The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Named in honour of noted wheat breeder and experimentalist William James Farrer, the electorate, covering 126,563 square kms, had been safe coalition country ... In this election, the attacks, muck-raking and attempts to frame voters as bigots and racists appear to have been met with a big orange middle finger. Now the real work begins for Farley.

Farrer election fight intensifies

Lloyd Polkinghorne, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper - 7 May 2026

There have been just four coalition MPs in the 77 years of Farrer but all that could be about to change on Saturday. Sussan Ley held the seat for 25 years, and the previous election margins were often 11-20 per cent over the Labor candidate, although in the last election, Michelle Milthorpe got within 6 per cent with preferences, 20 per cent on the primary alone. If you think this Farrer election appears more heated than most, you may be right, 12 candidates are in the running and external forces are pumping money into not only to get a candidate elected but also to undermine others.

River Country Art Trail unveiled

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Arts

30 April 2026

Patrick Tucker. Towering murals, bold colour and a striking riverside sculpture are drawing fresh attention to the Murray, with the River Country Art Trail ... Spanning Barham, Mathoura, Moulamein, Moama and Tooleybuc, the trail transforms everyday infrastructure into a region-wide gallery.

From the ground up

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

23 April 2026

Agriculture

A soil aeration trial on a Caldwell farm has delivered strong gains in feed production, helping carry more cattle through dry periods. Working across his 1100-acre farm east of Barham, Don Hearn has spent several years trialling soil aeration, a process designed to relieve compaction and improve pasture growth.

Cohuna turns out for barefoot titles opener

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Community

16 April 2026

Cohuna is back on the national barefoot waterskiing map, with Sunday's Oz Open drawing locals to Gunbower Creek ahead of the Australian titles' long-awaited return to town. The free exhibition event gave spectators an early look at the speed and spectacle to come before the 64th Australian National Barefoot Waterski Championships got under way on Tuesday at the Cohuna Ski Run Reserve.

Farmers brace for VicGrid visits

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

23 April 2026

Agriculture

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

Farmer left bone dry after fuel theft

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Agriculture

16 April 2026

Patrick Tucker. A local farmer has been left out of pocket and frustrated after more than 1000 litres of diesel is believed to have been stolen from his property. Benjeroop farmer Lindsay Schultz said the fuel went missing sometime in March after a fresh delivery ... he believed the scale of the incident pointed to something more organised.

Hundreds attended Basin Plan forum

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

9 April 2026

Agriculture

A forum highlighting the negative impacts of the basin plan on rural communities was held in Barham recently – hundreds were in attendance or have watched the forum online. Southern Riverina Irrigators (SRI) joined the Central Murray Environmental Floodplain Group, The Bridge Newspaper and Upper Goulburn Catchment Alliance to organise the event which included a variety of speakers across industry, science and agriculture.

Murrabit rodeo rides high after another bumper year

Contributor, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Charity

2 April 2026

Gus van Hart. The Murrabit rodeo is fast becoming one of the district's standout community events, with organisers saying this year's crowd and support pushed the annual show to a new level ... "It was just all about the rodeo on the night, and the vibe was awesome. Everyone had an absolute blast."

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The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 14 May 2026

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