Weekly update - Friday 21 March 2025

Published on 21 March 2025

COUNCIL MEETING

The March Council Meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 March at 6pm. 

The agenda will be available to view at: 

www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/councilmeetings

The meeting will be held in-person at the Maryborough Town Hall and is open to the community to attend. 

The meeting will also be livestreamed to our website at: www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/councilmeetings

SPECIAL VACANCY

We’re seeking expressions of interest to join Council’s Audit and Risk Committee.

A vacancy exists for an Independent Member, commencing May 2025 for up to three years. A sitting fee per meeting will be payable to the successful applicant. The Committee meets four times per year.

The Committee is formally appointed and is responsible to Council. Its role is to provide advice, and applicants will need suitable governance and financial experience.

Please call our Executive Assistant on 5461 0610 for further information. Applications close Friday 11 April.

MAKING THE GRADE

Next week our Roads and Works crew will commence a full reconstruction of a section along Dunolly-Avoca Road between Stevens Lane and Woodward Road, Mount Hooghly.

Speed limits will be in place and one lane will be closed, which may cause delays over coming weeks.

The crew also continues to take advantage of favourable weather for road grading. 

Gravel roads completed around Majorca this week include: Kendens, Wanlace, Beveridge, Deeds, Fosters, Nesbet and Hemleys roads.

Next week the grading crew will be working on: Lyle Lead, Trickeys, Possum Gully and Alma- Moonlight roads, Calder Court and Ramon Close.

If you know of an area that needs grading, visit:

www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/Report-a-Problem 

VISITING CENTRAL DESERT ARTISTS

Engage in an exciting question and answer session with artists Selma Coulthard (pictured below) and Vanessa Inkamala, on Wednesday 26 March from 2pm to 3pm at our Gallery. 

Both are artists who have followed in Albert Namatjira’s watercolour tradition. These artists are represented in the Clay on Country - ceramics from the central desert exhibition currently on show at Central Goldfields Art Gallery.

Presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ballarat and supported by Artback NT and Visions of Australia. The session is free and no booking is required.

For further information visit: www.centralgoldfieldsartgallery.com.au/Learn~178

BOWENVALE BUILD

A $100,000 upgrade to Bowenvale playground is well underway, with new fencing and some play equipment already installed. 

The project is made possible thanks to $50,000 in funding as part of the Victorian Government’s Tiny Towns Fund along with $50,000 from Council.

CHECK YOUR LETTERBOX!

Autumn is here and so is the latest edition of our Community Update magazine. 

You can read it online at www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/communityupdate or keep an eye out in your letterbox. Copies are also available from our Customer Service and Visitor centres and from our library.

In our latest edition we invite you to share with us ‘what matters to you?” As part of our Council Plan process, your feedback will help decide where we should focus our resources and efforts to best support our community over the next four years. 

We know our community is keen to better understand why the Maryborough Olympic Outdoor Pool Complex is closed and what it will take to see it re-opened. We’ve worked in partnership with The Friends of the Maryborough Outdoor Pool Precinct to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. 

There’s also information about the four bin system which will be introduced by 2027, profiles on this year’s Australia Day Award recipients plus an invitation to our National Volunteer Week thank you event in May. 

Happy reading! 

RATES HELP

Our Finance team requests that if you are having trouble with rates payments, to please contact them as soon as possible.

We understand that some individuals and businesses may experience financial hardship on a short or long-term basis and we are committed to supporting our community through these times. 

There are a range of supports available - to find out more contact our Finance team on 5461 0681 or visit: 

www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/RatesHelp

ANIMAL REGISTRATIONS

Animal registrations are due by 10 April and renewal notices will soon be issued by mail. 

To register a new pet, phone 5461 0610 or visit our Customer Service Centre, 22 Nolan Street, Maryborough.

Registering a dog or cat greatly improves the chances of it being returned if it becomes lost. There are substantial discounts for desexed cats and dogs, with further discounts for pensioners. 

There are fines of up to $400 for unregistered pets.

If you have a cat that needs desexing and registration, we have a special offer that can help for one low fee, thanks to the Victorian Government’s Targeted Cat Desexing Program.

For more information, including the form for a new registration, visit:

www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/PurryDeal

SHARE WHAT MATTERS TO YOU

Community Panel

Are you passionate about the future of Central Goldfields?

We will be inviting 20 community members, aged 18 years and over, to put their hand up to help shape our priorities over the next four years.

The panel will be an opportunity to learn about what Council does, contribute ideas and help develop draft recommendations.

Expressions of interest are welcome from anyone who lives, works or owns a business in the Central Goldfields Shire.

No special skills are required, just having the willingness to consider others views and work collaboratively is enough.

We’ll also need you to be available to attend three, in-person workshops in Maryborough.

• Tuesday 6 May: 5.30pm to 8.30pm

• Wednesday 7 May: 5.30pm to 8.30pm

• Thursday 8 May: 5.30pm to 8.30pm

Meals and refreshments will be provided, with childcare and travel arrangements available by request.

Panel members will be selected to make sure we have community representation from all walks of life, across age, gender, employment status, cultural background and townships.

Each panel member that attends all three evenings will receive $100 in recognition of their time and contribution. Entries close 4 April.

In-person drop-in sessions

Next week you can meet with our staff and Councillors face-to-face:

• Monday 24 March – Maryborough: Goldfields Shopping Complex (outside Coles/Kmart): 3.30 to 5.30pm 
• Tuesday 25 March – Dunolly Bakery: 3.30 to 5.30pm 
• Thursday 27 March – Carisbrook Bakery: 3.30 to 5.30pm 
• Friday 28 March – Talbot Post Office: 3.30 to 5.30pm 

Contact your Ward Councillor – share your feedback directly.

You can stay informed and follow updates about the Council Plan by:

• visiting www.engage.cgoldshire.vic.gov.au/whatmatters
• following Council’s Facebook page @centralgoldfields
• read this full-page Council news section each Friday in The Maryborough District Advertiser

The draft Council Plan 2025-2029 will be available for community feedback in July. 

POSITIONS VACANT 

For career opportunities, please visit: 

www.centralgoldfields.vic.gov.au/currentvacancies