facilities: 25m pool and toddlers’ pool

Calembeen Park toddlers’ pool

Location: Calembeen Park, access via Cushing Avenue, Creswick

Facilities: Toddlers’ pool

Creswick Splash Park

Location: Opposite IGA Creswick, Turn off from Albert Street

Facilities: Splash pad with numerous water play features

Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa – locals’ discount 

While not managed by the council, the Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa is another bathing facility in the shire and it’s worth noting that Hepburn Shire residents can head to the bathhouse year-round to take advantage of the locals’ discount.

The rate for residents in the shire is $12.50 per session or a ten pass for $99. The offer is for Monday to Thursday excluding public holidays. Walk in only.

Further information about the local public pools, including the new hours is at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/pools

The Hepburn Shire Council has announced a series of workshops to help local community groups successfully apply for grants.

Set for Trentham, Creswick, Daylesford and Clunes, the sessions are designed to make the grant application process more accessible, practical, and successful for organisations across the shire. 

The training will be led by the council’s grants specialist, who brings experience in securing funding for local projects and initiatives.

Participants will learn valuable skills in grant writing including how to identify the right funding opportunities, craft compelling applications, and understand the key criteria that funding bodies are looking for. 

Hepburn Shire’s Director Performance and Transformation Brooke Holmes says the workshops aim to empower local community groups with the knowledge and confidence they need to secure grants and make their projects a reality.

 “We want to create a fun and interactive environment where participants can ask questions, share ideas, and leave with practical tools to boost their chances of success,” she said. 

The training sessions are open to all community groups within the Hepburn Shire including sports clubs, arts organisations, environmental groups, and others.

By participating, local groups are expected to not only improve their grant application skills but also build stronger links with other groups and organisations across the region. 

The timing of these workshops coincides with council’s grants program being open for applications until January 31 2025.

“So this is a perfect opportunity to refine your application and pick up some valuable grant writing skills,” Ms Holmes says. 

Workshop details

Trentham Neighbourhood Centre – 16 December, 2pm – 4pm  

Creswick Neighbourhood Centre – 17 December, 2pm – 4pm  

Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre – 21 January, 10am – 12pm  

Clunes Neighbourhood House – 21 January, 2pm – 4pm  

For more information, or to register, community groups are being encouraged to contact the neighbourhood centres. 

with Eve Lamb

Clunes Original Homestead Creekside Walk.  Loop. Distance 4.5 km.

This is one of my fav Clunes walks. It’s a slight adaptation of a loop walk that appears in a newly released brochure detailing several choice walks and saunters in and around the Clunes township. More on that later.

For this 4.5km loop my trekking accomplice Paddy H and I start out in Collins Place (adjacent to The Clunes Warehouse). We turn left and head roughly north along the town’s main (Fraser) street, until we reach Templeton Street where we turn right (east) and walk straight toward the Creswick Creek.

Once we reach the creek we turn left and make our way toward the timber-decked footbridge, less than 100 metres on, that takes us over the creek.

After crossing the footbridge we turn left and follow the creekside walking path roughly due north for a short way before turning left into the bottom of Scenic Drive to cross over the creek ford.

Once across the ford we turn right and head roughly north alongside Blackmores Road, again following the creek to take in the Blackmores Road Park. With its magnificent old National Trust significant elm trees, established gums and old fashioned picnic tables this little creekside park is surely one of the most underrated around. It is the perfect place for a picnic or barbecue.

Paddy H and I opt for a coffee break and then walk on to the end of the Blackmores Road Park. Here, we make our way up onto Blackmores Road and continue heading north-ish along the road parallel to the creek that’s to our right.

After about half a kilometer, in a paddock to our right we see the weather-beaten sign that IDs the site of the town’s original homestead.

Scottish-born Donald Cameron, the original squatter, built his homestead in 1839. The Clunes Museum has a painting of the Cameron Homestead and the State Library of Victoria has a watercolour of the Station of Donald Cameron JP Esq done around 1844-1847 and available to view on Trove.

We continue on along Blackmores Road for another couple of hundred metres or so until just past the 40km advisory sign where Blackmores Road ends and sweeps up into Alfred Road. We instead turn right, taking a very short unmade track that leads down to a small steel footbridge to cross the creek.

I should mention here that we’ve seen quite a bit of wildlife at this point including a black kite, a black-shouldered kite, a family of grey fantails, and  I strongly suggest that when doing this walk in the warmer months you keep a watchful look out for snakes when moving alongside the creek.

Anyway, back to the bridge. It’s a great little lesser known reach of the creek here, meditative just to stand and take in the scene. Once across and on the other side of the creek, if you haven’t already tuned in properly, the landscape now commands attention with its undulations and sweeping wide sky vistas.

The track weaves through an impressive patch of native poa tussock grass, heading roughly due east before we turn right into Station Flat Road,  and begin heading along the creek back toward the township.

Clunes is a unique place (as you know) and one of the evocative things about it is the quirky Eternity sign to be spotted as you meander along Cattle Station Flat Road. There it is, painted in a kind of faded lemon yellow in a flowing yesteryear cursive script and afixed to a rusty gate that leads to … well eternity really.

I love this walk, too, for the landscape right here with its remnant mining mullock heaps plus palm tree. Makes you feel like you might be in Egypt or somewhere else fairly exotic… which of course, you are.

We continue along Station Flat Road, passing historic relics of the Port Phillip Gold Mine, until we again reconnect with the bottom of Scenic Drive. To neatly complete this walk you could either cross the ford again and  turn left to take in the far end of Fraser Street headed back to Collins Place. Or you could just keep ambling along creekside for a beautiful leafy end to the loop, back across the first footbridge.

This walk is very similar to the ‘Original Homestead Walk’ included in the new Clunes Town Walks brochure that was produced as a collaboration between Clunes Neighbourhood House, Creative Clunes and the Clunes Tourism and Development Association.

The new brochure details four good local ambles ranging from 1.5 km to 4.5km in length: the Clunes Creek Walk , Eighteen Miners Steps Walk, Gold Mines Walk and the Original Homestead Walk. It comes complete with historic insights, a handy map and QR codes giving extra info for each walk.

Clunes Neighbourhood House manager Lana de Kort says the Clunes Town Walks brochures can be picked up free of charge at various retail outlets throughout the town, and other outlets like the Neighbourhood House.

Words & Images: Eve Lamb