A NEW online tool is available to help NSW farmers better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters including fire, flood, and drought. The platform, called myStockPlanner, enables farmers to provide details of their farm, risks and resources to access tailored response options to consider and implement with their feed and livestock. Federal […]

Liz Stephens welcomes the neighbourhood to the Big Block Sale in 2024. Barry and Jenny Watson enjoying the community atmosphere at last year’s Big Block Sale. THE Garage Sale Trail began as a small community event at Bondi Beach 16 years ago and has grown into an Australia-wide event. It is being held this year […]

CHRISTMAS is approaching and so is the annual Christmas Gift Fair, on 25 and 26 October at Panthers Port Macquarie to raise funds for Endeavour Clubhouse.  Now in its sixteenth year it has grown into  an event that fills Panthers Auditorium to the brim. The Christmas Gift Fair brings together stalls filled with handmade gifts […]

FINALISTS have been announced for the 2025 NSW Tourism Awards, with more than 230 nominations from across the state, including 38 finalists from the North Coast. This year marks the first inclusion of finalists from the North Coast. Natalie Godward, CEO of the NSW Tourism Association, said the finalists reflect the strength, passion and professionalism […]

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 […]

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 […]

Chris Proctor and Brad Collins at their exhibition opening. Photo: Pauline Cain. Inviting the viewer to take a seat and draw. Photo: Pauline Cain. The ‘Take a Seat’ exhibition reflects on once-owned and changed objects. Photo: Pauline Cain. THE “Take a Seat” exhibition opened at The Glasshouse Gallery in Port Macquarie on Saturday 28 September, […]

FOUR months after the devastating May floods on the Mid North Coast there is still a lot of work to do. Susie George, Executive Director Regional Delivery with the NSW Reconstruction Authority, has been on the ground in Nambucca Heads, Kempsey and Taree this week. ”The focus now is on getting out to people through […]

FROM time to time we need the services of a Justice of the Peace to witness a statutory declaration or affidavit or to certify a copy of an original document. They are trusted to be honest and impartial when performing these functions. Barry Hacker is the JP Desk Coordinator for the Port Macquarie Support Group […]

Original members and committee celebrate 20 years of U3A. Photo: Pauline Cain. The original IT team of Nick Ogbourne and Michael Matthews. Photo: Pauline Cain. PORT Macquarie Hastings University of the Third Age (U3A) celebrated its 20-year anniversary on Sunday, 7 September, with members past and present gathering at the Tenison Woods Centre to mark […]