Mid North News

Motorists using the Waterfall Way on the Dorrigo Mountain can expect traffic delays, as preparations are made to carry out stabilisations works. Heavy rain prior to Christmas caused substantial erosion, which will be repaired over the coming months. One lane of the road is closed near the Newell Falls with traffic lights in place – it’s unlikey to reopen fully until July.

Facilities at Dorrigo’s iconic Dangar Falls are in for a major upgrade – the state government pledging more than $600,000, to build new viewing platforms, walkways and car parks. The waterfall is a major tourist drawcard for the town.

Macksville will look more like Nashville next month for the town’s first ever music Muster. And the Inaugural three-day event has received a helping hand, to get off the ground.

Due to the recent dry weather and lack of river flow the community has some changes ahead. MidCoast Council is restricting water usage to one hour a day starting Monday.  

New South Wales opposition leader Michael Daley was in Taree today, promising $100-million for the local hospital. Manning Base will benefit from $100 million should Labor win government next month.  

A 12 year community battle is finally over, with the Land and Environment Court quashing the Rocky Hill mine proposal at Gloucester. In a ruling expected to have major ramifications, the impact of coal on climate change was considered, as well as the impact on the town.  

Opponents are celebrating a precedent-setting decision by the Land and Environment Court, to refuse the proposed Rocky Hill coal mine at Gloucester. A judge today upheld the state government’s original decision, while citing the mine’s effect on climate change. “I’m just so pleased to think that they’ve made this decision, they’ve thought of the community, and they’ve also thought of climate change,” said farmer Karen O’Brien. The decision follows a lengthy campaign from protest group, Groundswell Gloucester which have fought multiple mine proposals for more than a decade. In December 2017 the Planning and Assessment Commission refused the mine on a number of grounds however mine proponent Gloucester Resources Limited lodged an appeal in the Land and Environment Court. Today’s landmark ruling knocked back that appeal. GRL Chief Operating Officer Brian Clifford said he’s “disappointed that the New South Wales …

The search for a missing swimmer off Woolgoolga’s main beach has been suspended. SES crews joined a ground search today, which resumed at first light, but there’s been no trace of the man since yesterday afternoon.

A man and underage boy will today face court in Coffs Harbor following an alleged kidnapping in Coffs Harbour last month. Just after 9am on Thursday 24th January, police will allege two men aged 17 and 44, attended a hotel on Grafton Street and threatened a 20-year-old man. Police say the two men forced other male into a vehicle and threatened him with a hammer while driving through the streets of Coffs Harbour. The man managed to escape from the moving vehicle and contacted police. He suffered facial cuts and a minor head injury and was taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital for treatment. Officers arrested two men in relation to the incident yesterday morning. The 44-year-old Leonay man was arrested while walking along Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour while the 17-year-old boy was arrested at a nearby unit. Both were charged …

A large-scale search is underway this evening for a missing swimmer at Woolgoolga Beach, north of Coffs Harbour. Emergency services responded just after 3.30pm to reports that a young male and female were in difficulty in the surf. The female was brought to shore and received first aid treatment, she’s believed to be in a satisfactory condition but a male in his 20s remains unaccounted for. The pair was reportedly swimming 500 metres north of the patrolled area and became caught in a strong rip.