Free road safety workshops to help Ballina seniors stay safe and independent
Older drivers across Ballina Shire are being encouraged to plan for their changing transport needs, with free road safety workshops being held next week.
Building back stronger: Lismore levee, Tweed crossing, and homeowner help
A levee lift for 300 Lismore buildings, a Tweed crossing that kept washing away now rebuilt early, and an advocate for every homeowner still rebuilding. Here’s the latest flood push.
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.
$500 up for grabs for MidCoast Australia Day events
Got a barbecue, brekkie, or ceremony planned for Australia Day? MidCoast groups can grab $500 to make it happen, but there’s a catch, and only one event per town will get it.
LATEST NEWS
Local News
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.
Lismore’s Carols in the Heart line-up revealed
Fireworks, carols and a stage packed with local talent. Lismore’s Carols in the Heart is back at Oakes Oval, and the full line-up has just dropped.
Lismore’s unsung heroes need you to speak up
Someone in Lismore keeps the footy club running, helps every neighbour, and never asks for thanks. If nobody nominates them, they’ll never be recognised. You’ve got until 30 November.
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.
What's On
Free road safety workshops to help Ballina seniors stay safe and independent
Older drivers across Ballina Shire are being encouraged to plan for their changing transport needs, with free road safety workshops being held next week.
$500 up for grabs for MidCoast Australia Day events
Got a barbecue, brekkie, or ceremony planned for Australia Day? MidCoast groups can grab $500 to make it happen, but there’s a catch, and only one event per town will get it.
Lismore’s Carols in the Heart line-up revealed
Fireworks, carols and a stage packed with local talent. Lismore’s Carols in the Heart is back at Oakes Oval, and the full line-up has just dropped.
Lifestyle
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.
INXS manager’s secret beachfront ranch at Keith Hall hits the market
The South Ballina beachfront hideaway of the man who steered INXS to global fame is up for sale for the first time in more than a decade.
Thrumster garage sale to help rescue pup Frankie walk without pain
Frankie the Labrador had never been inside a house until a few months ago. Now, at just 11 months old, he has a brand new hip, and a Thrumster street is rallying to help pay for his second.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital set to reopen after $10.7 million rebuild
John Williamson is singing Goodbye Blinky Bill, and every dollar you give is doubled. Port Macquarie’s $10.7 million Koala Hospital is reopening, and here’s how to be part of it.
Last-ditch plea to save North Lismore’s Joy Love Gallery
His daughter says six armed police removed a 63-year-old grandfather who paints birds. Now North Lismore artist Jimmy Willing is in a tent, and his gallery could be demolished as early as today.
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.
Double blow for Coffs Coast growers as starving bats and Coles cuts bite
Coffs Coast banana growers are copping a double blow, with starving flying foxes shredding their crops while Coles refuses to back down on dropping local bananas from its shelves.
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
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.
Democrats, Trump face off after blue tsunami splits US
Democrats and Republicans are squaring up for what could be two years of deadlock in Washington, with the resurgent Democrats vowing to use their resounding midterm election victory to rein in President Donald Trump
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.
