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2 months ago | 
abc.net.au | Daniel Miles |Olivia Sanders |Ashlee Aldridge
The rugged mountain ranges of the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park loom large over Shane Wells's western Victorian property. From the foot of his dam, Mr Wells can normally watch the sunrise just beyond the mountain ranges. But checking the pumps on his farm dam in the early morning light this weekend, Mr Wells noticed a change. "Usually you can see all the mountains with the sun coming up," Mr Wells said.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders |Daniel Miles
Businesses in bushfire-prone Halls Gap say it is almost impossible to get insurance. Experts say the issue will only get worse as climate change leads to more severe and frequent extreme weather. Business owners are calling on the government to step in to ensure those living and working in disaster-prone areas can get insurance. When Asip Memishi bought the Halls Gap Hotel in late 2023, he never imagined it would be declared impossible to insure against fire.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders |Anna McGuinness
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders |Jean Bell |Daniel Miles
CFA crews on Victoria's south-west coast discovered illegally lit campfires on a total fire ban day at the weekend. Campers are being warned to know the rules and monitor conditions on hot and windy days, even when a total fire ban is not declared. A CFA captain from the region says a blanket ban on fires over summer could be considered in some areas to keep the community safe.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders |Eden Hynninen
Residents across the Grampians, in Victoria's west, are bracing themselves for extreme fire conditions in the days after Christmas. Temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-40s across Victoria on Boxing Day, with fire conditions across the state expected to mirror that of the 2019/20 bushfires. On the southern edge of the Grampians National Park, Dunkeld resident Mary Ann Brown said the community was on edge ahead of Boxing Day.
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Dec 18, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders
A metal canister filled with a toxic chemical has been found at a beach on Victoria's south-west coast. It comes about a month after a similar canister fell off a vessel at the Port of Esperance in Western Australia. Warrnambool beach clean up group member Luke Foster said a volunteer found the canister earlier this week at Tea Tree Bay near Port Fairy, about 300 kilometres west of Melbourne. "We patrol the beaches from Cape Otway to the border with South Australia," Mr Foster said.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders
Claudia "Claw Money" Gold is the most influential graffiti artist you've never heard of — but you've probably seen her work. In the more than 35 years since she scribbled her first piece of graffiti, Claw has managed to take her tag off the streets and into the mainstream. Claw's work has been featured in films, books, exhibits, and murals across the globe — while pieces from her name-sake fashion label have been seen on the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Amy Winehouse, and Rihanna.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Matt Neal |Olivia Sanders
Victoria's third-oldest newspaper, the Portland Observer, will potentially print its last edition five days before Christmas, with the future of the 182-year-old paper in doubtand its staff to be made redundant. The publication is part of a group of south-west Victorian papers under the Spectator Publishing Group banner, which also includes the Hamilton Spectator, Casterton News and Western District Farmer.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders
More than 21,000 people have signed a petition to ban a type of seismic testing licence, and now two MPs from different parts of the political spectrum are trying to get them banned too. Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer backed a private members bill introduced by teal independent MP Monique Ryan in federal parliament yesterday, aiming to abolish special prospecting authority (SPA) permits.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Sarah Buchecker |Olivia Sanders
Victoria has failed to reach the state government's goal of gender parity on councils. Women will make up just over 43 per cent of councillors when the state's local government election results are officially declared on Friday — an increase of less than half a per cent compared to 2020. It is almost a 50-50 split between men and women in metropolitan councils while just over a third of councillors elected in regional areas this year are women.
