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 […]

A humpback whale breaching off the east coast. Photo: Jonas Liebschner, NPWS. A playful humpback close to the shoreline. Photo: Jonas Liebschner, NPWS. HUMPBACK whales are passing Port Stephens on their annual migration. Each year, approximately 40,000 humpback whales leave their Antarctic feeding grounds and travel north to the warmer waters off NSW and Queensland. […]

THE State Government is rolling out a new ‘Find Your Path on a NSW Great Walk’ campaign that highlights seven spectacular multi-day walks across NSW. The new campaign highlights an impressive 275km of walking tracks in regional NSW that have opened to the public within the last two years, including the Tomaree Coastal Walk. The […]

Dennis Massoud at work on Fingal Bay beach. Dennis Massoud at work on Fingal Bay beach. Some of the art works created on the day. Some of the art works created on the day. Some of the art works created on the day. WORLD-RENOWNED sand sculptor Dennis Massoud gave a unique workshop on Fingal Bay […]

HERE we go! Bream are pouring onto all the beaches from Stockton north to Fingal. Young Maitland visitors Alby Nancarrow and his cousin Nav wandered along Fingal Beach last weekend with a bucket of nippers that were pumped on the sand flats at Corlette. Tossing just behind the shore break the boys hit the jackpot […]

A MASSIVE group of local students have been recognised for having a positive impact on the people and communities around them. Here are the latest recipients of Raymond Terrace Community Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) awards. Irrawang PS: Sage has been nominated for respectfully representing Irrawang Public School at the Raymond Terrace ANZAC Service. She […]