June 1, 2025
Mosquito numbers set to soar after long rains Aedes aegypti mosquito ready for a meal, followed by laying eggs in your birdbath. Photo: Dr Cameron Webb.
Health, Regional

Mosquito numbers set to soar after long rains

Aedes aegypti mosquito ready for a meal, followed by laying eggs in your birdbath. Photo: Dr Cameron Webb. This backyard birdbath, filled by the recent rains, contains dozens of mosquito larvae that can mature within a week. The black spots are mosquito eggs or pupae, ready to hatch. MOSQUITO numbers are set to soar due […]

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Advocacy on the agenda as Nelson Bay CWA branches attend state conference CWA members from Nelson Bay: Byril Cossini and Evelyn Wilson (Nelson Bay CWA Evening Branch), Deb Schaefer (Hunter River Group President), Lee Bootland and Nell Carter (Nelson Bay CWA Branch). Photo: Pauline Cain.
Community, Regional

Advocacy on the agenda as Nelson Bay CWA branches attend state conference

NEWS Of The Area joined more than 600 delegates and another 200 observers at the Country Women’s Association’s 103rd State Conference in Wagga Wagga last week. In a statement to media ahead of the conference, CWA of NSW president Joy Beames said, “The high number of motions delegates will be asked to vote on this […]

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Residents urged to be aware of mould impacts after floods This roof leak went unnoticed until the heaviest rains fell, again using wood as transmission to the lowest point.
Health, Regional

Residents urged to be aware of mould impacts after floods

HIDDEN dangers exist in practically every house and property, many only exposed after an incident like the heavy rainfall that the region received over the last weeks. Mould, which naturally exists almost everywhere, loves moisture and poorly-lit areas that lack decent ventilation, such as walls or wallpaper, ceilings, bathroom tiles, carpets, insulation material and wood. […]

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Call for patience as area’s long road to recovery begins Mayor Leah Anderson (centre) with SES Commander Mike Wassing and Premier Chris Minns.
Community, Government, Regional

Call for patience as area’s long road to recovery begins

PORT Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson has thanked community members for their patience as the flood emergency makes way for a long and messy clean-up. The priority, she shared, is to “work through recovery – safely, thoroughly, and as quickly as possible”. “Sadly, for many of our residents across Port Stephens, the impacts of this natural […]

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Regional collaboration key for airport expansion Representatives from Singleton, Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Cessnock, Dungog and Newcastle councils attended the airport tour.
Government, Regional

Regional collaboration key for airport expansion

MAYORS and council general managers from across the Hunter took an exclusive tour of Newcastle Airport’s international terminal development on Monday 12 May. The local governments represented are members of the Hunter Joint Organisation (HJO), a collaborative body that brings together the ten councils in the region. The tour was led by Newcastle Airport Director […]

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NRAR to step up water usage compliance check ups NRAR officers inspect a pump.
Regional

NRAR to step up water usage compliance check ups

THE Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) will step up water compliance checks along regulated sections of the Hunter River catchment during May to improve water law compliance. NRAR will visit properties across the Hunter region in the coming weeks to speak with water licence holders about their water take conditions. The visits follow a review […]

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Is it down? Strict rules for telcos that suffer outages Telcos will need to provide users with more info about outages under stricter new rules. Photo: Jack Atley/AAP
Regional

Is it down? Strict rules for telcos that suffer outages

CONSUMERS must be told why their phone or internet service has been disconnected during major outages and when they can expect it to return under stricter telecommunication rules. Providers will also have to improve the way they deal with triple-zero outages under the regulations and issue detailed plans to prevent recurrences. The Australian Communications and […]

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Karuah commemorates Anzac Day Locals and visitors young and old gathered in Kaurah to commemorate Anzac Day. Photos: Robert Whiteman.
Regional

Karuah commemorates Anzac Day

Locals and visitors young and old gathered in Kaurah to commemorate Anzac Day. Photos: Robert Whiteman. Locals and visitors young and old gathered in Kaurah to commemorate Anzac Day. Photos: Robert Whiteman. Locals and visitors young and old gathered in Kaurah to commemorate Anzac Day. Photos: Robert Whiteman. Locals and visitors young and old gathered […]

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Marking the 10th anniversary of region’s devastating storms The chook pavilion was obliterated in 2015. Photo: Stroud SES.
Regional

Marking the 10th anniversary of region’s devastating storms

TEN years ago, on the evening of 20 April, a highly destructive East Coast Low (ECL) slammed into the coast just north of Hawks Nest causing damage in all directions. Local observations saw wind gusts in excess of 145km/h, and rainfall exceeding 300mm within a 24-hour period. Waves reached heights of 10m, and coastal erosion […]

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Stinker’s History: Fred on the farm
Regional

Stinker’s History: Fred on the farm

FARMER and lobster fisherman Frederick Henry ‘Fred’ Blanch (b 1883), son of John Blanch and Eliza Lorman (Eagleton), married Ella West in 1913. Fred worked on his father’s farm on Marsh Road from the age of 14 and went net fishing near Mosquito Island. In 1979 Fred died at the age of 95 years, being […]

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