HUNTER Water bills for a typical household customer will increase by 6.9 percent next financial year including inflation and then by 3.8 percent each year plus yearly inflation in subsequent years. The rise comes after a pricing determination by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). Tribunal Chair Carmel Donnelly said IPART reviewed costs […]

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe at the announcement. The former BHP Steelworks Intertrade Site. THE state government has announced it will invest $115.5 million to build the Newcastle Logistics Precinct, described as a “critical new hub that will support the delivery of more reliable and affordable renewable energy to homes and businesses […]

Brisbane Water crew searching in challenging conditions. Lemon Tree Passage volunteers search on board LM 30. A crew member retrieves a mannikin. A volunteer searches from inside the cabin. Coordinating communication from the radio room. A MAJOR multi-agency Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) concluded successfully on Saturday, 14 June off the coast of the Hunter. […]

THE latest winners of the Raymond Terrace Community Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) awards have been revealed. Irrawang PS: Ruby is a dedicated PBL representative who independently goes out of her way to assist teachers and students. Ruby regularly runs morning assemblies where she discusses the weekly focus, important messages and daily reminders. She is […]

SEVEN councils and two peak tourism organisations from the Hunter and Central Coast met for the first time last week, seeking to unlock new opportunities for local businesses to benefit from the regional cruise industry in NSW. The meeting marked the official launch of the three-year partnership, led by Port Authority of NSW, which brings […]

This chimney was originally installed by an amateur and had never been swept. Creosote was visible on the roof. Craig Baldwin uncovers inappropriate lead flashing, which allowed water to rust the roof below. What a perfectly clean and safe chimney looks like, free of ugly black creosote residue. FIRE safety around chimneys is an area […]

THE main recreational activities at Port Stephens have traditionally been fishing and boating. From the 1880s up until the Second World War, there was an additional outdoor sporting activity in the Myall Lakes district – recreational shooting. Groups would travel to Port Stephens for the combined activities of fishing and shooting. For many years from […]

Geoffrey Neville Wikner (1904-1990) was born in Grafton. Wikner’s Halifax bomber named ‘Waltzing Matilda’ at Mascot Airport on 20 June 1946. Photo: John Hopton Collection. The original entry to Halifax Park, then in the early stages of its development. The person in the photograph looking at the big game fish is likely to be Mrs […]

PSP HOSPITALITY Supplies has announced a donation of packaging products to Hope Cottage, a local charity dedicated to supporting families in need in the Port Stephens area. The donation will provide essential products to aid Hope Cottage in delivering meals to families facing hardship. Rev Lissy Vittali-Ross, Pastor at Hope Cottage, said the donation “couldn’t […]

Renae Lamb. Photo: Stuart Marlin The TCI studio space. A CREATIVE arts hub in Newcastle (Muloobimba) is offering a First Nations Artist in Residence program, with applications now open for Hunter-based artists. On offer is a 12-month, rent-free studio residency at The Creator Incubator (TCI) in Hamilton North. TCI is a lively creative hub housing […]