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Tuesday, 18 July
14:02
Adults Clown Workshop Castlemaine Circus Inc
SUNDAY 6 AUGUST: 10AM - 2PM
Intro to Clowning workshop 4 hours of clowning fun!
All levels are welcome.
10:07
The 2026 Commonwealth Games has been cancelled in Victoria "IndyWatch Feed Melbourne"
The Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games have officially been cancelled with the premier today (18 July) confirming Victoria will no longer host the games due to financial issues.
Andrews revealed that the 2026 Commonwealth Games could cost as high as $7bn.
The games will not proceed in Victoria in 2026, Andrews said.
Stay up to date with whats happening in and around the region here.
Whats become clear is that the cost of hosting these games in 2026 is not the $2.6bn which was budgeted and allocated it is in fact at least $6bn and could be as high as $7bn.
I will not take money out of hospitals and schools in order to fund an event that is three times the cost estimated and budgeted for last year.
The main reason we agreed to host the Games was to create a big lasting benefit for our regions with more housing, boosts to tourism and sporting infrastructure upgrades.
To make up for the loss, the premier has announced a $2 billion spending package for regional Victoria, which was to act as a boost for facilities in the host centres.
That money includes a $1 billion Regional Housing Fund to build 1,300 new homes across regional Victoria.
The government also revealed it is committed to improving sporting facilities across regional Victoria and says the planned upgrades that were to accompany the Games will still go ahead, including the likes of Eureka Stadium in Ballarat and upgrades to Bendigo Stadium.
Bit of a long one this morning.
You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
And I wanted to tell you about the decision.
Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 17, 2023
The premier also confirmed the games would not be moved to a city like Melbourne, with costs still too high.
We have looked at every conceivable option. All of them are far in excess of the $2.6 billion thats been budgeted, so all of them represent more cost than there is benefit, and on that basis none of those options stack up and were not going to be hosting the games in 2026.
The Commonwealth Games were originally scheduled to be held between 17-29 March 2026, beginning with the Opening Ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where athletes and visitors from around Australia and the world would gather to celebrate the start of the...
Monday, 17 July
16:48
The short walk: a gentle stroll down Whisky Gully Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests
A large group came to Mount Alexander last Sunday. The walk began at Dog Rocks then travelled south along Whisky Gully on the eastern side of the mount. On reaching the Leanganook Picnic Area the group headed north along the Goldfields Track to Dog Rocks. The winter sunshine was perfect for meandering along the gully. Fungi expert Joy Clusker provided expert help with identification backed up by Liz Martin who navigated the route. Unfortunately we had missed the best fungi months in May and June but there were still plenty around as well as abundant moss displays. Liz Martin sent us the following photos.
Walks leader, Joy Clusker, taking a closeup.
14:56
Tex Perkins announces The Man In Black tour, celebrating the Songs of Johnny Cash "IndyWatch Feed Melbourne"
There are few artists who can translate the work of Johnny Cash and bring it to the modern day like Tex Perkins. His affinity and reverence for Johnny Cashs career is evident in the way he approaches every song as if hes lived it himself.
Now youll see for yourself when Perkins returns to the stage with a brand-new show playing the songs of Johnny Cash. He will kick off The Man In Black tour in Sydney in September, before heading across the country over three months. Locally, hell bring the show to Ballarat Civic Hall, Ballarat and Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo on October 7 and 8, respectively.
Tex Perkins The Man In Black
- Wednesday 20th September State Theatre, Sydney
- Thursday 21st September Civic Theatre, Newcastle
- Saturday 23rd September Wollongong Town Hall, Wollongong
- Sunday 24th September Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
- Thursday 5th October Palais Theatre, Melbourne
- Saturday 7th October Ballarat Civic Hall, Ballarat
- Sunday 8...
13:26
Adults Acrobalance Class Fridays Castlemaine Circus Inc
Fridays: 12.40 - 2.40pm
Cost: $290/term (10 weeks pro rata).
For enquiries or bookings: enrol@castlemainecircus.com.au
...
09:51
The long walk: creek valleys, category 1 climbs Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests
A hardy group of five set out in brilliant frosty weather yesterday for FOBIFs June long walk. Walk conditions were perfect, as was the length of the walk, estimated as between 12 and 24 kilometres. We suspect the second estimate was a little subjective.
Middleton Creek, July 16: check last weeks post to see how the water levels have dropped..but the creek is still running strongly.
The walk covered the wonderfully various country at the south end of the Diggings Park: substantial moss covered rock walls, wide green valleys, rocky ascents, unusually impressive giant eucalypts. The south point was the strongly running Middleton Creek. Fungi were in abundance, and the recent wet weather had given the bush a particularly lush appearance.
Our thanks to Jeremy Holland for as usual providing an intriguing route through little known corners.
Next months walk is in the wildflower hotspot of the Maldon Historic Reserve. Check the website for details.
09:51
A downbeat note: the destruction goes on Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests
A downbeat note for FOBIFs walkers along Wewak track yesterday was the sight of yet more evidence of timber theft along this track.
Wewak Track, July 16: FOBIF has regularly reported destruction of this kind along the track.
Wewak track seems to be a favourite spot for timber thieves, and their efforts are threatening to strip this picturesque track of its better trees. Parks Victoria seems to be powerless to stop the destruction. Thieves operate comfortably, sure in the belief that the last person they can expect to see in this bush is a ranger: readers of this site will be familiar with our observations on the under resourcing of our parks.
Weve been assured by Parks in the past that the problem is being tackled at the distribution end. The method doesnt seem to be working: and of course things are not helped by the explosion in the cost of home heating.
09:25
Conquering my bogey bird Natural Newstead
In recent years Ive been quietly pursuing this bird, the Eastern Barn Owl.
Often regarded as a boom and bust species the Eastern Barn Owl is relatively common in the district and can be found across the Moolort Plains and in wooded farmland areas. Its numbers fluctuate with those of its major prey, rodents.
Why then has it been my bogey bird?
Ive observed it on a number of occasions, usually at night in the car headlights or sadly deceased on a country road it hunts low to the ground and vehicle strike is a major threat to this beautiful owl. A few times a bird has departed from its roost before I could raise the camera.
Late yesterday afternoon, acting on a tip-off, I finally managed to photograph an Eastern Barn Owl. High up in a veteran Yellow Gum the bird emerged cautiously from a large hollow and basked for a few minutes in the fading winter sunshine. What a thrill!
Barn Owls are a cosmopolitan species, for a long time most forms were classified as Tyto alba, with separate races regarded as subspecies. Recent taxonomic studies have placed the Australian form as a distinct species, Tyto delicatula. Unlike the majority of Australian owls Barn Owls can breed continuously as long as food is abundant. The spot where I observed this bird was typical of an ideal breeding site, possibly one that has been in use for many years.