Art adds interest around town
Portland in south-western Victoria has had mystery sculptures turning up around the town of late, and now somebody in Kyabram is also breaking the monotony in the current lockdown.
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Although not of same magnitude of the Portland pop-ups, somebody has decorated rocks on the ground and in trees along Wyuna Main Channel at the western end of town.
It is a popular walking spot, and the art is proving a good point of discussion as well as a guessing game as to who may be responsible for it.
Whoever it is, Traps says well done because any diversion from the tough COVID-19 times is welcome and appreciated.
Who’s a clever birdie?
A Kyabram couple can now vouch for why crows and ravens are recognised as being the world’s most intelligent birds.
At the weekend the Kyabramites witnessed a discarded rock-hard bread crust on their front lawn being picked up by a crow, which immediately took it and dipped it in a nearby birdbath to make it soft and a whole lot easier to swallow.
Crows are known to place hard-shelled nuts on roadways to allow vehicles to crush them, thus making it easier to get to the nut.
Some have even worked out to avoid being run over on busy roads they actually drop the nuts on pedestrian crossings so they can pick up the crushed nuts when the lights turn green.
Medal stays, flag doesn’t
Kyabram reserves footballer Jack Dunn has a good sense of humour, which he displayed when news broke early last week that the GVL board had gone back on its decision to award premierships to clubs that finished on top of the ladder when COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the footy season.
Jack asked on social media whether the backflip also meant he wouldn’t be getting the Abikhair Medal (league best and fairest for the GVL reserves competition).
Good news, Jack, the GVL individual awards will still be recognised by the league. But if you want a friendly tip, Jack, don’t spend too much time on preparing that victory speech!
Wheely scary meeting
Spring and snakes go together and that burst of warm weather last week has produced the first sightings of the slippery customers since the autumn.
Among the sightings was a tiger snake that was spotted on the walking track on South Boundary Rd on Tuesday, August 31. So, if you are exercising in that neck of the woods, keep watch.
But the South Boundary snake spotting didn’t match the drama of an encounter at Goorambat.
When six-year-old Dustin went for a ride on his BMX bike the wheels suddenly locked up.
Then he saw the cause — an eastern brown snake entangled in the bike’s spokes.
And a sobering fact about snakes — they are protected and if they are not threatening lives there is an $8000 fine for killing them.
Warm, wet, start to spring
Rain and some sunshine have dominated Kyabram’s weather in the start to spring.
Kyabram received 14mm of rain at the weekend: 10.2mm on Friday night to 9am Saturday and further 3.8m to Sunday morning.
It takes the yearly total to 311.8mm. At the same time last year 378mm had been recorded.
The rain came after Kyabram experienced its warmest day since April when the mercury climbed to 25.2°C last Friday.
Big runway for first flight
They have certainly settled in a suitable place to make a quick take-off.
For the second year running, two spur-winged plovers have made their nest in the vast concrete expanses at Tocumwal Aerodrome.
The plovers were given their space despite the inconvenience they were causing for refuelling operations at the aerodrome.
Relocation of the eggs was ruled out because it usually ends in the plovers abandoning them.
Since this photo was taken, four chicks have hatched and are waiting to take flight, although they are mainly a ground-dwelling bird species.
Smile, you’ll be on CCTV
Echuca-Moama is seeking funding to install 92 CCTV cameras in business areas in the twin towns.
A committee has lodged an application for funding to the Federal Government, with the support of Nationals MPs Peter Walsh (state) and Damian Drum (federal).
A grant of $30,000 was used towards the planning and the preparation of the submission.
New owners for Shamrock
Numurkah’s Shamrock Hotel has changed hands.
The Brown and O’Dwyer families, which have run the popular watering hole for the past 50 years, have handed the keys to Craig and Karen O’Gorman, who will be the leaseholders.
Fred Brown and his wife, Agnes, bought the hotel in the late 1960s and since 2003 it has been run by the Brown and O’Dwyer families.
The new owners come from the Mornington Peninsula and have run pubs and bottle shops for 40 years. After a long search for a pub, they have settled on Numurkah as their new home.
Trains out of action
No trains are running between Echuca and Bendigo this month and next due to rail upgrades.
Coaches will replace the trains until October 31.
The project also includes 10 level crossing upgrades between Eaglehawk and Bendigo and track upgrades and new stations at Goornong, Huntly and Raywood.
Abattoir plan hits a bump
An administrative ‘blue’ by Murray River Council has put the brakes on the development of the proposed Barham micro-abattoir.
The four-hectare site on which the abattoir was to be built has defaulted to community land after the council failed to classify it as operational land within three months of acquiring it.
The hold-up will delay development of the abattoir by at least six months.
New base on way for SES
Things are on the move for a new home for Cobram’s State Emergency Service.
A long-term lease for the new unit base has been secured and the town planning and zoning applications, which are expected to take three months to process, have been submitted to Moira Shire Council.
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