The Budburst Festival is marking 35 years of showcasing cool climate wines from the Macedon Ranges. The two-day event on 14 and 15 November features 26 winemakers across more than 15 venues. Festival hours run from 10am to 5pm on both days, with tastings, food, live entertainment and music. Festival passes start at $39, and weekend passes cost $55. Bus tickets cost $70 for a one-day pass and are available from Woodend station and Lancefield town centre.
A 74-year-old Victorian antiques store owner, Glenn Richard Rollo, has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to 13 charges. The charges include selling and possessing protected and threatened wildlife and failing to treat a sick animal. Officers searched his store and home last year and found more than 700 native animals, many frozen or taxidermied, across 14 freezers. The conservation regulator said he held no licence to obtain or possess them. A Victorian MP said the fine was barely a deterrent and called for wildlife laws to be modernised.
A 74-year-old Kyneton man has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to wildlife and animal welfare charges in the Kyneton Magistrates’ Court. Conservation Regulator officers searched his home and antiques business in April 2025 and found more than 700 dead native birds, reptiles and mammals, many taxidermied or stored in 14 freezers. The collection included threatened species such as the barking owl and diamond python. Officers also found live reptiles in poor conditions and prohibited pest animals. The magistrate said the man had flouted the law comprehensively. Northern Victoria MP Georgie Purcell said the fine was barely a deterrent.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Central Highlands Rural Health has been named the Premier's Small Health Service of the Year at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. The award recognises leadership, governance, innovation and service delivery. It is the first time the organisation has won it since forming from the 2019 merger of Kyneton District Health Service and Hepburn Health Service. CEO Maree Cuddihy said the win reflected the efforts of staff and the trust of local communities. The organisation serves the Hepburn and Macedon Ranges shires from campuses in Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford, Kyneton and Trentham.
A Victorian man has been fined $10,000 after more than 700 dead animals were found at his home and antiques business. Glenn Richard Rollo, 74, pleaded guilty to 13 wildlife and animal welfare charges in the Kyneton Magistrates' Court. The Conservation Regulator found taxidermied and frozen animals, including emus, echidnas and threatened species such as the barking owl. Investigators also found live prohibited pest reptiles. Magistrate Patrick Southey said he would have imposed a $15,000 fine without the guilty plea. A Victorian MP said the penalty was too low.
Kyneton is among Victoria's top flat tyre breakdown hotspots, according to new quarterly data from the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria. The RACV attended more than 8200 flat tyre breakdowns across regional Victoria between 1 July and 30 September. Kyneton recorded 73 callouts, while Warrnambool led with 128. Four of the top 10 locations sit on road corridors that motorists flagged as safety concerns in the RACV's My Country Road survey. RACV officials said potholes, road debris, damaged rims, kerb strikes and sidewall damage are common causes.
Former Daylesford resident Jasmine Gruar, a ballet dancer, has been featured on the front page of The Local in a painting. Her grandmother, Irene Mooney, created the acrylic portrait to celebrate Jasmine's recent 21st birthday, and Jasmine was thrilled with the gift. Jasmine trained from a young age at Starz Dance Centre in Kyneton and later with Ballet Theatre Australia. She has performed in ballets including The Nutcracker and Giselle, and now teaches dance to pre-schoolers in Melbourne.
Comedian Anh Do is returning to Kyneton Town Hall due to popular demand. He will perform his personal stories, blending real-life anecdotes with comedy. The show is on Thursday 22 October at 7.30pm and is rated PGR 7+. Adult tickets cost $74.90, while children aged 7 to 17 and concession holders pay $69.90. Do promises a mix of heartfelt moments about life's triumphs and struggles.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is calling on candidates for the seat of Macedon at the 2026 Victorian state election to commit $3.87 million to the Barkly Square Pavilion in Kyneton. The project is fully designed and costed and is ready to build. The proposed pavilion would provide all-gender change rooms, accessible amenities and flexible meeting space at Barkly Square, which has supported local sport and community life for more than 40 years. Mayor Cassy Borthwick said the community has already shown its backing. The council has launched a campaign and installed signage at the Beauchamp Street frontage.
A ceramics exhibition featuring woodfired work is showing at Trio Art Studio and Gallery in Kyneton. Artists Sergei Shatrov and Sue McGarland are among those taking part. Shatrov says the sound of a kiln cooling still fascinates him after 34 years working with clay. Woodfired pieces by Shatrov and 16 Victorian potters will be for sale from 4 October to 8 November. The gallery is open Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 10am to 4pm.
The Buttlejorrk Artists group, one of the Macedon Ranges' longest-running creative collectives, is marking 50 years of exhibiting and artistic fellowship. An anniversary exhibition runs at The Old Auction House in Kyneton from 12 November to 24 December. It features works by 12 members and invited guest artists, spanning traditional and contemporary styles. The group was formed in 1976 by potters and now includes painters, sculptors, jewellers and other makers. A meet-the-artists morning tea is held on 14 November from 11am. Admission is free and works are available for purchase.
A petition with more than 59,000 signatures is calling for a national database that tracks domestic violence offenders across state lines. The campaign was started by the family of Alicia Little, who died at a property in Kyneton, Victoria, in December 2017. Her family says her former partner had a history of domestic violence in New South Wales that did not follow him when he moved to Victoria. Her former partner, Charles Evans, was initially charged with murder, but later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to render assistance.
George Dight, a builder and farmer, served as a lay reader at St George’s Anglican Church in Trentham. He walked 20km each Sunday to conduct services in Barrys Reef and Newbury. After enlisting in World War I at 43, he suffered gunshot wounds and was repatriated to Australia in 1918. A 'Welcome Home' social was held for Dight and other wounded soldiers in Trentham.
The inaugural Golden Wellness Festival will be held in Castlemaine's Sunken Oval on October 31, featuring a diverse range of holistic health activities. Attendees can participate in yoga, tai chi, sound healing, and art therapy sessions, with some workshops requiring tickets. Festival director Ciel Lindley highlights notable events including a cooking discussion with Alex Perry and a sound healing experience led by Lucy Ennis. The day will conclude with a Kirtan ceremony featuring live music and chanting. This free event aims to foster connection and personal growth through various wellness practices.
