HIGH school students from Heritage Christian School had the chance to learn about local government and discuss issues first-hand in a mock council meeting hosted by Mayor Adam Roberts on Monday. Thirteen students from years 7 to 12 visited Port Macquarie Hastings Council chambers where Mayor Roberts explained the three tiers of government – local, […]
New charges over Oxley Highway death
INVESTIGATORS have added drink driving to the charges against a 22-year-old man involved in a fatal crash on the Oxley Highway. About 9.15pm on Saturday 6 September, emergency services were called to the highway near Port Macquarie following reports a Toyota utility and a Holden hatchback had crashed head-on. The driver of the hatchback, a […]
Pros and cons for Cowper after Coalition’s decision to abandon Net Zero
ALL sectors have weighed in on the Federal Coalition’s decision to abandon Net Zero by 2050. This major tool for combatting climate change involves balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere with the amount removed. Patrick Leyland, Chief Digital Officer at Populares and former Director of Digital Campaigns for the Australian Labor […]
Sophie and her winning ceramics “Superstar Stacy” & “Windy Wendy.” Photo: Sarah Jae, Photographer, Doula and Creative (via Facebook).
Sophie Lien wins Youth Category of 2025 Phoenix Art Prize
SOPHIE Lien has been recognised for her creativity and passion at this year’s Phoenix Art Prize 2025, held in Bowraville. The 22-year-old local artist won the Youth Category with her striking ceramic works of “Superstar Stacy” & “Windy Wendy.” The Phoenix Art Prize 2025 celebrates artists of all ages and abilities, providing an inclusive platform […]
Port Macquarie Hastings region pauses to remember veterans’ service
Laurieton RSL sub-Branch President Allan ‘Buster’ Beatty and Port Macquarie Mayor Adam Roberts at the Laurieton service. Photo: PMHC. Mayor Adam Roberts lays a wreath at the cenotaph in Laurieton. Photo: PMHC. The Port Macquarie Hastings Municipal Band plays at the Port Macquarie service. Photo: Pat Conaghan MP FB. The solemn service in Port Macquarie […]
A total of 56 people were safely returned to shore last month across all nine Marine Rescue units on the Mid North Coast.
Busy start to season for Marine Rescue volunteers
MARINE Rescue NSW volunteers across the Mid North Coast have experienced their busiest start to a boating season on record, with 33 search and rescue missions including 19 emergency responses during October. A total of 56 people were safely returned to shore last month across all nine Mid North Coast units – Woolgoolga, Coffs Harbour, […]
‘Just get me in the door’: campaign for accessibility info in real estate listings
IN 2019 Sarah Eade was a busy wife and mum working in the aged care and disability support sector, until a workplace accident changed everything. Subsequent surgical treatment resulted in a permanent spinal cord injury, leaving her a full-time wheelchair user. At the time, her family was living in a house in Port Macquarie that […]
Supermoon lights up Mid North Coast skies
Supermoons are the closest to earth. Photo Greg Higgins. The moon was 30% brighter than normal. Photo: Sis Higgins. SKYWATCHERS across the Mid North Coast looked to the heavens on Tuesday night as the biggest and brightest moon of 2025 rose over the horizon. Dennis Hughes, one of the amateur astronomers at the Port Macquarie […]
Port Mac Goss: John O’Callaghan
John O’Callaghan has spent more than 50 years on the airwaves. JOHN O’Callaghan from Cruze FM (formerly Super Radio) has notched up over 50 years in radio, beginning work as a 15-year-old at 2UE in Sydney alongside his famous father Gary. He gained his first on-air role at 2KO in Newcastle and then worked in […]
CSIRO report reflects improvements in estimating East Coast koala population
MEMBER for Oxley Michael Kemp says the CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP) has revealed a staggering leap in koala numbers that “upends years of alarmism”. The 2025 report estimates the listed population across NSW, Qld and the ACT is between 398,000 and 569,000, a dramatic rise from the 2024 estimate of just 95,000 to […]
