News
SIX years of planning, and co-operation between Federal and State Governments, bureaucrats and environmental groups will come to fruition next month when work starts on a large-scale water project that will breathe new life – permanently – into the iconic … Continue reading
SUNRAYSIA has made its latest steps towards attracting a new tourism market to the district following a visit to the Mallee this week by a Singaporean film crew. The film crew was in Mildura shooting footage for the country’s highest … Continue reading
WORK is well under way on the Langtree Mall’s long-awaited shade pavilion following a turbulent six months for the precinct during which much was made of a lack of shelter in the area. While a large shaded area was an … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI WENTWORTH Shire residents could see their power bills drop as soon as mid-year following moves to abolish western New South Wales’ status as a non-contestable area for electricity. At present Shire electricity users are charged more or … Continue reading
Book review, By ALAN ERSKINE APART from hard work, and spending time with his family, there was nothing Marty Nesbit loved better than swapping morning and afternoon ‘smoko’ stories with family, fellow workers and visitors on his parents’ isolated NSW … Continue reading
MEMBER for Mildura Peter Crisp has joined the call for Sunraysia home owners to shop around for home and contents insurance if they are not happy with their current insurer. Mr Crisp, RIGHT, said the Nationals had met with one … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI ONGOING acts of vandalism in Red Cliffs in recent months have reignited residents’ calls for action to improve security in the town. Vandalism has been an ongoing issue in Red Cliffs over the past two years with … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI THE Murray Darling Basin Authority’s new draft plan for water could jeopardise one of Sunraysia’s only hopes for a horticulture revival according to a prominent irrigator. Sunraysia Irrigators Council chairman, Danny Lee, who has been a long … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI IMAGINE never having to pay a power bill again? Sounds like fairy tale stuff doesn’t it? But for Sunraysia couple, Peter and Rae Knyvett, it’s a very real prospect. Peter and Rae are the first people in … Continue reading
WORK is expected to get underway in coming weeks on Mallee Family Care’s new Wentworth Shire headquarters in Dareton. The $1million project, in Devenport Street, is expected to be completed in August and add to Mallee Family Care’s existing shop-front … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI COLES supermarkets’ announcement that it will slash some fruit and vegetable prices by up to 50 percent has farming groups on high alert. Victorian Farmers Federation president, Andrew Broad, called on Coles to commit to an “ethical … Continue reading
By ALAN ERSKINE WHEN Queensland-born David Gofton was 17, and about to enter university to study psychology, a close mate died, and David started hearing voices. It seemed to him that his dead friend’s spirit had come to him, asking … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI SUNRAYSIA land-owners who’ve been trapped for the past two years by a snap planning amendment by the former Victorian Government have finally received some good news. About 16 farming zone land-owners (32 properties) have been in limbo … Continue reading
SUNRAYSIA insurance brokers are handling continuous inquiries from concerned home and contents policy-holders covered by a wide range of insurers in the wake of hikes in premiums following the devastating floods of 2011. Thousands of people across the State have … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI THE future of the $25million Mildura South Sporting complex is likely to rely on buying land already on the market rather than compulsory acquisition. That’s the view of Mildura Rural City Council chief executive Mark Henderson in … Continue reading
THERE were tears of joy in Cardross yesterday after the township received a massive $1.5million funding boost to rebuilt its decimated community sporting complex. Cardross was among the worst hit by last year’s record rain and flooding, which left much … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI THE temperature had already reached well into the mid thirties on Monday morning when 56-year-old adventurer Beth Lawrie’s Transit van broke down about 10am in rough terrain near Rocket Lake in the Murray Sunset National Park. Alone … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI A PROMINENT Mildura City Trader has weighed into the debate over the CBD’s performance and the commitment of traders, both on Boxing Day and into the future. Mocha mecca owner, Luke Holdcroft said some traders, including himself, … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI DEBATE is once again raging over the merits of roll-over protection for quad bikes in the wake of ongoing concerns over the vehicles’ safety. Hundreds of quad bikes are used throughout Sunraysia every day as a valuable … Continue reading
AT least one major Victorian insurance company – RACV – has reacted quickly to the freak storms and flooding of 2011, with some home and contents policies in and around Mildura to rise by a staggering 400 percent or more. … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI MILDURA City Traders manager Tess Lane has rejected claims that the central business district failed to perform over the Christmas period. Her comments follow criticism of the mall this week by Mildura Rural City Councillor Max Thorburn, … Continue reading
By VINNIE RODI LAST Sunday’s 60mm downpour was certainly a cause for concern for many local residents. Homes, businesses and sporting grounds topped a list of badly-hit areas, with Mildura’s Old Aerodrome Ovals in particular resembling a tiny lake. And … Continue reading
A MILDURA-based business has made one of the district’s biggest export breakthroughs into China, potentially worth billions of dollars. Aus Asia Industries executive director, Carlo Calvi, has just returned from China with a handful of memorandums of understanding with the … Continue reading
SUNRAYSIA drivers will soon have to negotiate three sets of traffic lights in just 400 metres along one of the district’s busiest thoroughfares. A third set of traffic lights have now been installed in 15th Street, between Deakin Avenue and … Continue reading
MILDURA Tourism released the main tool in its printed marketing arsenal this week – a 92-page visitor guide to Mildura and Wentworth. The full colour document is being described as the region’s “signature marketing brochure” featuring details of more than … Continue reading
SUNRAYSIA took another step towards better harnessing the massive amount of sunshine that bathes the district each year with the official launch of the Mildura Region Solar Hubs project this week. Led by Mildura Development Corporation, the project aims to … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI AFTER one of the worst fruit fly affected seasons in Sunraysia’s history, there’s finally some good news for Mallee horticulturists. The Victorian Government yesterday announced five areas within the Sunraysia Pest Free Area have had restrictions lifted, … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI THE head of Sunraysia’s peak irrigator body – the Sunraysia Irrigators Council – says the new draft Murray Darling Basin plan is no different to the first, claiming the Federal Government has simply “fudged the figures.” Sunraysia … Continue reading
BY BEN PISCIONERI THE Murray Darling Basin Authority’s second attempt at a draft plan for rivers management released this week appears to have upset more people than the original. Last year’s plan, which detailed reductions in surface water usage of … Continue reading
THE Mildura Weekly Newspaper will be delayed hitting the newspaper stands this morning (Friday, December 2), after a truck transporting this week’s edition was involved in an accident. Both the driver of the vehicle and passenger suffered injuries in the … Continue reading
MOVES to better harness Sunraysia’s plethora of annual sunshine are gaining momentum following the announcement this week of a new partnership between Mildura Region Solar Hubs and Mildura Solar. Led by Mildura Development Corporation, Mildura Region Solar Hubs is a … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI A GROUP of Red Cliffs residents say they’ll take Mildura Rural City Council to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after Council last night approved plans to allow backpackers at a Jamieson Avenue student hostel. The venue … Continue reading
LOWER Murray Water irrigation customers affected by the recent demise of Clynes Dried Fruit have been encouraged to contact the corporation to discuss options for payment of their water accounts if they are having, or are expecting, financial difficulties. Lower … Continue reading
A MILDURA-based business plans to establish an outpost in Cameroon, in West Africa, as part of an unprecedented push to export Sunraysia-based knowledge and produce into the country. Steve Timmis and Carlo Calvi, directors of new Mildura-based import/export business, Aus … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI MANY Sunraysia tourism operators need a stronger online presence if they’re to grow, according to Tourism Alliance Victoria chairman, Matthew Noble. In a presentation to the district’s major operators at Mildura Tourism’s annual general meeting, Mr Noble … Continue reading
THE ‘Wanted’ poster with its offer of a $1000 reward sits on the wall of Mildura’s Woolworths supermarket – but it doesn’t refer to the old ‘dead or alive’ bounty hunter days of the Wild West. The latest poster is … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI AFTER 14 years in Ouyen, the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph will move to Merbein next year, and residents are pinning their hopes on it becoming the town’s biggest economic and community driver. Merbein beat 10 other … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI MILDURA land owners could face rate hikes of more than 20 percent if plans for a new property-based fire levy go ahead, according to the Municipal Association of Victoria. But the rate hike blow would be softened … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI GARDEN lovers from as far away as Casterton and the Riverland are expected to converge on Sunraysia’s Farm Gate Gardens early next month for a one-off open garden weekend, and it’s all for a good cause. The … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI THERE have been mixed reactions to this week’s $1.2 billion Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project deal between with the Victorian and Federal Governments. Under the deal, the Victorian and Federal Governments will jointly fund $1.2 billion in … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI SUNRAYSIA’S State and Federal representatives have played down fears of an influx of asylum seekers to Sunraysia after the Gillard Government abandoned its push for changes to migration laws earlier this month. The Federal Government was unable … Continue reading
RECORD rains, devastating flooding and poor water quality earlier this year failed to stop visitors flocking to Sunraysia over the past 12 months. Latest figures released by Mildura Tourism reveal a seven percent jump in domestic visitors and a six … Continue reading
THE Sunraysia Modernisation Project is being touted as a possible way of ensuring there’s not a repeat of the job losses experienced at Lower Murray Water last week. Lower Murray Water retrenched 12 staff last Thursday and lost another six … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI A QUARTER of a million dollars in government funding will be injected into Mildura’s Murray Pines Cemetery to ensure any future flooding doesn’t damage graves and memorials at the site. The facility was among numerous locations severely … Continue reading
By GRANT MAYNARD IT was formerly the site of Dareton’s Hotel… and after the pub was demolished about 2003, it became a large, open grassed area used as extra car park for the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club – especially when … Continue reading
VICTORIAN Premier Ted Baillieu made a flying visit to Sunraysia this week, checking some of his Government’s election promises that were made late last year, and other major projects. It was his first visit to Sunraysia since becoming Premier in … Continue reading
By ALAN ERSKINE A WORLD War Two Naval de-commissioning pennant from the record-breaking mine-sweeper corvette HMAS Mildura has been handed over to the City of Mildura as a permanent keepsake. The City was also gifted the corvette’s traditional White Ensign, … Continue reading
By GRANT MAYNARD THE smiles on the kids faces said it all. The Variety Club Bash visit would be recalled as the highlight of their school year. But, if truth be told, it had a similar effect on the ‘bashers’ … Continue reading
By ALAN ERSKINE WALKING and driving through Don and Iris Wilson’s Cabarita salvage yard is like taking a trip back through time. It’s also educational and entertaining, with Don’s computer-like memory reeling off facts, figures and events embracing more than … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI NEW laws in Victoria cracking down on restricted dog breeds, including American Pitbulls, aren’t the best solution to prevent dog attacks according to experts in Sunraysia. The laws, which have been described as a knee-jerk reaction by … Continue reading
By BEN PISCIONERI SUNRAYSIA residents are being asked if there are too many different speed zones on the district’s roads. The Victorian Government announced this week it would call for community input as part of a review of speed limits, … Continue reading
WHILE at least two Sunraysia-based commodity groups last week highlighted some of the benefits of Sunbeam Foods’ parent company Manussen Foods’ falling into foreign ownership, the Mallee’s Federal Member, John Forrest, isn’t so sure. In a statement released yesterday, Mr … Continue reading
KEY features on Victoria’s fire fighting weapons of the future were put to the test in Mildura this week as part of a state-wide program to develop the next generation of tankers. The trial Department of Sustainability and Environment program … Continue reading
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