Hundreds of people flocked to events across the region at the weekend, celebrating the beginning of the East Gippsland Winter Festival.  The rain ceased for the launch of Laneway3875 on Friday night in Bairnsdale, where hundreds saw the culmination of the hard work and dedication mural artists have put in over the previous months, creating incredible stories on the walls. Artists and real...

The Dargo High Plains Road has been closed for the winter a few days earlier than usual because of poor weather expected this week.  The road is usually closed after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend and is scheduled to reopen before Melbourne Cup Day in November, but for the past two years, the road hasn’t opened until December.  A spokesperson for the Alpine Shire, which is...

An extra facility has just opened at the Bairnsdale City Oval off Dalmahoy Street offering residents the Pfizer or AstraZeneca injections.  Under the management of Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS) the service will be open from 9am to 3.30pm today and Thursday, and next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, as Monday is a public holiday.  Deborah Lynch was one of the first in line on...

East Gippsland has received a further $9 million for bushfire recovery infrastructure projects as part of round two of the Local Economic Recovery Program (LER) announced on Monday.The projects include the East Gippsland Rail Trail and Bruthen Recreation Reserve, the Buchan canoe launch and Swifts Creek Recreation Reserve.East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor, Cr Mendy Urie, said the support of 12...

In sleepy Swifts Creek, which is slowly awakening from a long COVID induced slumber, life is creaking back to normal. However, attempts by the local publican to ramp things up a notch has collectively raised the eyebrows of some in the local community. Russell Bowkett took over running the Albion Hotel in the aftermath of the Black Summer Bushfires and just four days before Victoria’s...