Borrow, don’t buy: Bellingen Shire’s Library of Things opens its doors
Why buy a tent, a sewing machine or a whipper snipper you’ll use once? A new Bellingen Shire library is about to let you borrow them instead, and it needs your help.
Bowraville to host Nambucca Valley’s 2027 community awards, nominations close Friday
Know a Nambucca Valley local who goes above and beyond? You’ve got until 4pm Friday to nominate them before the awards head to Bowraville.
The NSW surgeries with the longest waits
Waiting more than a year for a new knee? You’re not alone. New analysis reveals the NSW surgeries with the longest waits, and the Mid North Coast hospital at the bottom of the national list.
Still waiting: no opening date for Forster–Tuncurry urgent care centre
Back in August, Forster–Tuncurry was told an urgent care announcement was “weeks away”. It’s now November. No location, no funding details, no opening date. So what’s the hold-up?
LATEST NEWS
Local News
Colour Run, bananas and Healthy Harold: Kempsey’s Festival of Health is back
Kempsey is about to get covered in colour! Healthy Harold’s free Festival of Health and Colour Run hits Service Club Park this Wednesday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know.
Kyogle timber mill shuts its doors, and workers wait to learn if they’ll get support
Kyogle’s timber mill is gone, and up to 31 workers are out. Whether they see a cent of government support is not clear.
Birth simulations, a Teddy Bear Hospital, and a look inside an ambulance at Lismore’s UCRH open day
Watch a simulated birth, test your CPR, and take the kids to a Teddy Bear Hospital. Lismore’s rural health centre is opening its doors for one morning only.
Northern Rivers pod villages: two to close, two handed to councils
Lismore and Wardell’s pod villages are closing. Brunswick Heads and Coraki are going to councils. Find out what happens to the flood villages, and the people living there.
‘Matt Damon’s house’ at Broken Head sells for $4.65 million
The Broken Head estate locals know as “Matt Damon’s house” has sold for millions less than its original asking price.
What's On
Bowraville to host Nambucca Valley’s 2027 community awards, nominations close Friday
Know a Nambucca Valley local who goes above and beyond? You’ve got until 4pm Friday to nominate them before the awards head to Bowraville.
Birth simulations, a Teddy Bear Hospital, and a look inside an ambulance at Lismore’s UCRH open day
Watch a simulated birth, test your CPR, and take the kids to a Teddy Bear Hospital. Lismore’s rural health centre is opening its doors for one morning only.
Frederickton’s Old Cheese Factory gears up for its first market
More than 40 stalls, suitcase sellers in the concert hall and a creative precinct on the rise. Frederickton’s Old Cheese Factory is about to host its first ever market. Here’s what’s in store.
Lifestyle
Goonellabah pool takes centre stage in national water safety campaign
Lights, camera, splash! An Olympic champion, local swim teachers, and Lismore kids have just filmed a national water safety campaign at Goonellabah’s pool. Here’s when the whole country sees it.
Adults-only art party takes over Coffs Harbour’s YAM
No kids, no curfew, just art, cocktails and a live show from The Huxleys. Coffs Harbour’s YAM is throwing an adults-only party, and it won’t cost you a cent to get in.
Wingham Brush back open with a live view of its flying-foxes
The boardwalks are back, and there’s a new live-stream camera on the flying-fox colony. Wingham Brush has fully reopened after the May 2025 floods.
Grafton artists wanted for $283.8m hospital rebuild
Want your art on the walls of the new Grafton Base Hospital? From a First Nations Yarning Space to the main entrance walkway, local artists are being called up for the $283.8 million rebuild.
100 bucks and an iron: oud star Joseph Tawadros hits Wauchope, Lismore and Bellingen
One hundred bucks and an iron bought his first oud. Now ARIA winner Joseph Tawadros is bringing it to Wauchope, Lismore and Bellingen this weekend.
NSW grain growers gain a national voice
A harvest-time win on phosphine rules was just the start. NSW Farmers and GrainGrowers have made their alliance official, and their leaders say governments will have to listen.
Coalition taskforce to hunt for new dams
One in six apples, four in 10 blocks of butter, and nearly half our pork could be imported by 2040, the Coalition warns. Its answer is more dams.
Environment
Ballina Shire landholders offered grants to bring riverbanks back to life
Got a riverbank, creek, or wetland on your Ballina Shire property? Grants are now on offer to help you restore it, but applications close on 1 December.
Arrawarra water main deal progresses Coffs northern beaches water improvements
One pipe. That’s all that keeps the taps running from Arrawarra to Corindi. Now a $1.6 million deal is pushing the backup plan past halfway, but there’s still a wait ahead.
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT
A new chapter in coastal living begins at Valis
Downsize your home, not your life. A $180 million community of 159 homes is rising in North Boambee Valley, complete with a clubhouse, pool, pickleball courts and cinema at its heart.
New England Business Technology: the local team behind smarter business systems
New England Business Technology (NEBT) is focused on helping organisations “do business better” through tailored technology and communication solutions designed specifically for regional conditions.
HEALTH
Goonellabah garden party to raise money for sick Northern Rivers kids
23 years, 130 guests and one big race. Northern Rivers women are frocking up in Goonellabah, and every raffle ticket helps keep sick local kids close to home.
Free first aid training back for regional women
In the country, help can be a long way off, and women are often first on the scene. Free first aid and mental health training is coming to Armidale, Forster and more.
POLITICS
Lismore Nationals candidate backs adult time for serious youth crime
Break-ins, carjackings, and families lying awake at 2am. Lismore’s Nationals candidate wants serious youth offenders facing adult time, but says prevention matters too.
Councils slam developer levy delay
Labor says letting developers pay later will get homes built faster. Councils say it’s a handout that will leave regional towns short of roads, parks, and drainage.
SPORT
Ready, set, go: work starts on Lismore’s $4.5m athletics track
No more five-hour drives to Tamworth. Lismore’s $4.5 million world-class athletics track is finally underway, and it could even host international teams before Brisbane 2032.
CRIME
Police call for more care on our roads after nine die in a week
Nine dead in a week, a motorbike clocked at 216km/h, and an eight-year-old in the back seat of a car police chased to Ballina. Now police are pleading with drivers before Christmas.
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- Opinion | Keeping the Light on the Hill burning
Denise asks what is government actually for? It is a question worth asking at a time when politics increasingly seems to be about outrage, grievance, personalities and winning the daily argument on social media. The post Opinion | Keeping the Light on the Hill burning appeared first on North Coast Times Engage.
