MEMBER for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer, has welcomed the Minns Government’s introduction of a new licensing scheme designed to crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco and vaping products across NSW. The new laws require all retailers and wholesalers to hold a valid licence to sell tobacco and non-tobacco smoking products. The three-month grace […]
Posidonia australis forms rich underwater meadows. Photo: Seeds of the Sea.
A NEW citizen science project led by UNSW Sydney is inviting beachgoers, snorkelers and divers to spot and share photographs of seagrass flowers along Australia’s coasts. The endangered seagrass Posidonia australis forms rich underwater meadows that capture carbon, support fisheries, and help stabilise shorelines. It’s one of the most important habitats in coastal ecosystems but […]
Brigade Captain Chris Bawn, Port Macquarie MP Rob Dwyer, Dep. Comm. Peter McKechnie, and Mid Coast Mayor Claire Pontin open the new Johns River station.
AFTER more than six years of planning, the new Johns River Rural Fire Station is ready for action – just in time for Summer. The $1.6 million purpose-built facility was officially opened on 9 October by RFS Deputy Commissioner Peter McKechnie AFSM and special guests including Member for Port Macquarie Rob Dwyer and Mid Coast […]
Richmond soybean. Photo: DPI.
THE North Coast has been identified by the NSW Government as a region ready to harvest the economic benefits of the growing plant-based protein sector. Plant-based protein manufacturing is the process of turning crops such as chickpeas, soybeans, lentils and grains into high-protein food products like meat alternatives, protein powders, dairy-free drinks and snacks without […]
Road users are being invited to contribute to a survey. Photo: TfNSW.
TRANSPORT for NSW is leading a “once-in-a-generation” review of the Roads Act 1993 and is seeking input from councils, community members, peak bodies and industry experts about how the legislation should be reformed. “The aim is to create a more modern, flexible and easy-to-use law that can help enable NSW Government initiatives such as housing […]
WHILE most kids are spending their school holidays taking their foot off the pedal, sisters Poppy and Zaylee Cupitt have kept their hands heart-warmingly busy. With tiny, coloured rings spread over the table, the sisters aged 10 and 9 respectively, spent five days creating over 100 loom band bracelets for patients in the children’s ward […]
While the country lifestyle and lower cost-of-living was appealing, access to housing, health care, connectivity and public transport were seen as key barriers.
A QUIET life in the countryside appeals to nearly half of Australia’s city residents, but concerns about access to health care, housing and jobs are stopping them making the move. Country Australia is on track to become home to 11 million people by 2032, or 40 percent of the population, while 40 percent of people […]
Penny Dakin, Scott Howie, Ros Abercrombie, Andrew Barker, Danielle Fusco and Imogen Castledine.
REGIONAL Arts Australia is launching a “transformative” new funding initiative with $2.4 million dollars in support from Minderoo Foundation. The program offers multi-year grants of $160,000 to support independent artists living and working in regional communities across Australia. “Practice in Community” will deliver two funding rounds for independent artists working in Community Arts and Cultural […]
Some of the team from Flower Hotels’ Settlers Inn and Tacking Point Tavern. Photos: supplied.
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 […]
Building inspectors visited sites between Port Stephens and Port Macquarie.
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 […]
