Eve Lamb
A thrilling ride is to be pretty much guaranteed when the Victorian Goldfields Railway runs it’s evening movie train next month.
In a debut departure from its long running popular movie offering – Murder on The Orient Express – the tourist railway is preparing to also stage screen thriller Unstoppable on Saturday August 14.
Loosely based on a true story, Unstoppable is a heart pumping, nail biting action film that forces audiences to the edge of their seats as a veteran driver (Denzel Washington) and a rookie conductor (Chris Pine) race to stop a half mile long freight train barreling uncontrollably towards the City of Stanton loaded with some wagons filled with a highly toxic flammable material.
In keeping with the theme, the vintage VGR movie carriage will be hauled by the VGR’s own diesel locomotive for the screening which is an initiative of the tourist railway’s young volunteer group.
VGR young volunteers coordinator Fletch Cole says the upcoming movie run is already half booked out.
“We thought we want to try and get more young people interested in our movie screenings as well so we came up with Unstoppable which is train related,” Fletch says.
He says the evening screening set for August 14 will be a bit of a trial run. get the full story in today’s Mail…
Thriller rail run
Sunday’s swap meet ready to roll
Eve Lamb
Hundreds of motoring nuts, rev heads and collectors of bits and bobs are headed to Maldon for this Sunday’s Swap Meet.
Organiser of the annual event, Maldon local Mark Blythe says there’s likely to be extra pent-up demand from swap meet devotees following the recent cancellation of this year’s Bendigo Swap Meet and other impacts of Covid on various events.
This Sunday’s Covid safe event happening at the historic Maldon Racecourse and Rec Reserve, had to be rescheduled itself, from its initially planned date that had been set for last month when the state experienced its last snap lockdown in May-June.
It’s all left stallholders, collectors and swap meet die-hards itching to get out – and with some 200 stallholders expected, this Sunday’s event is expected to deliver.
“People are bloated with things to sell,” says Mark who also organises Maldon’s Antique Fair and right now is planning to introduce a second one in October.
“We’re eclectic in as much as what turns up turns up,” he says of this Sunday’s swap meet.
While “eclectic” and sometimes surprising, there’s some staples that those who get along to the meet can expect – vintage motorcycle parts among them.
“We’ve got Dave Gittus, the iconic vintage and veteran bike collector,” Mark says. Get the full story in today’s Mail…
Trading the treasured
Eve Lamb
Deciding to put Castlemaine’s landmark Lyttleton Street Presbyterian Church property on the open market was not an easy one for the church’s board of management.
Like many others, the denomination is increasingly grappling with the cost of maintaining ageing, heritage-protected architecture which, while beautiful, may not be meeting the needs of today’s smaller congregations.
“They say it’s one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the state,” Castlemaine’s Presbyterian Church Board of Management secretary Richard McArdle told the Mail recently after the 1894 church along with its associated 1861 manse and original 1856 hall were all listed for sale on their half-acre parcel of prime CBD land.
“It’s a beautiful church. When they built churches back in the day they built them to be something magnificent,” he said.
“It’s been a hard decision. Unfortunately beautiful heritage buildings take money to maintain. It comes down to cash flow. You rely on grants. Over time you use up your resources.”
The manse has long been rented out as a private residence while the hall has hosted all manner of groups and events – “dance groups, art groups…” Mr McArdle says.
The grand church with its glorious stained glass windows, soaring ceiling and imposing lighting features said to be made by Castlemaine’s famed Leviny family creatives of the day has hosted contemporary live music events to great effect.
“The ABC came in here to record and said the acoustics are perfect,” Mr McArdle says.
“That place has got the potential to be magnificent but you need the capital, which we don’t have. Get the full story in today’s Mail…
Ready to rock: a railways repurposing project
Eve Lamb
A project repurposing old railway ballast from the Bendigo main railway line is set to save the Victorian Goldfields Railway hundreds of thousands of dollars.
V/Line is donating some 4000 tonnes of its old stone ballast to the local tourist railway as it replaces existing ballast as part of a main line works project at Elphinstone.
Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society president Steve Strangward says the ballast that’s being recycled for the local tourist railway’s use is from the old Elphinstone railway tunnel that’s getting new ballast as part of a wider renewal works project.
VGR railway ganger Will Maylor says the donation of the old ballast to the VGR represents a huge saving.
This week trucks have been busy carting the old rock ballast from the VicTrack-owned Elphinstone Railway Tunnel site to historic Muckleford Station alongside the VGR track. Read more in today’s Mail…
Capturing Quakes
Eve Lamb
When Castlemaine was rocked by an earthquake measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale recently Sandon seismologist Gary Gibson sprang into action.
Recording and studying seismological phenomena is all part of a day’s work for the long time local who numbers among Australia’s select few dedicated professional and practicing seismologists.
“There’s probably 15 or 20 of us in Australia,” says Mr Gibson, principal research fellow in seismology with the University of Melbourne.
Based at Sandon near Newstead, he also works with the Victorian-based Seismology Research Centre, sharing data with other seismologists nation-wide.
Mr Gibson keeps close tabs on a network of six seismographs strategically located to measure movements deep in the earth associated with the locality’s ancient Muckleford Fault Line.
Running from Bradford Hill north of Maldon, south to Welshman’s Reef it was the Muckleford Fault that shifted on May 27 producing a quake with its epicentre located two km north of Welshmans Reef.
In Castlemaine CBD – where it’s understood to have been most strongly felt, office workers reported mistaking the momentary shuddering and rumbling for a truck slamming into a verandah post. Read more in today’s Mail…
That’s the ticket!
Our 2021 Castlemaine Mail ‘Golden Ticket’ promotion kicks off today! Make sure you ask for your free ‘Golden Ticket’ with today’s edition of the Mail.
Our loyal readers will once again be in the running to share in $5000 in prize money to spend at our fantastic participating local businesses featured on page 11 of today’s paper.
Deborah Slater of JM Leech Jewellers Castlemaine said they are excited to once again be part of the buy local promotion and urge local readers to be sure to snap up their Golden Ticket and collect their pieces to win. See today’s paper for more details.
Protecting our Buda
The local community and dedicated volunteers turned out to celebrate the completion of crucial conservation works at Castlemaine’s beloved Buda Historic Home and Garden on Monday.
The project which cost in excess of $130,000 was funded by a $120,000 grant from the state government’s Living Heritage Program and contributions from Buda and in-kind support.
Ms Edwards said she hopes the latest works will enable Buda to continue to thrive so it can be enjoyed by future generations to come.
“It’s a magical and magnificent place and one I am incredibly proud to support,” Ms Edwards said. See the Mail for the full story.
Maldon makeover milestone
Wednesday marked an historic day for the township of Maldon with work beginning to remove power poles and lines following the completion of the long awaited project to move the town’s power underground.
Working group members Anne Hayes, Janet Purcell, CEO Darren Fuzzard, working group member Ken Fothergill, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards, Cr Stephen Gardner and Powercor program lead Tim Hughan are pictured at Wednesday’s historic occasion.
Last chance to catch ‘Orbit’
This weekend is your last chance to catch Castlemaine print-maker David Frazer’s selection of wood engravings and prints from the last 25 years as part of Castlemaine Art Museum’s (CAM) latest ‘Orbit’ exhibition.
The exhibition includes some of Frazer’s intricately carved English boxwood pieces, a wide array of prints on various subjects printed on his 1850s press and some of the tools of the trade that he has plied away with to create his amazingly intricate works.
The exhibition closes this Sunday July 4 so be quick to pop into CAM and catch it. CAM is open Thursday-Sunday from 12pm to 4pm. For more information visit castlemaineartmuseum.org.au
A kaleidoscope of memories
George Milford produced a home made kaleidoscope to recall memories of people and events at the final service at the Newstead Uniting Church last Sunday.
George held everyone’s attention as he used his scope to recall anecdotes and stories of the congregation’s life in the community since since the first services were conducted under a tree in the mid 19th century.
The ‘spring cleaned’ church was filled as the Rev Sarah Tomilson conducted a service that included an acknowledgement of country, prayers of thanksgiving. See the Mail for more…
Fierce battle
Ladder leaders Harcourt and in-form Maldon battled it out in a top match at the Harcourt Recreation Reserve last Saturday in round 10 of the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League.
The Dons threw everything they had at the Lions and controlled much of the play late in the game, holding Harcourt to a solitary goal in the second half, but the Lions held on to remain undefeated.
In this weekend’s rescheduled round 7 matches Harcourt travel to Lexton, Newstead host Talbot and Maldon has the bye. More MCDFNL news in today’s paper. Photo: Max Lesser.
Disability Access Guide to empower business
Community members are invited to attend the official launch of the Mount Alexander Shire Disability Advocacy Group’s (MASDAG) Disability Access Guide next Thursday July 1.
The highly anticipated launch, which has been postponed due to covid, will take place at The Taproom at Shedshaker Brewing at The Mill Complex in Walker Street from 5.30pm and MASDAG and Business Mount Alexander (BMA) invite local businesspeople and community members living with disability to attend the free event.
MASDAG chair Lorraine le Plastrier said MASDAG has developed the resource to assist local retailers and service providers to increase their customer and client base by removing barriers that prevent community members with disability from enjoying local businesses and services. See the full story in the Mail. Out Now.
