Plus, a life-changing school for young parents, power station to be upgraded, and why we're seeing black cockatoos
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Build it and they will come | |
| Dungog built a mountain bike track earlier this year and it's creating a small tourism boom in a town hit hard by bushfires, drought and now coronavirus.
One cafe says its takings are up 300 per cent since the track re-opened last month. | |
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'Life-changing' school for young parents | |
| There are plans for a new school in the Hunter Valley exclusively for young parents, with on-site childcare. The DALE Young Parents Hub at Kurri Kurri will be the third school of its type in the Newcastle and Central Coast regions. The Cessnock area was chosen as it has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in NSW. | |
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Power station upgrade aims to boost waste recycling | |
| AGL Macquarie has released details of a proposed $52 million upgrade of its Bayswater power station in the Hunter Valley, including a big increase in the recycling of coal ash. Environment groups are skeptical about the recycling target and are calling for a levy on coal ash to discourage the dumping of more toxic waste. | |
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COVID-19 spike delays Magic Millions sale | |
| A prestigious horse sale on the Gold Coast, featuring hundreds of the Hunter's broodmares and weanlings, has been postponed due to coronavirus. The Magic Millions sale has been pushed back to the end of July to give industry members time to travel interstate and comply with additional health measures. | |
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Sightings of black cockatoos cause for concern | |
| While there's excitement over sightings of the glossy black cockatoo in Newcastle's CBD and on the Central Coast, BirdLife Australia says it's a sign they're being pushed out of their normal feeding areas due to bushfire and drought. Special tree plantings have brought the birds into parts of the state's central west. | |
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| | | Photo supplied: David Diehm |
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What else made news this week? | |
| Monday: A fireball meteor streaked through the sky above the Hunter, just on dusk. Binny MacGregor captured the event on her car's dashcam as she drove through Cessnock. You can listen to an astronomer explaining what we were seeing. The Newcastle Jets coach Carl Robinson is back at work having completed a fortnight in mandatory quarantine since returning from his home in Canada. Tuesday: A new coronavirus case was reported in Newcastle. The 27-year-old man was a close contact of a returned traveller who tested positive last week after leaving hotel quarantine. Maitland Council discussed plans for a four-star hotel and boutique bed and breakfast accommodation at the historic Maitland Jail. Wednesday: Huge swell pounded the Newcastle coastline, creating spectacular scenes like the one above at Merewether Baths (and how great is the photo by David Diehm?!). Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent is calling on the state government to explain its plans to open the historic Wollombi Valley to coal exploration. Thursday: Kills rates are ramping up at a Scone abattoir to fill the void left by the closure of a Victorian meatworks due to coronavirus outbreaks. A Sydney man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at Newcastle's Marketown shopping centre. | |
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What people liked on Facebook and on air | |
| Wild wind hits the coast: Strong winds and heavy seas pounded the Newcastle coastline this week — some had more fun with it than others! Feral donkeys defend sheep: Did you know that if a donkey bonds with a flock of sheep, it will do anything to protect them from wild dog attacks? A 12-month trial using feral donkeys on sheep farms in the Hunter is showing positive results.
Dog bait warning: Residents of Mayfield are warning dog owners to be on the lookout for baited meat, after several incidents involving dogs getting sick and poisoned meat being found near a local park.
The joys of winter swimming: It may be cold in and out of the water, but Kia Handley found out why it's the perfect time for a dip.
Anyone for a game of vigoro?: Never heard of it? Neither had we — but apparently it was very popular, and former player Helene O'Neill told Jenny on Breakfast how the game came about.
Lord mayor steps in to save fig trees: The year wouldn't be complete without a furore over a fig tree in Newcastle. The city's lord mayor is fighting to save the trees in Birdwood Park from being removed to allow for roadworks. | |
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Meet Upper Hunter breakfast show producer Hannah Palmer | |
| Hannah hails from Queensland's Gold Coast and began working for the ABC as an intern in Brisbane, before heading north to Townsville as a producer and features reporter. She now helps put the Upper Hunter Breakfast show to air and is pretty handy behind a TV news camera too.
Hannah says she loves meeting interesting people every day and helping to tell their stories. When she's not working she loves to travel, but with overseas destinations off the menu, Hannah is now looking forward to heading interstate to Queensland to see friends and family. Hannah recently read Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and says the best books are those you don't stop thinking about for days. | |
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