Your go-to source for local news, events, and community stories across West Vic.

MUST READ

Aug 14, 2026

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1 min read

“Take the pressure off”: More than 16,000 people in West Vic used a virtual emergency department last year

The system delivers care to about 1,000 patients a day across Victoria.

Ballarat

Aug 10, 2026

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2 min read

Australian cinema came to Clunes, Beulah and Warrnambool: Here's what was filmed

From true stories to cult classics, West Vic offered the backdrop to famous films.

Pub Chat

Jul 31, 2026

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10 min read

Who can I vote for across Western Victoria at the 2026 Victorian election?

Our guide to November’s state election, who you can vote for and what they hope to achieve if they are elected into power.

Politics

“A life or death outcome”: Ballarat Base Hospital staff report nursing in corridors and 12-hour ambulance waits

Aug 20, 2026

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2 min read

“A life or death outcome”: Ballarat Base Hospital staff report nursing in corridors and 12-hour ambulance waits

The hospital is in the final stage of a $655 million upgrade, but an increasing population and limited facilities has left health services stretched

Ballarat

Darcie Humphreys

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

Aug 20, 2026

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3 min read

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

More than 57,000 Victorians - including more than 4,500 people in western Victoria - are on the waitlist.

Housing

Zara Cuthbertson

THE LATEST

Ballarat

Aug 24, 2026

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3 min read

Ballarat and Geelong were connected by passenger train for a century. Should it come back?

Work to upgrade the route has been estimated at $100 million, while politicians from both sides of the fence have welcomed the idea to better connect regional Victoria.

Aug 21, 2026

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5 min read

57,000 Victorians waiting for a home

Plus: Things to do across the region this September.

Aug 20, 2026

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3 min read

The Victorian Coalition wants to abandon the VNI West project. But at what cost?

“We’re not just supplying Melbourne, we’re hooking up South Australia to Melbourne, to Sydney, to everywhere. We’ve got to look bigger than just our back paddock.”

Aug 20, 2026

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2 min read

How a brutal bushfire tore through woodland restoration – and what’s being done to prepare for the future

Tree saplings in Victoria’s northwest did not survive January’s bushfires, but revegetation project workers say there’s an opportunity amongst the destruction.

Aug 20, 2026

•

3 min read

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

More than 57,000 Victorians - including more than 4,500 people in western Victoria - are on the waitlist.

How a brutal bushfire tore through woodland restoration – and what’s being done to prepare for the future

Tree saplings in Victoria’s northwest did not survive January’s bushfires, but revegetation project workers say there’s an opportunity amongst the destruction.

Wimmera Mallee

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

More than 57,000 Victorians - including more than 4,500 people in western Victoria - are on the waitlist.

Housing

“A life or death outcome”: Ballarat Base Hospital staff report nursing in corridors and 12-hour ambulance waits

The hospital is in the final stage of a $655 million upgrade, but an increasing population and limited facilities has left health services stretched

Ballarat

Ballarat’s Performing Arts Community was running on volunteers in 160-year-old churches. Now the council's giving it three years of funding

The not-for-profit will be a place to help local creatives get started and meet other members of the industry.

Art

Newsletter: Anyone want a cottage?

Plus: What West Vic actually got in the state budget

September gig guide: The best live music events in West Vic this month

Surf rock, metal, folk and a choir - the Brolga has you sorted for live music this month.

Events

Ballarat population to hit 160,000 by 2040, and the city's elderly may pay the price

Older Australians can be "voiceless" in emergency rooms and workplaces, the Age Discrimination Commissioner told the Brolga.

Business

What did West Vic actually get in the state budget?

Big ticket commitments included designs for a new fire station in the Colac Otway Shire and a share in $75 million to redevelop Ballarat and Warrnambool Base Hospital.

Politics

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Your go-to source for local news, events, and community stories across West Vic.

MUST READ

“Take the pressure off”: More than 16,000 people in West Vic used a virtual emergency department last year

Australian cinema came to Clunes, Beulah and Warrnambool: Here's what was filmed

Who can I vote for across Western Victoria at the 2026 Victorian election?

“A life or death outcome”: Ballarat Base Hospital staff report nursing in corridors and 12-hour ambulance waits

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

THE LATEST

Ballarat and Geelong were connected by passenger train for a century. Should it come back?

57,000 Victorians waiting for a home

The Victorian Coalition wants to abandon the VNI West project. But at what cost?

How a brutal bushfire tore through woodland restoration – and what’s being done to prepare for the future

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

TRENDING

How a brutal bushfire tore through woodland restoration – and what’s being done to prepare for the future

The average wait for Victoria’s public housing is 17 months. What happens in the meantime?

“A life or death outcome”: Ballarat Base Hospital staff report nursing in corridors and 12-hour ambulance waits

Ballarat’s Performing Arts Community was running on volunteers in 160-year-old churches. Now the council's giving it three years of funding

Newsletter: Anyone want a cottage?

September gig guide: The best live music events in West Vic this month

Ballarat population to hit 160,000 by 2040, and the city's elderly may pay the price

What did West Vic actually get in the state budget?

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

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