LIVING in one of Australia’s fastest growing regional areas, Anna Noon was watching in despair as nature made way for sprawling housing developments. “There was a lot of land clearing happening,” she says of her home at Lake Macquarie in the rapidly-expanding Hunter region. “I knew that was leading to habitat loss, species extinction and […]
Expanded terminal officially opens at Newcastle Airport
NEWCASTLE Airport officially opened its new international terminal last Thursday evening, 25 September. Around 300 guests including dignitaries, industry leaders and community representatives gathered to celebrate the expanded terminal. The evening opened with a spectacular RAAF flyby, followed by a Welcome to Country from Worimi Elder Uncle John Ridgeway and a Smoking Ceremony led by […]
Children suffer as hidden victims of coercive control
BARNARDOS Australia warns that children in regional NSW are bearing the brunt of coercive control, as new crime statistics reveal rural communities are experiencing dramatically higher rates than other areas. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research quarterly report shows regional NSW recorded 170 coercive control incidents from July 2024 to June 2025 compared […]

Council releases waterway report card
MIDCOAST Council has released its annual Waterway and Catchment Report Card. Water sampling is undertaken across the LGA’s six major catchments – Manning River Estuary, Wallis Lake, Karuah River and The Branch Estuary, Myall Lakes, Kappinghat and Smiths Lake – to check in on their health and allow for a greater understanding of the patterns, […]
Port Stephens returns 1200 endangered seahorses to the wild in conservation effort
Local students assisted in deploying the hotels. A diver with the seahorse hotels. A RECORD 1200 White’s seahorses have been released in Port Stephens as part of an effort to save the endangered species. They are Australia’s only threatened seahorse and the second most endangered worldwide. The Minns Labor Government is committed to saving the […]
Rescue service helipad receives upgrade in Bulahdelah
BULAHDELAH’S helipad has received a new windsock to improve safety, through a joint effort by Bulahdelah Lions Club and the local Bowling Club. The maintenance of the helipad has been taken over in recent times by the Lions Club, after numbers in the local Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service volunteer group dwindled. “It is used frequently […]
Time to have your say on Sanderling Avenue development
MYALL COAST residents are being invited to provide feedback on a proposal to develop an apartment complex on controversial beachside land at Sanderling Avenue, Hawks Nest. An informal drop-in session was held last Wednesday at the Hawks Nest Community Hall by development consultants Mara Consulting, on behalf of developers Core Property Developments and Leric Group. […]

Beach patrols to start soon
WITH the weather warming up and the spring school holidays upon us, lifesaving patrols will start to kick off at beaches across the MidCoast soon. Surf lifesaving patrols are back on our beaches with both volunteers and Council’s contracted service provider, Australian Lifeguard Services, keeping swimmers safe these school holidays. Lifeguards will be on patrol […]
Info session to cover flood impacts on the Manning Estuary
AN INFORMATION session is being held for the community and flood affected land holders to uncover how the May flood impacted the riverbanks of the Manning Estuary. The free expert led information session will be hosted at the Taree University Campus on Saturday 27 September from noon to 2.30pm. Environmental specialists Damon Telfer and James […]
Bulahdelah shudders through morning earthquake
Kerry Porter braced herself against the quake. The location of the earthquake. BULAHDELAH woke to an earthquake at 7.50am on Tuesday, 16 September. The earthquake occurred about two kilometres southwest of Bulahdelah at an initial depth of about 10.4 kilometres below the epicentre (surface), as reported by Geoscience Australia. The quake registered a magnitude of […]