LOOK FOR PEDESTRIANS
MOTORISTS will need to be focussed when using roads around school locations in the Upper Hunter Electorate from this week as students return for Term 3.
School zones are in force from Monday morning, 20 July, even though it is a school development day for NSW Public Schools.
Most school zones operate 8–9.30am and 2.30–4pm, however, there are a few non-standard school zone times across the state.
You can identify school zones by the red or orange school zone signs which have the school zone times on them.
Every school zone in NSW has at least one school zone flashing light sign.
First day in the classroom for public students is Tuesday, 21 July, with Term 3 continuing until Friday 25 September: https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/calendars/2026
HSC LOCK-IN
Maitland libraries are trialling Higher School Certificate (HSC) lock-in nights for senior students as they prepare for this year’s exams.
East Maitland Library is staying open late on Wednesdays from this week, Wednesday 22 July, 5.30-8.30pm, so students have a quiet, comfortable place to study for the HSC.
Each lock-in night includes food, quiet study zones for solo work, group tables for studying with friends and plenty of space to set up however you study best.
This year’s HSC written exams start on Tuesday, 13 October, continuing through to Thursday, 5 November, with results released Wednesday, 16 December.
HSC lock-in nights are open to all Year 11 and 12 students from any school, so bring your laptop, textbooks and study materials.
Bookings are essential and spaces are limited: www.maitlandlibrary.com.au/whats-on/upcoming-events
TRACKWORK WEEK
Rail commuters are advised to plan their journey this week with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) undertaking essential maintenance work on the Hunter Valley line.
ARTC will deliver the works program from 6.30am Tuesday, 21 July, to 6.30am Friday, 24 July, on the rail corridor covering the Warabrook-Muswellbrook, Muswellbrook-Ulan and Muswellbrook-Narrabri sections.
From 4am Tuesday to 7.30am Friday, buses replace trains between Scone and Maitland, with buses replacing all trains between Scone, Dungog and Newcastle Interchange on Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 7.20pm to 4.20am.
Buses also replace the 6.01pm Maitland to Dungog service.
Road coaches replace NSW TrainLink services Tuesday to Thursday with the Sydney-Armidale Xplorer and the Sydney-Moree Xplorer replaced by coach for the entire journey.
ARTC reminds motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant for altered traffic conditions near the rail corridor, pay attention to signage and to obey all road rules at level crossings with rail machinery active on rail lines.
Travellers should check Transportnsw.info: https://transportnsw.info/alerts/metro-train or call 13 22 32.
Information on road closures or diversions is available at: www.livetraffic.com
P.O. MOVES
Australia Post has confirmed that Merriwa Licensed Post Office will continue trading beyond this Thursday, 23 July, following the recent expression of interest process for a new operator.
Merriwa LPO will now finish trading at its current location on Friday, 14 August, at 5pm and reopen in a new location at 9am on Monday, 17 August.
The relocation to 135 Bettington Street will see the LPO continue trading under new management, maintaining current services and trading hours.
During the transition, PO Box customers will be able to collect their mail over the counter, while arrangements for PO Box services are finalised.
COMMUNITY INFO
Community drop-in sessions are being held at Muswellbrook next week on the Mount Arthur Coal Mine Transformation Precinct Master Plan and rezoning proposal.
The Master Plan proposes Mt Arthur mine land be rezoned to allow for uses in addition to mining, which is a key step in enabling a range of future uses of the site’s infrastructure once BHP stops mining.
The proposal has the potential to rezone around 5,400 hectares of BHP land within the Mt Arthur Coal mining footprint and a portion of land near Muswellbrook township, plus also prioritise around 950 hectares of land within the footprint for ‘early activation’.
This process does not bypass the mine operator’s legislative and legal requirements with mining operators legally required to rehabilitate the land, and BHP has committed to continue to meet its rehabilitation obligations.
Community drop-in sessions are being held at Campbells Corner, Bridge Street Muswellbrook on Tuesday, 28 July,11am-2pm and 5-7pm, then on Wednesday, 29 July, 11am-2pm.
The Transformation Precinct Master Plan and rezoning proposal are on public exhibition
until the close of submissions on 11 August, with more information at:
www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/ppr/under-exhibition/mt-arthur-coal-mine-transformation-precinct
SINGLETON ART PRIZE
Singleton Civic Centre is being prepared this week to host one of its most important events of the year – the Singleton Art Prize.
A major project of the Rotary Club of Singleton on Hunter, this year’s event opens on Friday night, 24 July, with the general exhibition Saturday, 25 July, to Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 10am to 6pm daily.
The Singleton Art Prize brings together the largest exhibition of painted and drawn artworks in regional NSW with hundreds of artworks on exhibition and for sale.
Discover more about the Singleton Art Prize at: www.singletonartprize.org and to secure opening night tickets: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1541789
IT’S A TEST
We are being asked to monitor our mobile devices for an alert next Monday afternoon, 27 July, at 2pm.
AusAlert, the new national warning system, will send important disaster and emergency alerts to compatible mobile devices including compatible mobile phones, some tablets and smart watches.
Devices will vibrate and play a siren-like warning which sounds for about 10 seconds with a message appearing on-screen confirming it is a test.
AusAlert will be ready to use in October and in an actual disaster will likely tell you the type of emergency, where it is located, how serious it is, what to do, the name of the emergency organisation that has sent the AusAlert and where to find more information about the emergency.
You don’t need to do anything if you receive a test alert and even if you don’treceive the test that is OK, but if you want to provide feedback you can contact AusAlert.
More information on the national test alert is available on the AusAlert website:
www.ausalert.gov.au/alerts-explained/national-test
KEEP RECORDS
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is providing advice for people who were impacted by the Telstra outage earlier in the month.
You may have experienced lost income, disruptions to business or difficulty accessing critical services during the recent outage.
Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert is advising if you are considering applying for compensation, it is important to keep records of how the outage affected you.
Consumers who have been impacted should first contact their provider to discuss any concerns or to request compensation.
If consumers can’t reach a solution with their provider, they can make a complaint to the TIO, which will assess each complaint based on individual circumstances and work with consumers and providers to facilitate a fair outcome.
For further information, check: www.tio.com.au/article-type/media-release
PROJECT APPROVAL
The former Stratford coal mine near Gloucester has secured the NSW Government’s first planning approval in six years for a pumped hydro project.
The $1.8 billion Stratford Pumped Hydro and Solar project will transform the mine site into a renewable energy generator.
A 300 megawatt (MW) pumped hydro power station with 12 hours of energy storage and a 320 MW solar farm are the key components of the Gloucester Coal project.
To generate the electricity, water will be transferred between a new upper reservoir and an existing dam via a tunnel, with water for the initial reservoir to be sourced from the existing mine site.
Up to 350 construction jobs and 10 ongoing jobs are expected to be created with MidCoast Council to receive around $18 million over the life of the project for community and infrastructure projects under a Voluntary Planning Agreement.
P&C HAVE YOUR SAY
The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW has launched a survey to gauge public opinion on teacher preparation time.
Delegates attending the NSW Teachers Federation annual conference over the winter school holiday have reaffirmed their support for public school teachers to have two hours per week of additional preparation time.
The Federation’s campaign, More Than Thanks — It’s Time, was initially launched in February this year.
P&C Federation NSW would now like to hear from parents and carers of students in NSW public schools about their thoughts on the current proposal to extend the time teachers are released from class to work on planning and preparation.
Survey participants views can then be reflected in any position that the P&C Federation takes on this issue.
The survey is anonymous and can be completed by going to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FQVYY7B
CASSILIS TRIAL
A first of its kind trial in NSW begins next month on the Golden Highway between Merriwa and Dunedoo.
The Rural Intersection Speed Zone (RISZ) system will be a 12-month trial of smart highway technology at the intersection of Ulan Road and the Golden Highway near Cassilis.
Designed specifically for rural intersections, RISZ aims to reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes while avoiding the need for permanent speed reductions on high-speed roads.
Using radar, the system detects vehicles approaching the intersection on Ulan Road and temporarily lowers the speed limit on the Golden Highway using Variable Speed Limit Signs.
The reduced speed will create safer gaps in traffic, giving drivers more time to react and allowing vehicles entering the highway, particularly larger, slower-moving vehicles, to merge more safely before the speed limit returns to normal.
The fully self-contained, solar-powered system is managed through a centralised control system.
BYPASS UPDATE, NOW OUT!
Transport for NSW has released a new project update for the New England Highway bypass of Muswellbrook.
The $381 million project is reported to be moving closer to major construction in 2027, with shortlisted applicants progressed to the Request for Tender stage.
Design of the project has been updated with refinements made to the Milpera Drive intersection, the northern and southern connections, local road access with a dedicated U-turn facility to be located on the New England Highway north of the bypass.
Every day around 20,000 vehicles travel through Muswellbrook with the bypass to divert around 2,500 heavy vehicles a day away from the town centre.
The Australian Government is investing almost $305 million to deliver the upgrade with the NSW Government providing $76.2 million.
See the July project update at: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/muswellbrook-bypass-new-england-highway
TREE DAY!
Singleton and Muswellbrook will be part of 30th anniversary events to mark National Tree Day this Sunday, 26 July.
Hundreds of native and locally significant tubestock will be planted at Robinson Reserve, Singleton, 9am-12pm.
Muswellbrook Shire Council will plant native seedlings at Tarinpa off Aberdeen Street, 11am-1pm with a free barbecue and free native seedlings to take home.
Schools Tree Day is being held on Friday, 24 July, with Upper Hunter Electorate schools encouraged to participate this week or when an opportunity presents itself.
For more on National Tree Day, check: https://nationaltreeday.org.au
GRANT CLOSING
Applications for the 2026–27 Crown Reserves Improvement Fund will close later this week.
Up to $13.5 million is available for projects across NSW to help maintain and upgrade reserves and associated public facilities.
Funds are also allocated to control feral pests and noxious weeds to keep reserves in good condition for community use and to protect native plants and animals.
Crown reserves are public land set aside for the benefit of the community, supporting recreation, local events and environmental protection, and provide important spaces for communities across the state.
More than 100 Crown reserves across the state were funded as part of the recently announced 2025-26 Crown Reserves Improvement Fund annual funding round, however, none were in the Upper Hunter Electorate.
Applications for the next round close on Friday, 24 July, with further information available on the Crown Lands website: www.crownland.nsw.gov.au/reserve-manager/finance/crown-reserves-improvement-fund
DEMENTIA GRANTS
Building understanding and awareness of dementia is the aim of Dementia Australia’s 2026 Diversity Small Grants program which is now open.
Applications from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse organisations and community groups across Australia will be considered for up to $30,000 in funding.
It’s the third year Dementia Australia has offered the Diversity Small Grant program to facilitate greater equity of access to dementia information and support in ways that are culturally appropriate and meaningful.
Full information on the program is available on Dementia Australia’s website with submissions closing Wednesday, 5 August: https://www.dementia.org.au/get-involved/dementia-australia-diversity-small-grants
WINE HISTORY
National Trust property, Dalwood House, is holding an open day on Saturday, 5 September, with an invitation extended to anyone with a connection to one of the Hunter Valley’s most important houses.
Dalwood House was begun by George Wyndham, a pioneer of the Hunter Valley wine industry in 1829, on a 2000-acre property bounded by the Hunter River, north-east of Branxton.
The Dalwood Restoration Association invites all members of the public interested in supporting the restoration fund to attend the event.
It is particularly interested in engaging with the descendants of the Wyndham’s, convicts, Indigenous people, German vinedressers, free immigrants, and colonial-born employees who worked at any of the properties, and descendants of anyone who worked at Dalwood when owned by Penfolds or Wyndham Estate.
The Open Day is 11am-3pm with two guided talks detailing convict-built parts of the house at Noon and 2pm.
Booking and more details, at: www.dalwood.org.au/descendants-day-event.html or www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1606042
Dave Layzell is the state MP for Upper Hunter, which includes part of the MidCoast council area.
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