Hunter Local Land Services
Revegetating the Merriwa River
Join us for a community BBQ and information session focused on restoring Regent Honeyeater habitats along the Merriwa River.
Event details:
Join Local Land Services for this free event and learn about:
- planned revegetation and connectivity programs
- upcoming seed collection from local properties (Casuarina, Yellow Box, White Box, Mugga Ironbark)
- mistletoe propagation techniques
- work with LLS volunteers and Merriwa Landcare to help establish a local native species seedbank & nursery.
This collaborative effort will lead to a community planting day in 2026.
Contact: Eva Twarkowski on 0437 056978 or via email at: eva.twarkowski@lls.nsw.gov.au
Merriwa Senior Citizens
MUDGEE BUS TRIP
Saturday 13th September
Departing 8:00am from the CWA RoomsWe’ll visit the Mudgee Honey Haven before heading into Mudgee, where you’ll have time to explore, shop, or relax at your leisure.
• Members: $30
• Non-Members: $35
Please note: No refunds will be given.
Adele – 6548 2081
Barbara – 0459 482 628Merriwa Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association
MERRIWA SHOW CAMPDRAFT
UPDATED DATE FOR NEXT MEETING
Who’s excited for the show?! We are!! 
Cassilis Public School P&C
150 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Please spread the word and use the link to RSVP for catering purposes! https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSfWJm…/viewform
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CELEBRATION DINNER
Merriwa CWA NSW
KIDS COOKING
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UPCOMING MEETINGS 2025
- 8th September
- 13th October – AGM
- 10th November
- 1st December
Meetings will be held at the Merriwa CWA Hall at 10am.
Any changes – members will be notified on CWA Facebook page and via email.
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Upcoming LIVE Music at The Royal!
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FATHER’S DAY
**Sunday 7th September**
$5.50 Tap Beers – ALL DAY!
Nathan Cole – Live from 1pm
Raffles – Tickets on Sale now!
Courtesy Bus – 0484897899
Book your tables now – 6548 2235
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Merriwa and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Notice of AGM
Thursday 11th September
RSL Games Room, Merriwa
6:00 PM
New Members Welcome! 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟕 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝟔𝐏𝐌 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝟔:𝟑𝟎𝐏𝐌 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐰𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛
𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 are available now:
𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 – the global colour for MND awareness
Prize for the most outrageous blue outfit!
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 platters available to pre-order for $𝟓𝟎 + 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑒𝑒
Club bar & bistro open for meals and drinks
𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝐬 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 | 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬
𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐱 – limited tables, don’t delay!
Let’s make a difference together.THE PROMISE
Exciting Community Event Coming to Merriwa Friday, 10th October The Studio – Merriwa High School
Keynote by Craig Hamilton + Screening + Q&A with Craig & Jye___________________________
There’ll be a full bar and live music by Gaz Brentnall and a DJ thanks to Singers Karaoke. So stick around after the dust settles.
Admission:
FREE for kids under 5
$10 for kids (5-17)
$20 for adults
$10 for pensioners
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OCTOBER 3rd – 5th at CASSILIS BOWLING CLUB
A family friendly weekend of music and entertainment for the whole family, markets, music and childrens activities plus the NRL Grand Final on the big screen.
Please follow our Facebook Page to stay up to date with all the latest including Artist Announcements!!
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State Matters – A Weekly Bulletin from Dave Layzell MP
Member for Upper Hunter – 1 September 2025
NEW RECRUITS – A DOZEN of the state’s newest police officers are now working across two of the Upper Hunter Electorate’s police districts following the attestation of the latest class from Goulburn Police Academy.
Five new Probationary Constable’s commenced duty last week in the Hunter Valley Police District with two officers each for Singleton and Muswellbrook and one officer for Cessnock.
Port Stephens-Hunter Police District received seven new Probationary Constables with three performing duties in the Raymond Terrace Sector and four assigned to the Maitland Sector.
I acknowledge the work of Hunter Valley District Commander, Superintendent Steve Laksa, and Port Stephens-Hunter District Commander, Superintendent Wayne Humphrey APM, for their advocacy to secure the new recruits.
Class 366 completed eight months of training, including four months via distance education and four months of in-person training at Goulburn, and have commenced 12 months of on the job training.
EIS CONSULTATION – EnergyCo has now lodged the Hunter Transmission Project EIS with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure with residents along its path encouraged to comment.
During the public exhibition period until 24 September, a series of community information sessions will be held with members of the HTP project team.
Cessnock will have sessions on Monday 8 September, 3-7pm, at Cessnock Leagues Club, and Tuesday 16 September, 3-7pm, at Cessnock Scout Hall.
Singleton Library Meeting Room hosts a session on Tuesday 9 September, 3-7pm, then Thursday 18 September, 3-7 pm, at the Singleton Youth Venue Auditorium.
Community pop-up sessions will take place at Maitland Community Markets at Maitland Showground, Sunday 7 September, 9am-1pm, and Broke Village Fair, McNamara Park, Sunday 14 September, 9am-2pm.
Webinars providing an overview of the EIS and how to make a submission will be held Wednesday 3 September, 6-7pm, and Tuesday 23 September, 12-1 pm.
The HTP will deliver a new 110-kilometre overhead transmission line to unlock renewable generation from the Central-West Orana and New England Renewable Energy Zones.
The EIS is on the NSW Planning Portal: https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/have-your-say with more information and fact sheets at: http://energyco.nsw.gov.au/htp-EIS
HOSPITAL LATEST – Milestones are starting to be achieved with the Muswellbrook Hospital Stage 3 redevelopment according to Health Infrastructure’s August project update.
Work has begun with demolition in the new Community Health space on the lower ground floor near the main entrance, and the Operating Theatres are expected to be delivered by November.
In planning for the Community Health space, sustainable materials have been sourced from Australian company Noveco which use reclaimed waste materials for the reception’s joinery, and the tiles for basin and kitchen splashbacks.
A crane on site has brought in chillers for the plant room and lifted 225 solar panels which will produce around 400kWh of solar energy every day on average and up to 800kWh of solar per day in summer.
To see the August project update or more detail on the redevelopment visit: www.nsw.gov.au/muswellbrook-hospital-redevelopment
BIRD PROJECT – A community BBQ and information session at Merriwa on Friday 5 September will encourage more landholders to participate in restoring Regent Honeyeater habitat.
The Merriwa region has some incredible threatened species calling the area home and Hunter Local Land Services wants to do its best to keep them there to thrive into the future.
To discover more about the critically endangered species and restoring Regent Honeyeater habitat along the Merriwa River be at The Hut at Merriwa Tourist Information Centre, 11am-2pm.
Register for the community BBQ and info session at: www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/local-land-services/events/revegetating-merriwa-river
ROAD RENAMING – Singleton Council is calling for submissions to rename a section of the New England Highway as a result of the Singleton Bypass construction.
The section of road to be renamed is between the Hunter River at the Singleton Crossing bridge and approximately 570m north of Magpie Street at McDougalls Hill.
The community is invited to submit ideas with all submissions to be reviewed against the requirements of Transport for NSW and the Geographical Names Board before being presented to the elected Council for endorsement of a preferred name.
The preferred name will be publicly exhibited for community feedback, then submitted to the Geographical Names Board for official gazetting of the name.
Check your proposed name at the Geographical Names Board eligibility checker: https://proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au/public/road-names/evaluation then make a submission before Tuesday 30 September on Council’s website: www.singleton.nsw.gov.au/Council/About-Council/Public-Exhibition-and-Community-Engagement/Renaming-of-New-England-Highway-–-Community-proposals
A-DAY GRANTS – Grant applications close next Monday, 8 September, for Australia Day Community Events.
Councils, community groups, and not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to apply to the National Australia Day Council (NADC) for funding to help deliver local celebrations.
Since 2021, the program has backed more than 3,000 events from smoking ceremonies to family fun days, citizenship ceremonies and First Nations cultural activities to multicultural festivals and backyard BBQs.
Australia Day provides us all with the opportunity to reflect, respect and celebrate our proud, ancient and multicultural nation.
Three tiers of funding are available with a $10,000 Base Grant and access to the $5,000 additional grant for events that include significant Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander elements.
Alternate grants of $2,000 are also available to top-up your budget or cover the full cost of a smaller event.
Email questions to NADC at: grants@australiaday.org.au or discover more at: www.australiaday.org.au/grants
POWER BILL TIP – The Energy and Water Ombudsman of NSW (EWON) has given consumers a free tip on how to tackle their power bill.
The Ombudsman’s advice – ‘Don’t set and forget’ your electricity supply deal – from July 1, NSW default power prices increased between 8.3% and 9.7% for residential customers, and 7.9% and 8.5% for small business customers.
EWON encourages residents to call their retailer and ask to be put on the best contract for your energy use.
If that doesn’t work, shop around for a better offer on the government approved comparison site Energy Made Easy: www.energymadeeasy.gov.au
TELSTRA OUTAGE – A planned outage will affect Telstra mobile customers this week with the mobile base station that services Combo being upgraded.
Mobile services in the Singleton area will be temporarily affected while the upgrade works are underway to improve the 4G user experience.
The Combo site will be switched off at different times during Tuesday 2 September and Sunday 7 September.
Telstra mobile customers will receive texts advising of the upcoming work, however, landline services, NBN and satellite internet services, and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted.
To keep up to date on the outage: https://www.telstra.com.au/outages
Meantime, Telstra is seeking comment on a proposal to upgrade the existing mobile telephone base station at Martins Creek.
Comment closes on Wednesday 10 September with more information at www.rfnsa.com.au/2420007.
TEACHING SCHOLARSHIP – Year 12 students, university students or career changers interested in a teaching career can now apply for the NSW Department of Education’s future teacher scholarships.
Successful applicants receive a range of financial incentives and a permanent teaching position in a NSW public school once they successful complete their studies.
So, if you know a prospective teacher, encourage them to apply for a future teacher scholarship with the NSW Department of Education.
To learn more about the available scholarship programs and view the full list of benefits before Friday 12 September at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/get-paid-to-study
BOOK NOW! – People wanting to know more about the proposed Upper Hunter battery energy storage system are being asked to register their interest in a community information session.
North Harbour Clean Energy will hold the session for the project on Wednesday, 17 September, 6-7.30pm at Aberdeen Public School Hall.
The session will include a short presentation from the development team and provide opportunities for community members to ask questions and receive feedback.
Please register to attend at: https://forms.office.com/r/bw16RDQfb1 or call 0466413645.
For more information on the project visit: www.nhcleanenergy.com or email: info@northharbourpl.com.
NEW TOURISM DATA – Food for thought for the Upper Hunter Electorate’s tourism industry with a new report revealing a shift in perception of retirement.
The Australian Seniors Grey Gap Year Report 2025 shows travel is now regarded as a central pillar of a fulfilling life.
The report findings include Australians aged 50 and over are more engaged in travel than ever before.
Nearly 39 per cent went on a ‘big’ holiday in the past year with 36 per cent of the big holidaymakers travelled within Australia – 26 per cent went interstate and 10 per cent stayed within their state.
The research also showed growing interest in ‘slow travel’ and ‘JOMO’ (joy of missing out) trips that feature experiences they enjoy, rather than worrying about what others are doing.
NOW IN FOCUS – The exhibition of the winning work and the 29 other finalists in the 2025 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize is now underway until 11 October.
Adjudicator Antares Wells, Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, recently announced the winner of the Australian Photographic Society and Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre competition.
Johanna Ng was acknowledged with the $30,000 cash prize for the winning work entitled “a woman wearing a choker is walking in a crowd, 2024”.
It will be acquired and join all previous Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize winners in MRAC’s permanent collection of post-war contemporary paintings, ceramic and photography.
Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, located at 1-3 Bridge Street, is open Monday to Saturday 10am-4pm: https://artgallery.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au
Contact:
Email address: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au;
New Address: 94 John Street Singleton 2330
Postal Address: PO Box 60 Singleton NSW 2330
Ph: 6543 1065
Upper Hunter Shire Council
Monthly Works Schedule – Week Starting Monday, 18 August 2025
Each month Upper Hunter Shire Council prepares a report detailing the work that our infrastructure crews plan to deliver over the coming month.
Scheduled work is merely an indication of what we intend to undertake and is not a guarantee of work being carried out. As factors such as weather, resource availability and unexpected needs can impact Councils priorities for the coming month.
Merriwa
Works Delivery
- Depot Road – Maintenance Grading
- Mountain Station Road – Maintenance Grading
- Gummun Road – Maintenance Grading
- Cockatoo Gap Road – Maintenance Grading
- Middle Creek Road – Maintenance Grading
- Inglewood Road – Maintenance Grading
- Judy Kelly Road – Maintenance Grading
- Cream of Tar Ta Road – Maintenance Grading
- Road inspections as required
- Action requests as required
Parks and Facilities
- Amenities maintenance
- Cemetery maintenance
- Parks, sports fields, rest areas, entrances/approaches, Showground Passive areas and reserves mowing and maintenance
- Playground inspections
- Actions requests as required
- Tree maintenance
Water and Sewer
- Water treatment plant operation and maintenance
- Sewer treatment plant operation and maintenance
- Water and sewer distribution systems and actions requests as required
- Water sampling for PFAS
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Street Sweeping Schedule: September 2025
Scone – Please refer to map: Cassilis: Merriwa: Aberdeen: Murrurundi (via Blandford): Catch-up week:
Residents: Please move vehicles, trailers, caravans and other items away from kerbsides where possible by using your driveway. This helps crews complete the job quickly and thoroughly.
Upper Hunter’s Annual Bulk Waste Clean Up Is Approaching!
2025 Collection Dates:
Scone, Gundy, and Moonan Flat: October 13 – 17 Murrurundi, Blandford, Wingen, Parkville, and Bunnan: October 20 – 24 Cassilis, Merriwa, Aberdeen: October 27 – 31
Important Info:
Garden waste will NOT be accepted. Mattresses and tyres are also prohibited. No liquid waste of any sort.
Frequently Asked Questions:Council Meeting Recap 25 August 2025
Published on 26 August 2025
Decisions Shaping Community and Infrastructure at August Council Meeting 26 August 2025
Upper Hunter Shire Council met on Monday 25 August 2025 to consider a wide range of matters, from recognising long-serving staff to progressing key infrastructure and policy updates.
Paul Smith recognised for 20 years’ service Senior Environmental Planner Paul Smith was acknowledged for two decades of dedicated service. Councillors praised his professionalism, highlighting his long record of providing expert advice on development and environmental matters, and presented him with a certificate of appreciation.
Scone Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan Council adopted the Scone Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan following public consultation. The plan provides a clear framework for reducing flood risk and will enable Council to apply for funding to implement key mitigation measures.
Liverpool Range Wind Farm – Planning agreement Council endorsed entering into a planning agreement with Tilt Renewables for the Liverpool Range Wind Farm. The agreement will provide an indexed annual contribution of $1,050 per megawatt installed, supporting community benefit programs, road maintenance and administration.
Code of Meeting Practice Council resolved to place its current Code of Meeting Practice on public exhibition. This is in line with NSW Government requirements, ahead of the release of a new Model Code under the state’s Councillor Conduct Framework reforms.
Rural Halls Rejuvenation Grants Council approved funding under the 2025/26 Rural Halls Rejuvenation Grants Program for:
- Timor Sports and Recreation Club – $6,581.35 for replacement of fencing and installation of air conditioning.
- Abbotsford Park Trust (Wingen Community Hall) – $4,750.00 for replacement of guttering and downpipes.
This allocation exhausts the 2025/26 program funding.
Flying-fox impacts Councillors debated a notice of motion regarding the impact of flying-fox camps across the shire. While the animals are protected and play an important environmental role, Council resolved to advocate for stronger assistance from state agencies and to improve communication with affected communities.
Community appreciation Council received a quarterly report of letters and messages from community groups, acknowledging positive feedback for Council staff and services.
Scone Regional Livestock Selling Centre Council considered submissions from the recent expression-of-interest process for the Scone Regional Livestock Selling Centre. The General Manager was authorised to negotiate with existing proponents on operational and financial models while also inviting further proposals from other qualified parties to ensure the centre delivers strong long-term outcomes for the community.
Glenbawn Tunnel Pipeline encasement works Council reviewed a report on storm-related damage to the Glenbawn Tunnel Pipeline concrete encasement project. An additional $460,000 has been allocated from the Water Reserve to complete rectification works, with authority delegated to the General Manager to approve contract variations up to this amount.
Councillors noted that under current state government guidelines, damage to critical water infrastructure caused by recent storms cannot be claimed for disaster recovery assistance, leaving Council to fund the works from its own reserves. The General Manager has been authorised to raise this matter directly with the responsible Minister.
For more details on other matters discussed, please refer to the meeting agenda, or head to our YouTube channel to watch the meeting.
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MR358 Road Project – June Update
Highlights
Catch drain excavation and concrete lining complete in Sections 1 & 2 Gabion wall construction now 90% complete across the entire project Rock bolting, 3,000 soil nails and all rock mesh installation finished Shotcrete open drains and open drain excavation works now 100% Earthworks nearing completion at 98%
Coming up: Gabion wall and subsoil drainage finalisation in Section 2 Subgrade prep, select pavement and drainage across all sections Kerbing, table drains and cross drainage works continuing Base pavement construction now underway
For more information on the project, please head to: http://upperhunter.nsw.gov.au/mr358
This project is proudly supported by the NSW State and Australian Federal Governments.———
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