Headlines from Southern Grampians and Glenelg 🗞️

🥘 “More people living in cars than ever”: The national barbecue food drive offering a warm meal to vulnerable locals

Before most of Hamilton had stirred on a freezing June morning, Dave Meadows was already tending the charcoal. Soon after, the smoke from his barbecue drew more than 100 people to the Salvation Army centre for a free meal.

What happened: Meadows, his wife Cara and daughters Charlotte and Sofia brought their Smoke & Soul national food drive to the Salvation Army church on Kennedy Street on June 18, serving free slow-cooked pulled pork rolls to local residents in need.

• The family is travelling Australia with custom-built barbecue trailers, partnering with charities to provide meals while raising awareness of homelessness and food insecurity.

Local impact: Meadows said Hamilton left a lasting impression on the family.

🗣️ “That was a day we'll never, ever forget,” he said.“They told us the same thing we were hearing from other local charities - that the numbers of people needing a hand had doubled in the past two years, with more people living in cars than ever”.

• He told the Brolga while some of the locals who came to the barbecue were experiencing homelessness or housing stress, others were “just not able to make ends meet”.

🗣️ “The demographic in Hamilton was people that are a bit older and who are on the pension, so not necessarily homeless, but the pension is just not paying them enough to live, once they pay their bills, they just can't afford to eat,” he said.

Helping hand: Hamilton Salvation Army helped prepare rolls, organise the crowd and pack takeaway meals for people unable to attend.

🗣️ “The volunteers at the Hamilton Salvo’s were absolutely incredible. Everyone was just so friendly and so enthusiastic,” he said.

Homelessness in Southern Grampians: According to the Barwon South West Homelessness Network, 311 people received support for homelessness in the Southern Grampians Shire in the 2024-25 financial year. 

• 188 households were on the Victorian Housing Register’s priority access housing waitlist.

Full story below.

🔋 Glenelg Shire has three operating wind farms and two approved battery projects. It says its ready for more

Glenelg Shire wants to be a larger player in Victoria’s renewable energy future, arguing the region is ready for more projects despite not being included in one of the state’s Renewable Energy Zones.

What happened: Councillors adopted a submission to VicGrid’s Victorian Transmission Plan Guidelines at last month’s meeting, calling for Renewable Energy Zones to be expanded into Glenelg as the state’s electricity network grows over the coming decades.

Putting the hand up: Acting council CEO Aaron Moyne told the Brolga Glenelg has been involved in renewable planning with the state government and VicGrid for a “long period of time”.

🗣️ “We’ve provided a number of submissions to the government on the development of renewable energy zones, the role and the opportunity for Glenelg Shire,” he said.

“The council’s not included in a Renewable Energy Zone yet. We have existing operational projects and approved projects … we see that there’s potentially an opportunity for future expansion of the renewable zones into the shire.”

Why would you want to be in a REZ? Moyne said being in a REZ could create more opportunities for local investment, jobs and supporting local industries, but that growth needed to be carefully planned.

🗣️ “We’ll continue to work with VicGrid and the state government around obtaining community feedback, understanding what the priorities are and looking at areas across the shire that might be suited to renewable development,” he said.

• He said Glenelg’s deep-water port and established industries could help attract businesses involved in building and maintaining renewable energy projects.

Consultation and benefits: In its submission, Glenelg called for stronger community consultation and better planning for future transmission lines.

🗣️ “Something that we’re really cognisant of as a council is trying to derive maximum community benefits from some of these projects,” Moyne said.

Projects a-plenty: There are currently three wind farms operating in the Glenelg Shire, near Codrington and Portland, two approved large-scale battery energy storage projects at Portland and Heywood, and the approved Kentbruck Green Power Hub between Portland and Nelson.

Rules are rules: Before adopting the submission, councillors removed wording that suggested the existing wind farms at Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater could be repowered without going through a full planning process.

• Instead, they agreed any future development at those sites should face the same environmental and planning assessments as any new renewable energy project.

Full story below.

Latest stories from Ballarat and Hepburn 🗞️

🐦‍⬛ Bird flu could wipe out Ballarat’s black swans, but experts say preparedness offers hope

Black swans die every time they're infected with bird flu due to an immune system deficiency - and the highly infectious H5N1 strain has now been detected in three Australian states, putting Ballarat's iconic Lake Wendouree population at risk.

But local wildlife veterinary experts and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action of Victoria (DEECA) say a coordinated effort could remove some of the risk. 

❓What happened: The black swan is a well-known emblem in Australia, particularly across Western Australia. In Victoria, the bird has become synonymous with Ballarat due to their prevalence in Wadawurrung culture, and the highly visible population at Lake Wendouree. 

• Concerns have been raised after bird flu was detected in Western Australia in mid-June. It’s now additionally been detected in New South Wales and South Australia. 

• The virus has killed hundreds of millions of birds across the globe since 2021, with some species projected to take decades to recover. 

• Black swans are particularly susceptible to bird flu.

• A 2023 study found an immune system deficiency causes bird flu to kill every black swan it infects. It cited the isolation of the species to a concentrated geographic area causing a “limited immune repertoire”, which essentially means the species has an increased vulnerability to infectious diseases that originate outside of Australia. 

Why it matters: Should the virus arrive in Victoria, it could cause a mass mortality event for black swans. 

What can be done? Nikki Shanahan, Hospital Director at Ballarat Wildlife Hospital, said that while the arrival of the virus in Australia is creating anxiety and uncertainty, there is help available. 

🗣️: “Our message is simple: if you find injured, sick or orphaned wildlife, please do not assume there is nowhere to take it. Contact Ballarat Wildlife Hospital or Wildlife Victoria for advice.” 

Shanahan also told the Brolga that local rescuers and carers have begun attending training sessions to ensure their Personal Protective Equipment is in order and their hygiene, transport and carrier protocols are suitable. 

Full story below.

☀️Hepburn Shire has awarded $20,000 to help cool the regional towns that once never needed air conditioning

Chrissy’s house in Clunes once had no air conditioning - until recently. After 30 years of living in the typically cool region, rising temperatures have meant Chrissy and her neighbours see it as becoming a necessity. 

The change in temperature has also confronted regional communities with the challenge of improving heat resilience. 

❓What happened: Last month, Hepburn Shire Council awarded both Creswick Neighbourhood Centre (CNC) and Clunes Neighbourhood House (CNH) $10,000 each to prepare the towns for extreme heat.

The funding came through the Sustainable Hepburn Grants Program, to expand heat resilience work that has been piloting in the community since 2023. They were chosen against 17 other applicants. 

🌳 From Creswick: Chrissy Austin, manager of CNC, said neighbourhood centres and libraries are where residents seek refuge during extreme heat. 

• The new funding will contribute to the installation of more cooling systems in their community hall and neighbourhood house. It will also help the organisation purchase a battery to protect their fridges, freezers and power sources should power outages occur during heatwaves.

Austin said for the community of Creswick, having a comfortable community space during extended heat waves was crucial, especially for older residents. 

“It makes sense for people to come together. It’s more cost-efficient,” Austin said. “Having a chat is better than sitting at home day after day.” 

Full story below.

On Your Feed 📱

Darcie hit Lake Wendouree this week, asking locals on the street if they would ever move from Ballarat to Melbourne. Watch the video below to find out how they answered.

Meanwhile, I stopped by Apollo Bay and decided to find out what I could get to eat for only an hours’ wage. I ended up at Casalingo on Moore Street.