Latest news with #PortFairy
Time Out
24-07-2025
- Time Out
These three regional Victorian destinations have been crowned the Top Tourism Towns for 2025
Drum roll, please! It's the moment you've all been waiting for – last month we shared the news that 25 townships across regional Victoria were vying for gold in the annual Top Tourism Town Awards, and now the three big winners have finally been revealed. Huge congratulations are in order for Warrnambool, winner of Victoria's Top Tourism Town (population 5,000+); Mount Beauty, winner of the Top Small Tourism Town Award (population 1,500-5,000); and Trentham, winner of the Top Tiny Tourism Town Award (population less than 1,500). And we've gotta say, what a line-up of worthy locations! Warrnambool – aka the largest town along the Great Ocean Road – is a vibrant coastal hub boasting a rich maritime history, excellent beaches and some of the best whale watching in the state. Mount Beauty, tucked away in the Victorian Alps, is an outdoor enthusiast's dream offering mountain biking, fishing, hiking, horse riding and snow sports. And the charming hamlet of Trentham (just an hour from Melbourne) is beloved for its country pubs, boutique shops and art galleries, and lush natural splendour. Second and third place honours were also announced, with Ballarat, Port Fairy and Halls Gap taking out the silver medals in their respective categories, while bronze commendations went to Echuca, Portarlington and Whitfield. The Top Tourism Town Awards are run by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), and celebrate the regional destinations that go above and beyond to offer incredible experiences for visitors. To be in the running, each town had to make a submission that demonstrated a strong commitment to tourism, dedication to increasing visitation to the region and collaboration with local businesses. A panel of expert judges then chose the finalists, before voting was handed over to the public in order to determine the ultimate winners. The three Victorian winners will now go on to compete on a national level for the highly coveted title of Australia's Top Tourism Town. The event will take place on September 3 at Parliament House in Canberra. Good luck to our local legends! And we'll keep you posted if any of the destinations take home the big one – here's hoping.
ABC News
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Margret RoadKnight—60 years in the business
Singer and guitarist Margret RoadKnight doesn't write her own songs but she's had a six decade career interpreting other people's. She has a voice able to sit across a range of musical styles—from blues to gospel, folk to jazz. This career spanning conversation was originally recorded in 2019, and we're running it again to celebrate four of Margret's albums from the 1980s and 90s being made available on Bandcamp for the first time (via Chapter Music). Music in this program: Title: Living Legend (live) Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Shel Silverstein, Bob Gibson Recorded live at Port Fairy Folk Festival, 2006 Title: Girls in our Town Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Bob Hudson Album: Margret RoadKnight Decade: '75-'85 Label: Festival Records Title: Cinderella Acappella Artist: Margret RoadKnight, Jeannie Lewis, Moya Simpson, Blair Greenberg Composer: John Shortis Album: Cinderella Acappella Label: Rascal Records Title: A Bunch of Damned Whores Artist: Margret RoadKnight, Moya Simpson, Jarnie Birmingham, Mara Kiek, Judy Bailey piano Composer: Ted Egan Album: Fringe Benefits Label: Honky Tonk Angels/Chapter Music (reissue) Title: Wasn't That A Mighty Day Artist: Marion Williams & The Stars Of Faith, Princess Stewart, Prof. Alex Bradford & The Bradford Singers Composer: Traditional, arranged Alex Bradford Album: Black Nativity, Gospel On Broadway! Label: Festival Records Title: Sweet Solitary Blues Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Robyn Archer Album: Moving Target >>>>> harder to hit Label: Honky Tonk Angels/Chapter Music (reissue) Title: If You Love Me Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Malvina Reynolds Album: An Audience With Margret RoadKnight Label: Chapter Music (reissue) Title: McMasters Ward Artist: Roger Knox Composer: Roger Knox, Toby Martin Album: Buluunarbi and The Old North Star Label: Flippin Yeah
Irish Independent
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Garden blooms for Aidan O'Brien on first try over a mile and a half in Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot
Having raced handily behind runaway front-runner Island Hopping, Moore produced his mount to lead entering the final two furlongs and the daughter of Saxon Warrior cleared away to win by three and a quarter lengths. The lightly raced Understudy (40/1) stayed on from off the pace into second, with the 2/1 favourite Catalina Delcarpio half a length further back in third. A Listed winner at Naas last time, Garden Of Eden was providing O'Brien with a third consecutive Ribblesdale Stakes, following Warm Heart (2023) and Port Fairy (2024). O'Brien said: 'I was impressed with that. Garden Of Eden is getting better, which is great. We always thought stepping up in trip would help her. We stepped her up to a mile and a quarter the last day and she improved a lot. 'She is by Saxon Warrior and, when they go up in distance, they do get better. The Irish Oaks would be a possibility, but she could also go to America for a Grade 1 over there – we will have to see.' Moore said: 'Garden Of Eden was very impressive. She has been gradually improving. Aidan kept saying every time she steps up, she will get better. 'We went a hard pace and got a bit detached. She kind of dropped the bridle and ran in snatches. Billy [Lee on the favourite] sneaked down the inside but, when I asked her to quicken, Garden Of Eden quickened very well. Just typical Aidan – he keeps making them better." Understudy's co-trainer Thady Gosden said: 'She has run a very nice race there. It was only the third start of her life. She won well at Southwell last time out and it was a change of scene here today. She is a homebred of Bjorn Nielsen's, with a very good pedigree. When they are upped as much in grade that quickly, you're not quite sure how it will go, but we hoped she would run a good race, and she has.' Paddy Twomey said of the third: 'Catalina Delcarpio is a lovely filly and ran a career best. She probably just didn't see out the trip today, but I think when she is a little bit stronger and a little bit older, she will. She is just coming into herself and I think she will be a very good four-year-old. We side-stepped Epsom and races like that on purpose, because I think it was coming too soon for her. I doubt I will run her in the Irish Oaks. Maybe something like a Blandford Stakes on Irish Champions weekend, something like that, over 10 furlongs.'
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Not financially viable: Australia's first commercial wind farm set to be decommissioned
Australia's first commercial wind farm is set to be decommissioned, as the company who owns it reveals it is no longer 'financially viable'. Renewable energy company Pacific Blue announced the Codrington wind farm, located near Port Fairy in southwest Victoria, is set to be decommissioned, as it is 'approaching the end of its technical life'. 'At this stage, Pacific Blue is not pursuing a repowering option for Codrington,' a statement from the company said. 'The site's grid connection would require significant upgrades and today's turbine siting requirements would preclude the installation of latest generation turbines which can have an output of over five times that of Codrington's current turbines. 'The company's analysis considered the limitations of space on the site and necessary upgrades to modernise the grid equipment, ultimately resolving that a new project at Codrington is not financially viable for this location.' The wind farm has been in operation for 25 years, and was officially opened by former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks in July 2001. The Codrington site was described by Pacific Blue as 'close to perfect', as it was placed to receive the full force of winds blowing off the Southern Ocean. Each year, the wind farm generated enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 10,000 Victorian homes and prevented 49,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – the equivalent of taking more than 17,000 cars off the roads, according to Pacific Blue. More than $9m was injected into the regional economy during construction and development and about 30 jobs were created with local companies contracted to install roads, foundations, towers, transformers and cabling to make the farm operational. Pacific Blue said they were 'deeply committed' to engaging with the communities surrounding Codrington and in southwest Victoria throughout the decommissioning process. 'The company also needs to account for the needs and preferences of the site's landholders, whom it has successfully partnered with for over 25 years,' a statement said. 'Pacific Blue is grateful for their continued support on this project.' Pacific Blue also said it is exploring how the 14 wind turbines, which have a hub height of 50m and blade tip height of 81m, could be recycled. 'The company is focused on delivering a thorough, respectful, and industry-leading decommissioning of Codrington Wind Farm, which includes exploring recycling options for as much of the site's infrastructure as possible while upholding safety and environmental expectations,' a statement said. The company confirmed the turbines will be dismantled by crane. The company is engaging with industry leaders to explore how best to recycle the blades, with options successfully executed overseas in the past including transforming them into surf boards and 'glamping pods'. Last year, Queensland MP Mick de Brenni was spotted wearing sneakers made from recycled wind turbine blades. In a statement, Pacific Blue revealed broader community and stakeholder engagement was planned for the second half of 2025. Permit conditions require the decommissioning to be completed within 12 months of the wind farm ceasing to generate electricity. Pacific Blue operates wind farms, hydro plants and solar farms across Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and NSW. Codrington's decommission prompted calls to the Federal government from the Smart Energy Council to mandate a national product stewardship scheme so 'smart energy solutions don't become tomorrow's waste crisis'.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why 14 turbines at one of Australia's first wind farms are about to be torn down - marking the end of an era
Australian's first commercial wind farm is set to be painstakingly dismantled by cranes as the turbines reach the end of their 20-year lifespan. Sitting on rolling green hills overlooking Port Fairy in southwest Victoria, Pacific Blue's Codrington Windfarm is considered a 'close to perfect' location for wind towers. When the site opened in 2001, it was not only Australia's first commercial windfarm but also the largest of any kind in the country. The wind farm generates enough energy required to power 10,000 homes each year while avoiding the emission of nearly 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. But almost 24 years later, the site's 14 50metre-high turbines are among the first of its generation to approach the end of their working lives. Pacific Blue said it hopes to become a renewables industry leader 'twice over' in its approach to dismantling the turbines using cranes. The project is a massive undertaking but is more likely to win the approval of surrounding communities than the alternative method of using explosives. 'A decision was recently made that all turbines at the Codrington Wind Farm will be disassembled onsite through the use of cranes in the reverse order of how the turbines were assembled,' a Pacific Blue spokesperson told Renew Economy. 'This project is the first of its kind in Australia and we take this responsibility very seriously.' Earlier this year, Pacific Blue announced it would not be repowering the ageing turbines and would, instead, explore options for their decommissioning. According to the company, which is headquartered east of the wind farm in Melbourne, the site is no longer commercially viable. To keep the site operational, its grid connection would require significant upgrades. And if the company were to replace the turbines with more modern equivalents, spacing requirements would preclude the installation of any more than four. 'The company's analysis considered the limitations of space on the site and necessary upgrades to modernise the grid equipment, ultimately resolving that a new project at Codrington is not financially viable for this location,' it said in a statement. Pacific Blue said permit conditions require the turbines to be decommissioned within 12 months after the farm stops generating power. According to Re-Alliance, 85 wind farms across Australia are due to retire by 2045. Given the relatively young age of Australia's wind farm industry, the question of how best to decommission retirement-age farms remains an open one. 'Pacific Blue has a long-standing relationship with the communities surrounding Codrington and its other four wind farms operating in the region,' the company said. 'The company will continue to engage with them regularly throughout the decommissioning. 'Broader community and stakeholder engagement is planned for the second half of 2025, once a clearer timeline for final generation is established and regulatory approvals for the decommissioning plan are in place.'
