FOR Rod Zemanek, sealing the remaining gravel section of The Branch Lane could do more than make the weekly drive easier. The long-time resident believes it could give drivers another option for reaching the Pacific Highway, easing pressure on the Twelve Mile intersection at The Bucketts Way. Mr Zemanek, 84, has lived in the area […]
(R-L) Stijn and Iris from Utrecht Netherlands at the mid-headland view point. Photo: Charlene Russom.
Yaccaba Headland: a world away from Utrecht
FROM the canals of Utrecht to the rugged Myall Coast, two young Dutch travellers have discovered that Australia’s most memorable experiences lie far beyond the well-trodden tourist trail. NOTA met the couple stretching their legs on the Yacaaba Headland walking track at Hawks Nest, following a scenic journey through Seal Rocks and the luminous waterways […]
Port Stephens wildlife carers struggle to keep up as flying foxes go hungry
A flying fox caught in netting around a fruit tree. Photo: WINC. Tears and holes in a flying fox’s wing membrane, from netting or barbed wire around the fruit they are desperately trying to access. Photo: WINC. Two young flying foxes being hand-fed while in care. Photo: WINC. FLYING foxes weakened by hunger, injured in […]
Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage now offering on-water boat licence training
A student on one of the first general boat licence training courses. Photo: Marine Rescue NSW. The course training vessel, a TX 10. Photo: Marine Rescue NSW. MARINE Rescue NSW has taken its boating education program to the water for the first time, with Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage and Hawkesbury now delivering the practical […]
Want to win cash? Share the scenes and sounds of farming
First place in 2025: Sleeping on Cloud 9, by Kiana Waters. Photo: NFF. Runners-up, 2025: Harvest 25, by Jack Mckibbin. Photo: NFF. 2nd place in 2025: First Load at First Light, by Connor Smith. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: Threads of Gold, by Kellie Craft. Photo: NFF. Runners-up: We Grow Together, by Arlie Becker. Photo: NFF. THE […]
David Aselford recognised at Hunter Volunteer of the Year Awards
MARINE Rescue Lemon Tree Passage volunteer David Aselford was surprised to hear his name called at the Hunter Volunteer of the Year Awards at NEX in Newcastle on Tuesday, 20 October. The former unit commander was named the 2026 Hunter Emergency Volunteer of the Year. Fellow member Lisa Lodding also received the Hunter Adult Volunteer […]
Then and now – a short history of the Pindimar Tea Gardens Rural Fire Service
An original photo of the ‘Old Bastard’; the Pindimar Bundabah Bushfire Brigade’s first truck. A photo of the station’s new Tatra fire truck. A photo of the Honour Board, held at the Pindimar shed. Helmut PANHUBERCurrent PresidentPindimar Tea Gardens RFS Brigade THE now Pindimar Tea Gardens Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade came into being with […]
One of the biggest challenges during a whale rescue is keeping sight of the entangled animal so rescue teams can reach it. Photo: ORRCA.
ORRCA raises funds for rescue drone to help marine mammals off Port Stephens
A WHALE caught in ropes can be clearly visible one moment and gone beneath the water the next. For ORRCA volunteers watching through binoculars from the beach, finding it again is far from easy. Now the Port Stephens and Newcastle pod is asking the community to help buy a drone so volunteers can better track […]
Renewed push for signatures in support of Pacific Highway intersection upgrades
Leah Veksins is calling for a safer intersection where the Pacific Highway meets the Bucketts Way and Medowie Road. Photo: Althea Guinsberg. The intersection of Medowie Road and the Bucketts Way, where residents are calling for improved safety measures. Photo: Althea Guinsberg. CLOSE to 7,000 signatures have been collected in a renewed push to improve […]
A ‘terrible starvation event’ is decimating NSW flying fox camps
A MASS starvation event is killing flying foxes across large tracts of NSW. Residents across the state are taking to social media to report uncharacteristic daytime behaviour and close suburban encounters with the flying mammals as they desperately search for food and water. The Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) recently shared news of […]
