Four people were lucky to escape with their lives following a fire at an isolated farmhouse in Bruthen last Friday morning. The century-old weatherboard erupted in flames at about 8am and by the time the fire brigade arrived, it was well alight. A man in his early 60s and his teenage son, along with a teenage girl and a man in his 50s, all managed to stumble out of the burning house. It’s...

An Australian Government department is undertaking a formal review of the mineral sands mine project that Kalbar Resources proposed for East Gippsland, but was knocked back by the Victorian Government last year. A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment told the Advertiser that it had received the Victorian Minister for Planning’s assessment of the proposed...

It may have been a while in the making, but the date for the Gippsland Red Meat Conference is now just around the corner.  The conference program is full of uplifting and inspiring presenters and topics with a general theme of recovery and resilience, set for Tuesday, February 15. GRMC event organiser, Craig Bush, of the Gippsland Agricultural Group, said with a “ripping growing season”...

If you’ve noticed some slightly unusual activities in Howitt Park in recent days, you’ve probably witnessed the cast rehearsing for the forthcoming Alice in Wonderland pantomime. Originally planned to be held in September, COVID lockdown determined that this travelling pantomime be rescheduled to school holidays in January 2022. The 15-strong cast aged from seven to 70, consists of four adults...

A 40-year-old Lakes Entrance man has been charged with several offences following a spate of cigarette thefts from service stations in East Gippsland. Police executed a search warrant at a Lakes Entrance address on Thursday, which resulted in the arrest of man. He was charged with aggravated burglary, burglary, attempted burglary and two counts of theft. Police allege the man broke into a...