Wellness village to take over Byron Bay as new festival unveils its full line-up
Live music, yoga, sound healers, breathwork, and more. Byron Bay’s first ever wellness festival has dropped its full line-up, and tickets are moving.
Curtain set to rise again for South Grafton’s beloved Pelican Playhouse
South Grafton’s beloved Pelican Playhouse is coming back from the floods bigger, brighter and more resilient than ever.
Northern NSW hemp home builder secures $2 million in state funding
A Northern NSW startup building homes from hemp has landed $2 million to scale up its Toormina manufacturing facility, for what it says will be Australia’s first large-scale hemp SIP plant.
Nominations open for Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship and Sunrise Hastings Sports Awards
Know an outstanding local athlete, coach or volunteer? Nominations for the Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship and the Sunrise Hastings Sports Awards close 30 October.
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Local News
Adventure race, laneways art trail floated for Coffs events shake-up
A mountain-to-sea adventure race. A laneways art festival after dark. Coffs Harbour is dreaming big for its next decade of events, and wants locals to weigh in.
New rules to shake up Tamworth’s Boulevard of Dreams
The free-for-all on Tamworth’s Boulevard of Dreams is over. Here’s how buskers will be allocated their spots for the 2027 Country Music Festival, and the new sound rules they’ll need to follow.
Casino rugby league clubhouse reopens with flood-resilient rebuild
Casino’s rugby league clubhouse, wrecked in the 2022 floods, has reopened as a $1.6 million flood-resilient rebuild.
New faces bolster three Coffs Harbour committees
Four locals, including a recent regional tourism award winner, have joined three City of Coffs Harbour committees covering tourism, disability access and ageing.
Two Mid North Coast tongs legends need your vote for AFL glory
One rebuilt his club from nothing after the floods. One runs the canteen off an esky and a trestle table. Gwyn Stokes and Gelena White both need your vote for the AFL Grand Final.
What's On
Curtain set to rise again for South Grafton’s beloved Pelican Playhouse
South Grafton’s beloved Pelican Playhouse is coming back from the floods bigger, brighter and more resilient than ever.
Nominations open for Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship and Sunrise Hastings Sports Awards
Know an outstanding local athlete, coach or volunteer? Nominations for the Wayne Richards Sporting Scholarship and the Sunrise Hastings Sports Awards close 30 October.
New rules to shake up Tamworth’s Boulevard of Dreams
The free-for-all on Tamworth’s Boulevard of Dreams is over. Here’s how buskers will be allocated their spots for the 2027 Country Music Festival, and the new sound rules they’ll need to follow.
Lifestyle
Bird flu funding boost branded thin
A $145 million bird flu funding boost has been branded “deeply unserious” by conservationists, as the virus reaches a dolphin for the first time and NSW rolls out a native bird vaccine trial.
Council backs comprehensive review of landmark coastal trail
Coffs Harbour’s push to turn the Solitary Islands Coastal Walk into a nationally-renowned beachside trek has taken a step forward, with City of Coffs Harbour Council backing a broad-brushed analysis of the 60-kilometre route.
Christmas oyster heist leaves local producer reeling
A local producer still rebuilding after the floods has lost his entire Christmas stock, 400,000 oysters worth $350,000, in what is suspected to be a professional theft.
Environment
$51.3m contract awarded for Stuarts Point wastewater treatment plant
Kempsey Shire Council has awarded a $51.3 million contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant at Stuarts Point.
$1 million boost for North Coast bushland recovery
From Byron’s hinterland to the Tweed Coast, three local groups have landed a share of $1 million to repair bushland and protect threatened species from disaster.
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT
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.
Tow World trusted for honest service and practical know-how
Helping people tow, travel and explore with confidence is what drives the Tow World team every day – and they’re expanding their service capacity with a move to new premises.
HEALTH
Alstonville healing service wins $20,000 cultural grant
A new healing service for Northern Rivers women and children just got a $20,000 boost, part of a statewide push to fund Aboriginal-led cultural projects.
EDUCATION
Coffs Coast student named the state’s best in her field
A Coffs Coast student just beat the whole state in her field, and now she’s one win away from taking on the nation.
POLITICS
Three strikes and still not out: the weak council rules unable to deal with populist politicians
They run the same playbook as Pauline Hanson and Donald Trump: turn every sanction into persecution. Inside the NSW rules that still can’t make badly behaved councillors stop.
INDIGENOUS
Funding to prevent violence through Aboriginal sport
Aboriginal-led organisations can apply for new funding to tackle domestic, family and sexual violence through community sport programs.
CRIME
$40m boost for family violence program
A $40 million funding boost means all 52 Staying Home Leaving Violence services in NSW will get a 50 per cent budget lift, helping more women and children stay safely in their own homes.
Engage is our hub for opinion, letters, comments and ideas.
On North Coast Times engage now
- Letter: Farmers are struggling
Dr Naomi Malone, Director, Australian Association of Psychologists, writes that the findings of the 2026 Norco National Farmer Wellbeing Report (NC Times, August 21) are deeply concerning, but for those of us who live and work in rural communities, they are sadly not surprising. The post Letter: Farmers are struggling appeared first on North Coast Times Engage.
