MULTIPLE sea turtles have been found washed up on beaches between Anna Bay and Hawks Nest in recent weeks. Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters has confirmed that up to 16 turtles have now been found – some dead, others alive and in distress – around the region in the last three weeks alone. One such […]
THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Milton Dick MP, has launched the “My First Speech” competition for high school students across Australia. Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold is encouraging students from across the electorate to take part in this unique opportunity to learn more about Parliament and public speaking. The annual […]
The wildflower walk gets going.
John Simpson highlights beautiful pea flowers Pink Wax Flower, Eriostemon australasius. The wildflower walk gets going. A SERIES of bushwalks will bring attention to the region’s “often under appreciated” wildflowers. “We’re offering a series of short slow-paced walks, just 2-2.5 hours, with different leaders, including National Parks Association (NPA) Hunter Region President John Simpson,” said […]
More than 122,000 people experience homelessness in Australia every night. Photo: Leigh Watson.
THIS Homelessness Week (4 to 10 August), Port Stephens Council is encouraging the community to reflect on the challenges faced by people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. More than 122,000 people experience homelessness in Australia every night, a figure often misunderstood. It’s not just about sleeping rough; most are in temporary or insecure housing, […]
The seahorses are lowered into the water for their release. Photo: NSW DPIRD.
The seahorses are lowered into the water for their release. Photo: NSW DPIRD. Baby seahorses amongst the seagrass. Photo: NSW DPIRD. MORE than 1200 captive-bred White’s seahorse babies have been released into their new home at Port Stephens. The baby seahorses were released into underwater ‘seahorse hotels’, an artificial habitat made to provide shelter and […]
TRANSPORT for NSW has announced $500,000 in funding for the latest round of its Community Road Safety Grants program. Chadi Chalhoub, Executive Director for Transport Safety at Transport for NSW, said this funding matches the significant investment made in 2024 and reflects the importance of community-led efforts to help make roads safer. “Local communities know […]
A PEDESTRIAN has tragically died following a crash in Medowie. About 1.40am on Sunday 3 August 2025, emergency services were called to Medowie Road following reports of a crash. Officers attached to Port Stephens Hunter Police District arrived to find a man had been hit by a car. The man – believed to be aged […]
Alison Penfold is only the second woman from the NSW Nationals elected to Federal Parliament.
THE ongoing challenges of the May floods were the focus of Alison Penfold’s maiden speech to Federal Parliament on Wednesday 30 July. Ms Penfold was elected the new Nationals MP for Lyne on 3 May. The poll was yet to be officially declared when record flooding hit parts of the electorate, claiming lives and livestock, […]
Mayor Leah Anderson and members of the tree replanting team.
PORT Stephens Council has begun replenishing trees vandalised along the Shoal Bay foreshore. Mayor Leah Anderson said the regeneration effort is in response to damage caused to the trees earlier this year. “We take any act of vandalism very seriously,” Mayor Anderson said. “The damage to public trees along the Shoal Bay foreshore in March […]
Paddle steamer ‘Agnes Irving’ (sister ship of ‘Florence Irving’) at Lawrence on the Clarence River.
FOR some unknown reason shipwrecks and islands have always intrigued me. When a ship runs aground on an island I am doubly interested. Such was the case of the SS Florence Irving which struck Fingal Island in 1877, 15 years after the Outer Lighthouse was established. I wish to acknowledge the excellent research conducted by […]
