BAIRNSDALE
EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE Council has reported an increase in reports of dogs being off leash in public spaces across the region. Even friendly dogs can cause concern or create dangerous situations when not properly controlled. Residents are reminded to keep dogs on leads where required and under control at all times, particularly near parks, playgrounds, reserves, and shared public spaces. Community Laws officers are actively patrolling, responding to reports, and educating pet owners on responsible ownership. To report a dog attack, contact the council on 5153 9500, or call 000 in an emergency.
JACINTA SYMONS, NAGLE College Director of Inclusive Learning and Subject Learning Leader – Science, has been nominated for the Sustainable Stewardship Award at the 2026 Gippsland Community Leadership Awards for her work leading tree planting initiatives and the Eco Warriors program. The awards celebrate outstanding individuals, organisations, and initiatives making a positive impact across the region. Winners will be announced at an official ceremony on October 30.
COFFEE WITH A Cop returns to Bairnsdale on Wednesday, October 7, from 10am at Bunnings. Community members are invited to drop in for a coffee, meet local officers, ask questions, and discuss community matters.
POLICE HAVE CHARGED a 22-year-old Bairnsdale woman following a weapons incident in Bairnsdale on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency services responded to reports of an altercation involving weapons among several people on Nicholson Street around 12:35pm. It is alleged one offender fled in a vehicle, narrowly missing pedestrians while driving along the footpath. The woman was arrested a short time later and assisted police with enquiries. She has been remanded in custody facing multiple charges, including conduct endangering life, conduct endangering serious injury, and affray.
THE CARTER MARINE Group has completed flood repair works at the Marlin Street boat ramp at Balgal Beach, located on Rollingstone Creek north of Townsville, on behalf of Maritime Safety Queensland. The damaged ramp was stripped back and rebuilt with precast concrete planks, reinforced foundations, and upgraded scour protection to withstand future high-flow events. Despite operating in a remote environment, the crew completed the project safely and on schedule.
COMING UP ON Saturday, October 10 is an event for all book lovers to celebrate Love Your Bookshop Day at Schoolworks Supplies during the inaugural Big Bairnsdale Book Bazaar. Festivities run from 10am to 2pm. Award-winning author Andrea Rowe will lead free writing workshops for children and adults alongside a special storytime session. Author Angie Cui will also host the Gippsland launch of her new book, My Mum is a Bird, with a free storytime at 12:30pm. Bookings are essential as places are limited. The event features 25 stalls, local authors, illustrators, book signings, giveaways, food trucks, music, live sketch commissions by illustrator James Hart, and interactive activities including calligraphy, map drawing, and eucalypt identification.
BUCHAN
SOME EXCITEMENT OCCURRED in town last week when a downed live power line just past the Buchan Bridge caused local disruption. The area was cordoned off by emergency services until power company technicians arrived to safely isolate and repair the line.
DARGO
THE GREAT ALPINE Road at Hotham Heights is closed northbound between Dargo High Plains Road and the Mount Hotham Summit following a landslide. VicRoads has advised motorists to follow traffic management directions and allow additional travel time while contractors clear debris.
EAGLE POINT
THE EAGLE POINT Foreshore Hub cafe will close temporarily from Thursday, October 1, as new local operators prepare to rebrand and refurbish the venue as The Nest – Eagle Point. The upgraded venue will showcase local produce, offering cafe dining, takeaway coffee, and catering services. Community meeting rooms at the hub remain available for hire throughout the renovation period, with existing bookings honored. New venue bookings can be made via the East Gippsland Shire Council website or by calling 5153 9500, with bookings transferring to the new operators from October 1.
A WATER MAIN break near Rivermouth Road caused a temporary drop in water pressure for nearby residents last week. East Gippsland Water crews responded promptly, restoring normal supply within five hours.
ENSAY
IF THE AFL grand final wasn’t enough excitement, a magnitude-3.9 earthquake struck near Ensay at approximately 9.30pm on Saturday night, marking the most powerful seismic event recorded in the area in over a decade. Geosciences Australia recorded more than 346 felt reports, with residents in nearby Swifts Creek reporting household shaking. Senior seismologist Jonathan Griffin noted that 27 earthquakes have occurred within 100 kilometres of Ensay over the past decade, driven by ongoing tectonic stress across intraplate Australia. Authorities advise that minor aftershocks remain possible in the coming weeks.
EMERGENCY SERVICES EXECUTED a successful joint rescue operation following a single-vehicle rollover on the Great Alpine Road at Ensay at 7.30am last Friday. SES units from Tambo Valley, Bruthen, and Bairnsdale worked alongside Lakes Entrance CFA, local CFA brigades, Ambulance Victoria, and Victoria Police to extricate the driver. The patient was treated at the scene and transported to hospital for further care.
JOHNSONVILLE
THE PUBLIC WATER standpipe in Johnsonville is currently out of service due to required maintenance. East Gippsland Water confirmed the repair will take time and advised consumers to utilise alternative regional standpipe locations listed on the authority’s website while repairs are underway.
LAKES ENTRANCE
O’NEILLS BARBER SHOP has officially opened at 69 O’Neills Road following extensive fit-out works. The shop operates seven days a week, offering walk-in services from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 3pm on Sundays.
THE RECENTLY WASHED up powerboat on Ninety Mile Beach west of the ocean entrance has been successfully removed. Contractors using a specialised bobcat towed the vessel three kilometres along the beach to Barrier Landing, where it was loaded onto a barge and transported to Metung. The recovery operation was managed by Parks Victoria in partnership with Carter Marine Group and Gippsland Lakes Barge Services.
MAFFRA
THE MAFFRA DRAMATIC Society is seeking an experienced guitarist for its upcoming production of Rock of Ages, scheduled for March 2027. Interested musicians are encouraged to contact the society via email at maffradramaticsinc@gmail.com.
MALLACOOTA
AUTHORITIES HAVE CONFIRMED that a dead long-nosed fur seal found on Gabo Island tested positive for H5 avian influenza. Specialist veterinarians sampled the animal following reports from members of the public. The case is one of two confirmed marine mammal detections in Victoria this week, following a separate case at Rye Back Beach. Health authorities confirm the risk to human health remains low and no detections have been recorded in Australian poultry or commercial agriculture. The public is urged to remain vigilant along coastal reserves, maintain a 30-metre distance from sick marine wildlife, keep pets clear, and report sightings to the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, volunteer firefighters from Mallacoota, Cann Valley, Bemm River, Merimbula, and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) responded to an out-of-control private burnoff at Maramingo. The fire spread into adjoining private property and State Forest before crews established containment lines under favorable weather conditions. FFMVic personnel will continue monitoring the perimeter. Fire authorities remind residents never to leave burnoffs unattended during drying spring conditions.
MEERLIEU
THE MEERLIEU FIRE Brigade continues to hone its skills ahead of the upcoming fire season, with three members recently completing the Respond to Isolated Structures training course at the West Sale Training Ground. The comprehensive course combined three nights of theoretical study with intensive practical exercises, qualifying members in defensive and external attack techniques for isolated structural fires.
MEERLIEU CFA IS celebrating its 80th anniversary on Sunday, November 15, and is seeking a vintage Hino GT175K 4×4 fire tanker to display alongside historic brigade appliances. While the model was widely used by the CFA a decade ago, none remain in active service. Community members who own or know the location of a preserved Hino GT175K are asked to contact the brigade.
PAYNESVILLE
LOCAL LIONS CLUB life member Daris Olsauskas has been presented with his 25-year service award in recognition of his long-standing volunteer contributions to the local community.
THE PAYNESVILLE FIRE Brigade hosted its annual awards dinner last Saturday night to recognise volunteer contributions and service milestones. Lieutenant Vaughn Evans received both the Firefighter of the Year and the Eric Eaton awards. Bairnsdale Fire Brigade provided operational cover for the Paynesville area during the event. Dignitaries in attendance included East Gippsland Shire Mayor Cr Jodie Ashworth, former brigade captain Rob Ashworth, CFA Deputy Chief Officer Alen Slijepcevic, Bairnsdale Captain Charles Stansfield, and Group Community Engagement Coordinator Nellie Hameeteman.
ROSEDALE
LAST SATURDAY MORNING, police were notified about a suspicious vehicle loitering at a Gormandale dairy farm, leading to the arrest of a 29-year-old man on bail who now faces 28 criminal charges. Police located a running vehicle with a flat tyre and a male driver at the property; when approached, the driver fled at speed towards Rosedale. The vehicle left severe gouge marks along the Gormandale-Stradbroke Road as the tyre disintegrated. Police tracked the vehicle to Rosedale, discovering it had been stolen from Traralgon. Officers established a cordon, arrested the suspect, and recovered illicit drugs, dumped items including a taser, and property linked to an earlier burglary at the farm. The man was remanded in custody pending court proceedings and a bail revocation application.
SALE
LAST WEEK THE Wellington Shire and South Gippsland Shire councillors met with Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Mahar to discuss regional opportunities and community impacts surrounding emerging major renewable energy projects across Gippsland. Discussions centered on local employment, infrastructure capacity, regional planning, and inter-council collaboration.
LAST TUESDAY MORNING, Wellington Neighbourhood Policing Tasking Unit officers impounded a vehicle after intercepting a suspended driver on Raymond Street at 8:45am. The driver initially attempted to impersonate the vehicle’s registered owner but failed to verify the correct birth date. The vehicle was impounded for 30 days at a cost of $950.
MEMBERS FROM THE Wellington Highway Patrol intercepted 92 vehicles and detected 106 offences during an early morning traffic operation across the Wellington police service area. Detections included 56 speeding offences, four drug-driving offenses, and one drink-driving offenxe. Notable incidents included an 18-year-old learner motorcyclist performing a wheelie whose bike was impounded, three tradesmen testing positive for methamphetamine and MDMA at 7am, a disqualified rider on an e-bike travelling at 57km/h who failed a breath test, and a suspended driver intercepted while transporting children to school.
DEVASTATION FOR THE Sale Croquet Club, which recently fell victim to a burglary in which an estimated $5,000 worth of grounds maintenance equipment was stolen, including a yellow Cub Cadet mini-rider lawn mower purchased in March, a whipper snipper, a leaf blower, and fuel. Two storage sheds sustained structural damage during the break-in.
POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING a commercial burglary at Harvey Norman on Raymond Street at 4:30am last week. An offender riding an electric scooter smashed a front window, stole a second electric scooter from display, and fled south along Raymond Street. Anyone with dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
STRATFORD
MAFFRA AND STRATFORD police, alongside detectives from the Wellington Crime Investigation Unit, have recovered stolen human ashes following an investigation into a theft at the Maffra Cemetery. Officers executed a search warrant at a Thornhill Park address on September 24, arresting a 48-year-old woman and recovering the remains. The ashes have been returned to Maffra Cemetery, and the accused will face the Sale Magistrates Court charged with theft and unlawful exhumation of human remains.
TAMBO VALLEY
THE TAMBO VALLEY Golf Club will host its annual Duck Cup and four-person ambrose event on Monday, November 2, at the Swifts Creek course ahead of the Melbourne Cup. The event commences at midday, with a $400 cash prize awarded for the Duck Cup. Golfers of all skill levels are welcome to participate.
WEST SALE
YOUNG CFA VOLUNTEERS aged between 18 and 30 participated in a regional skills maintenance weekend hosted at the West Sale and Bangholme training campuses. Organised by the CFA South East Region Volunteer Sustainability Team and Young Adults Network, the practical sessions covered crew leadership, radio communications, motor vehicle accident extrications, and live-fire structural emergency scenarios.
