Infrastructure

Essential Energy sent text alerts to more than 4400 customers who are affected by an unplanned power outage ... Areas impacted by the outage include Codrington, Bagotville, Bora Ridge, Coraki, Swan Bay, parts of Bungawalbin, Broadwater, Kilgin, Woodburn and Evans Head.

It’s a time of major events: Donald Trump has again been elected President of the USA and its biggest foreign spy base Pine Gap features in the movie Twilight Time to be screened in Alice Springs ... For decades “the base” has been described as a prime nuclear target. Does that worry the town? Apparently not.

An ever-popular drawcard for locals and visitors alike, the iconic Naracoorte Swimming Lake will open to the public for the summer season ... According to the council, staff have cleaned the floor of the lake, painted the walls and were on track to paint part of the lake floor and walkway/concourse around the lake prior to the opening.

The Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) has welcomed a new depot in Castlemaine for the historic trains that run between Castlemaine and Maldon … The many benefits of the new depot buildings include greater space and more comfortable indoor environs for VGR volunteer workers to maintain locomotives and prepare them for service.

The Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro megaproject has marked a significant milestone, with one of three tunnel boring machines (TBM), Lady Eileen Hudson, now two-thirds of the way through its second tunnel excavation. The TBM is approximately four kilometres into the six kilometre ‘tailraceʼ tunnel, which will link the lower Talbingo Reservoir…

Sean Cunningham. The Lake Mejum/Coolah water storage proposal is back in the spotlight, following an announcement from Narrandera Shire Council Mayor Neville Kschenka. Council is seeking funds to conduct a feasibility study into Lake Mejum/Coolah as an off Murrumbidgee River water storage location. A former Narrandera Mayor and Murrumbidgee Valley Water Users group member, Warwick Heckendorf, was an advocate for the project decades ago, but his opinion has since changed.

After arriving via the Rural Fire Service helicopter, Premier of NSW Chris Minns and Member for Barwon Roy Butler entered the Golf Club with no fanfare and immediately began to introduce themselves to the 60 Wilcannia, White Cliffs and rural residents present ... Following the Premiers visit, Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe hosted another, smaller gathering on Sunday the 27th October. Adopting the same approach as the Premier, the Minister spoke to local business owners, before answering questions from the floor.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Upgrade works taking place at infrastructure along a major local creek is set to benefit native fish species and Riverland outdoor enthusiasts. The Department of Environment and Water (DEW) recently commenced upgrade works on Bookmark Creek infrastructure.

Community anger is simmering, as Wilcannia locals say support efforts don't go far enough. Residents of Wilcannia have taken to social media to vent their frustrations at what they say is an inadequate response to the ongoing power outages and loss of food for many households.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP and NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy Environment & Heritage Penny Sharpe recently met with concerned community members in the Far West village of Silverton ... Mr Butler said Transgrid has now erected its seventh and final replacement transmission tower ...

Two years ago, on 14 November 2022, a wall of water virtually swept the town away, nearly wiping Eugowra from the map. The residents were all but forgotten in the build-up to the event through rushed and late warnings. Immediately after the flood, the emergency response didn’t meet the expectations politicians kept promising after every emergency disaster.

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister, David Littleproud, said this week that Labor’s planned 240-kilometre Victorian stretch of the VNI West powerline will rip up prime agriculture land ... Yeungroon farmer Glenden Watts said the whole project isn’t necessary ... “The route does a dog-leg into farming land, rather than the populated areas."

Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) today released the preferred easement for the Victorian section of the VNI West transmission project ... The process to refine the initial 50km wide area of interest to a 2km draft corridor and now a 70m preferred easement has been shaped by 18 months of consultation with communities and individual landholders, along with field studies and technical and engineering assessments.

Four transmission towers have been erected as the clean-up starts after the huge storms that have left the city in darkness ... Once all seven towers are up, the conductors will be strung and once they are clipped in and it is safe to do so, the towers will be energised, according to the Transgrid spokesman...

Farmers have called on telecommunications providers to ensure farming communities don’t lose connectivity as the 3G network is shut down ... Telstra and Optus commenced the process of switching  off their 3G networks as they transitioned to 4G and 5G networks across Australia.  

Panel members have now been appointed to lead the independent review into the Wilcannia Weir Replacement Project, marking a significant step forward in the review process. It comes following the NSW Government’s commitment to undertake a review of the Wilcannia proposed weir design.

Amidst changes to regulations and community engagement requirements, the Queensland Government is seeking feedback on its approach to renewable energy projects ... From over 1,000 conversations during the REZ readiness assessment for the anticipated Callide Renewable Energy Zone in Central Queensland, locals showed that regional communities want greater engagement, accessible advice, real choices, clearer information...

The proposed Cooba Solar Project will cover a massive 665 hectares of some of the best wine country in Victoria with 740,000 solar panels and 300 batteries the size of shipping containers. There are over 30 wineries along the Heathcote-Rochester Road that bring a constant stream of tourists to the area ... The area is prime agricultural land, with high-quality soil that is particularly suited to grape-growing ...

Around 70 people attended the Gannawarra Shire Council’s (GSC) renewable energy day. The day commenced in the Kerang Memorial Hall … According to the figure produced by Gannawarra Shire Council, 80 farming businesses are involved in energy projects…

Despite a number of delays caused by the Corryong streetscape project, the re-opening of the Youth Space in Hanson Street will go ahead tomorrow. In 2021, Upper Murray Innovation Foundation (UMIF) - the Corryong Neighbourhood Centre (CNC) Community Foundation - received a federal Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant to refurbish and re-equip the Youth Space at 42 Hanson Street.