News Just In

THE Kelly Street Target Country store will be closing its doors next year after Wesfarmers announced the closure of 167 Australian Target stores within the next 12 months, to “improve the commercial viability of the business”. Scone Chamber are now calling on locals to join their campaign, “Take the target off our TARGET”, which aims […]

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ANNE Miles is an avid newsreader and at the age of 78 she is the first subscriber to scone.com.au. The subscription will be available online this afternoon, but Anne got in early and visited the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre on Monday, to get organised. Anne said she is dubious about using a credit card online, […]

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HOW many times have you been asked if Scone is pronounced “like the thing you eat with jam and cream?” Is it Scone or Sc-own? It’s time we sorted out how to pronounce names of the Upper Hunter once and for all, so we created a video putting our new journalist Taylah to the test. […]

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LEE Watts, manager of the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre said she is pleased to have worked out a solution for the all-ability access play park with the Upper Hunter Shire Council, with the proposed relocation from Amaroo Park to the Bill Rose Sports Complex in Scone. Read more…

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ON Wednesday, July 1 we will introduce a paywall for our news content, to ensure our independent town-based news service continues, without relying on advertising from local businesses, many of which are doing it tough during a drought, followed by the pandemic. While we have loved providing our news for free, we realise it is […]

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THE maximum temperature today is 17 with chilly conditions expected for the week ahead. Morning fog is expected to continue as moisture lingers in the air however, day times will continue to be fairly sunny. Warmer temperatures with cloud cover on Thursday before a cold front comes through on Friday. The cold front will produce […]

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TONIGHT Upper Hunter Shire Council held an extraordinary meeting to pass a motion to give the General Manager and Mayor authority to spend up to $5 million repairing the Merriwa to Willow Tree Road, after Council failed to build the road to specification. Cr James Burns amended the motion to include: that Council have insurance […]

AT the May Council meeting former Mayor, Wayne Bedggood took Councillor Sue Abbott to task for asking too many questions at the general Council meeting, claiming other Councillors were “not comfortable” with her questions and told her to ask questions directly of others or use other forums. The former Mayor also publicly warned Cr Abbott […]

STUDENTS wanting to study agriculture in 2021 will save more than $10,000 per year after the Minister of Education announced a 62 percent fee reduction for all agriculture tertiary degrees. The announcement was made last week in accordance with the Australian higher education funding plan, which aims to produce graduates for high-priority jobs for the […]

PUBLIC submissions for an independent review of the Scone Airport Development have welcomed public submissions, due on Thursday, July 2. Ratepayers are earmarked to contribute $10.8 million to the $23million development to upgrade airside infrastructure and build a warbird museum to attract a projected 1,000 visitors a week. Following community concerns about the scope of […]

SCONE.COM.AU will be implementing a paywall on Wednesday, July 1 to ensure independent regional news remains viable through challenging times and the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre will be able to help readers who would prefer to use cash or cheque to subscribe. Local businesses are doing it tough after a long drought and coronavirus and […]

By Stuart Sheldrake THERE were 276 cattle penned today with a few cattle did not turning up due to wet conditions. Overall, the market was stronger than last weeks. Not many bulls, but a good angus bull made up to $2.85. Lighters condition cows were slightly dearer and they made up to $2.80. The good […]

By Graham Turvey NINETEEN brave and healthy Vets played a stroke and putting event at Aberdeen Golf Club on Tuesday, June 23. It was a typical winter’s day with a chilly wind. Welcome to visitor Frank Arena. Lindsay Hodge had a very good day indeed, to win with nett 68. Second was Elie Raad 73 […]

TODAY the Upper Hunter Shire Council confirmed they did not build the Merriwa to Willow Tree to specification and the remediation works will cost millions to ratepayers and may take up to three years to complete. A project manager from Transport New South Wales has been appointed to manage the preparation of a new design, […]

COLD air moved its way over the Upper Hunter yesterday, creating enough moisture to provide some rainfall. The foot of the Barrington Tops also received snow flurries yesterday as the cold air moved from East to West.  There is no more rainfall predicted for the rest of the week. Rainfall over the past 24 hours: […]

A NEW medicated feed supplement called Zilmax is currently being considered for approval by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Association (APVMA), to be used in the Australian beef feedlot sector. The NSW Farmers Association strongly oppose the registration of the supplement because it contains the beta agonist zilpeterol, an active ingredient banned in major […]

By Ross Banks ON THURSDAY June 18, at Scone Golf Course the ladies played the second Monthly Medal and Golf NSW Medal Round. Windy conditions made play challenging but as usual, the course was a delight to play on. The winner of the Melanie’s Jewellers prize was Lyn banks who had 74 nett to beat […]

THERE is a very slight chance of rainfall today and tomorrow as the remainder of the cold front sweeps through. Today will see possible snowfall on the Barrington Tops due to heavy moisture in the air however, it is unlikely the snow will have a chance to settle.  A maximum temperature of 14 today in […]

THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter was at the Scott Memorial Hospital in Scone last night to care for a 10 year old boy needing specialist care. The boy was flown to the John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.

THIS month Magistrate Donnelly voiced his annoyance at L-Plate and P-plate drivers not displaying their plates in an effort to drive faster than the legal speed limit, describing being on learner and provisional licences as like being on parole. During the pandemic, many hearings have been adjourned to help manage the workload of the court. […]

THE New South Wales Government announced that COVID-19 restrictions will further ease on July 1, with strict social distancing rules remaining in place. There will be no upper limit to people allowed inside indoor venues, including function centres, as long as businesses continue to obey the 4metre square social distancing rule. Social distancing restrictions including […]

THE Upper Hunter Youth Centres have reopened their doors this week. Scone, Murrurundi and Merriwa centres have been refreshed and are welcoming back the youth of the shire to their Tuesday and Friday sessions. Mary Spora Youth Services Manager said centre facilities have been upgraded during the COVID-19 break, including renovations to the Scone hall, located […]

NSW Fire and Rescue have confirmed the accident at approximately 2pm near the southern entrance to the Scone bypass involved one prime-mover with trailer and three cars in the merging lanes.  One northbound and one southbound lane were closed, however traffic is still flowing as emergency services clear the road. There were no reported injuries. […]

AT approximately 2:03pm emergency services were called to an accident on the new Scone bypass involving a car and a truck. LiveTraffic has reported one of the two northbound lanes on the bypass is closed. Update: Accident on Scone Bypass.

THE TAFE NSW Scone Connected Learning Centre has provided one Sconeite, Kea Connolly, the pathway to her dream career.  Ms Connolly was one of the first students to take advantage of the range of new courses available in Scone and after embarking on a personal education journey with TAFE in 2019, she landed a job at HammondCare. Kea said […]

THE drought in the Upper Hunter has seen a surge of feral animals in search of feed and water, impacting landholders. For the fourth consecutive year, the biosecurity team of the Hunter Local Land Services are ramping up to roll out their successful annual aerial shooting program, which has helped reduce feral species, in combination […]

THE Hunter Livestock Forum is hosting a free fortnightly webinar series beginning on Friday, June 26.  Featuring an array of nationally recognised industry leaders, the interactive webinars will explore on-farm decision making.  Tony Hegarty, Cassilis producer and one of the upcoming guest speakers said many producers underestimate the importance of making timely decisions, even if […]

THE Member for Upper Hunter Michael Johnsen made a comment on his Facebook page on Tuesday night which has been met with disgust from people on his own page, people in his electorate and other Members of Parliament. Mr Johnsen posted: I wonder…..How many NSW BLM protestors also protested in favour of full term abortion? […]

By Stuart Sheldrake THE market was very strong today with 416 cattle penned, a couple of hundred more than last week. A good yarding of cows and a few pregnancy testing lines that made up to $3 a kilo. Normal kill runs made up to $2.85 and best falls made up to $2.80. A very […]

THERE was only one nomination for Mayor and Deputy Mayor this evening at the Council meeting, with Cr Maurice Collison being elected Mayor and Cr Kiwa Fisher elected Deputy Mayor until the general Council elections in September next year. Mayor Collison thanked the Deputy Mayor, his friends and family for their support. “To my fellow […]

By Graham Turvey IT was an ideal winters day for golf, for the 19 fit and healthy Vets who played a stableford event at Denman Golf Club on Tuesday, June 16. Welcome to new member Warren Rankin. Congratulations to Greg Squires and the other dedicated volunteers who keep the course in such fine trim. Gary […]

ETHEL Haydon celebrated her 100th birthday today at the Haydon Hall in Murrurundi.  A beloved member of the community, more than 50 people made sure to drop by and congratulate her, including students from Blandford Public School. During her thank you speech, Ethel said “looking back, I suppose life was divided into periods”. “The teenage […]

A NEW Mayor for the Upper Hunter Shire Council will be elected tonight at 5pm. The mayoral election will be voted on by councillors and not the public after Council voted against a popularly elected mayor during the 2016 elections. Nominations require two councillors to sign a nomination form for the nominee, which the nominee […]

ON Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced 60 regional airports would receive a total of $41.2 million in grant funding through the COVID-19 pandemic, with $3 million contributed to Scone Airport airside works. The Deputy Prime Minister said the government was committed to supporting regional airports and the critical role they play in connecting […]

ONLINE livestock auction platforms may help revitalise the cattle industry as the Upper Hunter begins to emerge from extreme drought conditions.  Stuart Sheldrake, stock and station agent for MacCallum Inglis, said an online platform came at the right time as COVID-19 restrictions encouraged producers to use Stocklive when saleyard attendance was limited to buyers and […]

SCONE is actively testing for COVID-19 but how does the horse capital compare to the rest of the Upper Hunter?   According to the NSW COVID-19 Heat Map, Sconeites are getting tested more frequently than and Singleton and Muswellbrook residents but less than their Aberdeen and Murrurundi neighbours. Health care workers continue to encourage residents […]

RODNEY Johnson, a 29 year old man from Quirindi who stole a truck in Murrurundi and went on a rampage down the New England Highway, ending when he crashed into a heritage building in Singleton in October 2017, was refused an appeal against his 12 year and six month gaol sentence this morning, in Sydney […]

YESTERDAY afternoon the Upper Hunter Shire Council issued a statement stating it would request the state government to hand over the $120,000 in grant funding they awarded the Scone Community Resource Centre (SNRC) to Council instead, to build an ability park in Scone themselves. The statement follows a decision by Councillors at an extraordinary meeting […]

ON Saturday, June 13 at Scone Golf Course a good field of 42 golfers, comprising of 39 men and 3 ladies, headed out for a game. The morning players had their round completed in cloudy conditions with barely the sun breaking through. The conditions continued to be heavy for the afternoon players on a day […]

OVER the weekend, the Upper Hunter experienced widespread rain totals above 10mm. Most rainfall occurred last Saturday, with more showers and rain activity predicted to arrive this coming Sunday. Rainfall over the weekend: Aberdeen: 19mm  Blandford: 17mm Bunnan: 20mm Carrowbrook: 15mm Cassilis: 12mm Cressfield: 16mm Ellerston: 17mm Glenbawn: 24mm Hunter Springs: 15mm Merriwa: 17mm Moonan: 18mm Mount Barrington: 19mm Murrurundi: 0 mm Parkville: 14mm Rouchel: 23mm Scone: 19mm […]