September 26, 2026
Hastings pubs on shortlist for AHA NSW awards Some of the team from Flower Hotels’ Settlers Inn and Tacking Point Tavern. Photos: supplied.
Business

Hastings pubs on shortlist for AHA NSW awards

THE Australian Hotels Association (AHA) reckons the Hastings’ pubs are among the state’s best when it comes to food, music and generally being “the heart of the community”. Port Macquarie, Lake Cathie, Wauchope, Beechwood and Long Flat all feature on the list of finalists for this year’s AHA NSW Awards of Excellence. These are the […]

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Lake Cathie closes to the ocean; recreational activities still encouraged An opening will typically occur when water levels rise due to rainfall, while closures happen as sand accumulates - creating a berm which acts as a natural seal between the lake and ocean.
Editor's Picks

Lake Cathie closes to the ocean; recreational activities still encouraged

LAKE CATHIE has closed to the ocean, however Port Macquarie-Hastings Council says conditions remain “ripe for recreation”. Excessive sand movement and dry conditions have caused the sand berm to close the entrance to the ocean, after more than 15 months of favourable weather conditions allowing it to remain open, according to Council. This is a […]

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Results released from Port to Port building blitz Building inspectors visited sites between Port Stephens and Port Macquarie.
Regional

Results released from Port to Port building blitz

THE Building Commission NSW has released the results of its three-day inspection blitz of worksites between Port Stephens and Port Macquarie. During August, a team of inspectors visited 41 sites across Nelson Bay, Forster, Diamond Beach, Bonny Hills and Port Macquarie. Inspections focused on identifying defective building work, monitoring for unlicensed or unsupervised specialist trades […]

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Adolescent male humpbacks stun whale watchers as they jostle for position off Port Macquarie A drone shot of some of the 10 or 11 juvenile humpbacks off Port Macquarie on Monday. Photo: Alex McNaught, roving-eye.com.
Local News

Adolescent male humpbacks stun whale watchers as they jostle for position off Port Macquarie

A drone shot of some of the 10 or 11 juvenile humpbacks off Port Macquarie on Monday. Photo: Alex McNaught, roving-eye.com. This spectacular breach off Port Macquarie’s Town Beach last week has been shared around the world. Photo: Jodie Lowe’s Marine Animal Photography. Whale spotter Leigh Mansfield at Tacking Point Lighthouse. Photo: Sue Stephenson. THERE’S […]

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Deforestation can cause eight-fold increase in flood event risk, says report The loss of forest canopy has long been claimed to increase the risk of flooding – but actually proving the direct link has proven difficult since the impact of other factors such as changing climate are hard to exclude. Photo: NSW SES.
Regional

Deforestation can cause eight-fold increase in flood event risk, says report

THE chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 percent if widespread deforestation has occurred. That is the finding of a new paper by academics who analysed decades of flooding data from regions in Australia which frequently suffer forest fires. The loss of forest canopy has long […]

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Farm fire vehicle scheme launched after series of trials Farm Firefighting Vehicles are commonly small trucks, utes or trailers with fixed water, pumps or fire management equipment.
Local News

Farm fire vehicle scheme launched after series of trials

FARMERS and rural landholders can now register to use Farm Firefighting Vehicles (FFVs) to respond to emergency bushfires near their property. Last Wednesday, the NSW Government launched a conditional registration scheme to enable typically unregistered FFVs to be used legally and under the protection of insurance. FFVs are commonly small trucks, utes or trailers with […]

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NSW Women over 50invited to join free program for active living Professor Anne Tiedemann from the University of Sydney.
Camden Haven

NSW Women over 50invited to join free program for active living

WOMEN across NSW are being invited to take part in a major government-funded health initiative designed to support active, independent ageing. The program, Active Women over 50, is led by Professor Anne Tiedemann from the University of Sydney and supported by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund. It will provide free, tailored support to […]

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Run of hope raises thousands for Zambian orphans Melinda Mwanza, Staffan Andler and Tom Mwanza.
Community

Run of hope raises thousands for Zambian orphans

LOCAL musician and endurance runner Tom Mwanza completed an extraordinary 100-kilometre run from Hallidays Point to Port Macquarie on Saturday, raising funds to build a home for five orphaned children in his hometown of Kalulushi, Zambia. Originally from Zambia and now based on the Mid North Coast, Tom set out to raise $100,000 through his […]

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