Thousands of runners across Australia will take part in the second National Take Back the Track Day this Sunday, 15 February.

More than 70 events across the country are calling for an end to the violence and harassment faced by women and gender-diverse runners.

Founded in 2025 by Gunditjmara Keerray Woorroong and Djap Wurrung runner Sissy Austin, the day has grown from a community-led action into a nationwide movement. This year’s event marks three years since Austin was assaulted while running near Ballarat. Sissy’s experience is not an isolated one; women and gender diverse people are still regularly assaulted while running across the continent. This is unacceptable.

Events are being held in more than 70 locations across the country, with new groups continuing to register. Participants are invited to walk, run or gather together to reclaim public space and visibility.

“No one should have to plan their run around fear,” said Sissy.

“Take Back the Track is about saying clearly and collectively that women and gender-diverse people deserve to feel safe in public space.

“This is about pressuring our society to change the conditions that make running unsafe, not asking runners to change their behaviour,” she said.

In 2025, National Take Back the Track Day brought together hundreds of community members in over 100 locations nationwide. The campaign is grounded in a shared love of running and asserts that all women and gender-diverse people have the right to feel safe while they run.

Castlemaine event

The local Take Back The Track community/walk run along the Campbells Creek Trail will commence at 9.30 am, starting at the Campbells Creek Park, 102 Main Road. The self-guided walk is approximately 7km long and will conclude at the Botanical Gardens Playground. A community gathering will follow from 11am to 1pm and include an acknowledgment of Country, speeches and a community picnic.

A free shuttle bus service will be available back to Campbells Creek at the end of the community gathering.

For a shorter course, participants might choose to join the course at entry points along the track into Castlemaine at Princess Street, Lewis Drive, Elizabeth Street, Roberts Avenue, Johnstone Street, Forest Street or Gingel Street.

* This is an informal volunteer-organised community event – all runners/walkers are responsible for their own participation, including sun protection, hydration, first aid, general safety and any associated health risks.

Undeterred by the fires, parents, students, and teachers from Harcourt Valley Primary School are getting ready to make a record-breaking number of apple pies for the town’s annual Applefest.

A time-honoured tradition and a great fundraiser for the school, the usual number of pies baked is around 400, but this year, ambitions are high, and some people are aiming for 1,000.

Harcourt Valley Primary School principal Andrew Blake said it’s good to have high expectations, and he thinks they will at least surpass 500.

“From very early on, the families were committed to making the pies despite the devastation that occurred, which is terrific,” he said.

“It’s not just about the final product, though. It’s about the coming together of staff, students, parents, and community members, getting out the apple peeler and talking and healing.

“The final result will be funds for the school, but it’s the journey that is really important.”

Unfortunately, the apples were not grown locally; they have made their way to Harcourt with the aid of a volunteer group called Backpack for a Firefighter.

A Melbourne-based group, formed in 2020 to give support to the CFA through providing snacks and drinks.

After hearing about the fires in Harcourt and wanting to support the community, Backpack for a Firefighter founder Melissa Williamson approached LeManna Supermarket in Essendon, which generously offered to donate 200 kilograms of apples, and Skully RSV, which provided a truck and driver to take the supplies to Harcourt.

The pies will not be the only contribution made by the local school students this year, either; each student will submit a piece of artwork, and the school choir is working towards the opening of the festival.

Mr Blake told the Mail that it took a lot of work, but it was great to reopen at the same time as the other public schools following the fires.

“We really wanted to get the school back open as soon as possible because the families had been so busy and getting the students back meant they could take a breather,” he said.

“The south side of the school, along the fence line, was damaged. The Victorian School Building Authority was able to do an assessment really early on, on January 12.

“The inside of the school building had sediment damage on the walls, which was all cleaned, and all the air conditioning units needed to be cleaned,” Mr Blake said.

“It’s been going well, though, and we’ve been gently easing back into school and getting the kids back into establishing routines.

“We’re really placing an emphasis on caring and looking out for one another. The department’s been really supportive in terms of providing an on-site school psychologist, and tonight we’ve got a family information meeting, supporting kids after a natural disaster being presented by Dhelkaya Health and Castlemaine Community House. We want to make sure we can support the families as much as the students.”

The 2026 Harcourt Applefest will be bigger and better than ever – celebrating the incredible resilience of the Harcourt community who have endured so much in recent weeks.

The festival committee are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure they can accommodate a record-number of visitors to the annual festival.

Aided by $10,000 through the Regional Events Fund the committee will utilise some of the additional funding to aid with ballooning traffic management costs enabling the festival to expand beyond James Park and into the surrounding streets.

During Wednesday’s funding announcement, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards said she has been working closely with the Harcourt Applefest Planning Committee to determine how to best support them to deliver an outstanding festival following the fire.

“For over 30 years, Harcourt Applefest has brought people together to celebrate our wonderful local producers, and this year will be no different,” she said.

“This year’s event will be a brilliant symbol of community, and will highlight everything we love about our region.”

Another big coup for the committee of volunteers is the collective funding from Castlemaine Rotary ($40,000), Community Bank Maldon & District ($25,000), Lions and Mount Alexander Shire Council for a permanent stage in James Park.

The stage has been on the committee’s wish list for the past five years to help alleviate the time consuming and heavy work of the volunteers who have had to assemble and dismantle a temporary stage each year.

Festival stalwart George Milford told the Mail that the permanent stage will be in constant use during not only the Applefest, but other community events such as Music Harcourt and Gather Harcourt.

“We are really grateful for all the initiatives that are coming together to help celebrate in the centre of Harcourt,” he said.

“When I was a child, the parks in Harcourt were totally deserted and neglected. Now we work on them, and we celebrate, play, have musical entertainment, and markets.”

And of course, the Applefest wouldn’t be complete without a royal family.

This year’s Lady William is fourth-generation Harcourt girl, Jeanette Teague, and her husband, John Teague, will stand proudly by her side as King Jonathon.

Lady William and King Jonathon were announced in December last year, and feel appointment is a great honour.

“It is more important than ever, and hopefully now we will be ambassadors to bring people back to Harcourt,” Jeannette said.

The 2026 Harcourt Applefest will be held from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, March 7. Visit applefest.harcourt.vic.au/ to view the program.