Some quick hits from Z

🛣️ “Can’t afford to have one accident”: Southern Grampians moves forward with $480,000 upgrade of dangerous Hamilton intersection

🏘️ Southern Grampians council approves 340-home Hamilton estate despite traffic and flooding concerns

From the South-west 🌊 

🐋 Long-term whale study to track endangered whales along Victoria's south west coast

A new Eastern Maar-led research program will track the eastern Southern Right Whale population off Victoria’s south west coast as the critically endangered species shows signs its recovery is slowing.

What happened: Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation has launched the Southern Right Koontapool research program across Eastern Maar Sea Country, combining Traditional Owner knowledge with science to monitor whale numbers, health, breeding and movements.

• The program will build on more than two decades of photo identification data to improve understanding of the eastern population, which has only about 300 whales remaining.

Gathering data: Sea Country manager Mandy Watson said the research would help identify the conservation and protective measures needed to support the species’ long-term recovery.

Read the full story here.

❌ VicGrid sets stricter standards for wind farm developers after Corangamite council cites “minimal and last minute” consultation

As approval of the Mumblin Wind Farm between Cobden and Timboon draws criticism from Corangamite Shire Council, the state’s renewable energy rollout coordinator says new guidelines should stop future developments from working to low standards.

The background: The Department of Planning approved the eight-turbine wind farm on Curdies-Leichfield Road at Elingamite on June 26. 

• According to developer RE Future, construction will begin after “project funding was finalised” and would take one year to complete.

• First proposed in 2021, the project will generate enough electricity to power roughly 35,000 homes. 

• Under the proposed community benefit scheme, households within two kilometres of a turbine will receive annual payments once the wind farm is operational, though the amount has not been finalised.

Where did it go wrong? Corangamite Shire mayor Kate Makin told the Brolga the council had argued RE Future’s consultation with both council and the community had been “minimal and last minute”.

Read the full story here.

From the Central Highlands 🏔️ 

🏥 More like a home, less like a hospital: Ballarat’s new youth mental health facility

Cassie*, 19, was hospitalised multiple times as a teenager after attempts on her own life. This week, Ballarat opened a 10-bed mental health centre designed to keep young people like her out of hospital - and closer to home.

❓What happened: Ballarat Youth Prevention and Recovery Centre (YPARC) has opened its doors, two years after the multi-million dollar project was announced. The new centre, in Newington, has 10 private bedrooms, a shared kitchen and dining space, outdoor gardens and a dedicated visiting area. 

The background: In 2024, the Victorian Government announced $141 million to increase the YPARC network in Victoria. The new centres are designed to be a “welcoming, home-like environment” for patients aged 16 to 25, and are aimed at alleviating pressure on hospital admissions. 

• The other centres were opened in Traralgon, Heidelberg and Geelong. Construction of a facility in Shepparton continues. 

• Renovations have been completed on an existing facility in Frankston and are underway on centres in Dandenong and Bendigo.

Cassie, from Ballarat, faced mental health challenges through her adolescence. She was hospitalised on multiple occasions after self harming.

She said a hospital environment can compound feelings of distress when you’re in a full-blown crisis. 

🗣️: “I think the last thing you want is to feel like an inmate,” she told the Brolga. “It’s kind of like you’re a zombie, to be honest, and the whole place just feels like another planet when you’re in that headspace.

• “Mostly, I remember being scared,” she said. 

Why does it matter? The project was developed in response to findings from the 2018 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. 

A 2025 report from community organisation The Ballarat Foundation found mental health stress for Ballarat teens is higher than the state average. 

• 8.4 percent of Ballarat youth suffered from a long-term mental illness, against the 5.4 percent average for Victoria. 

• 28 percent of Ballarat youth reported feeling lonely most of the time, while the Victorian average was 19 percent. 

The new centre: The new centre will allow patients to continue working and attending school while receiving treatment. 

The treatment will be delivered by a team of doctors and peer-support workers. 

* Name changed for privacy.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. 

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. 

More options are available online at ReachOut.

On Your Feed 📱

Zara went for a stroll in the Warrnambool Community Garden 🏵️ 

And I asked a few locals where they’d take friends or family visiting the area 🧑‍🤝‍🧑