May 6, 2026
Housing options, health services top concerns for country women
Port Macquarie

Housing options, health services top concerns for country women

THE Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW has released the findings of its second inaugural Annual Women’s Survey, highlighting ongoing health and housing concerns. Building on the inaugural 2024 survey, the 2025 survey provides a year-on-year snapshot of women’s lived experiences across NSW. The 2025 survey opened in August last year and closed at the […]

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Port Macquarie Yacht Club Crew of Enticer: A Walmsley, Liz Levido, Jim Bignel and Derek Prickett.
Sport Results

Port Macquarie Yacht Club

Crew of Enticer: A Walmsley, Liz Levido, Jim Bignel and Derek Prickett. Kookaburra chasing Razzmatazz. Cool Change passing Third Man. Visiting yacht hard aground after missing the channel near Lady Nelson Wharf. PORT Macquarie Yacht Club has a minimums rule for racing with a breeze holding at 4.5 knots required to commence racing. Last Sunday […]

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‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
Jasminda's Advice

‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda, I am doing a complete clean out of my home, but I can’t decide what to keep and what to cull. How do I make these decisions? Claudia D. Dear Claudia, I am the wrong person to ask about this. When I decide to clean my bedroom, I enter the zone of nostalgia. […]

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Letter to the Editor: The roles we step into
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: The roles we step into

DEAR News Of The Area, THERE may be no literal devil in our world yet there is never a shortage of people willing to step into the role: to stoke fear, to turn neighbour against neighbour, and to profit from the shadows they cast. And perhaps Jesus never walked this earth, but the role he […]

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Weed action program gets an update
Local News

Weed action program gets an update

FOUR-YEAR funding is being made available to local organisations to combat the impact of priority weeds, updating a previously annual grant program. The new $40.7 million NSW Weeds Action Program (WAP) is a key component of the NSW Government’s Biosecurity Action Plan, with funding being provided to 97 Local Control Authorities (LCA). Minister for Agriculture […]

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Suspicious bin fires in Wauchope keep firies on the run The Community Arts Hall in Bain Park was damaged by fire. Photo: supplied.
Local News

Suspicious bin fires in Wauchope keep firies on the run

FIREFIGHTERS were kept on the run in Wauchope overnight Monday with three separate wheelbie bins set alight, causing damage to buildings. A spokesperson for Fire and Rescue NSW said that just before 11.15pm, several Triple Zero (000) calls were received about a rubbish fire near the Post Office in High Street. One truck and four […]

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New recruits for state’s transport and roads agency Bridge Construction and Maintenance apprentice Maddi Ormsby. Photo: NSW Gov.
Business

New recruits for state’s transport and roads agency

SEVENTY-ONE new apprentices and trainees are kicking off their careers at Transport for NSW worksites this month. From filling potholes to rebuilding flood‑damaged roads, planning major works and maintaining heavy vehicles, the new Roads Maintenance and Resilience recruits will join and support frontline teams strengthening the state’s transport network. Following group inductions in Wollongong, Newcastle […]

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Stargazing: Mars or bust The Tesla continues its lonely orbit around the Sun.
Local News

Stargazing: Mars or bust

ELON’S always in the news isn’t he. Well, he goes way back! In February 2018, the world paused to watch a rocket launch. That’s not unusual. What was unusual was the payload: a cherry-red Tesla Roadster with a mannequin in a spacesuit behind the wheel. The idea came from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, whose company […]

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Rural residents urged to report connectivity issues
Local News

Rural residents urged to report connectivity issues

FED up farmers and families facing poor regional, rural and remote mobile services are being encouraged to “keep complaining”. The latest report from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) revealed an increase in complaints in NSW, with almost a quarter coming from regional areas. A total of 4,285 complaints were made by people in NSW, up […]

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Regions beckon as young Aussies rethink city life Mikaela Carroll and her partner Ryan have left Brisbane behind and relocated to Tasmania. Photo: Mikaela Carroll.
Local News

Regions beckon as young Aussies rethink city life

GEN Z is leading a new wave of city dwellers eyeing a move to the regions, with almost half considering swapping skyscrapers for the great outdoors. Australians aged 18 to 29 have overtaken millennials (aged 30 to 45) as the cohort most eager to leave the city for the regions, with 49 percent considering the […]

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