New rules for Greens Lake
A new waterway speed restriction is expected to soon come into effect at Greens Lake near Corop to keep visitors safe while the water levels are low.
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When Greens Lake falls below 47.4 per cent capacity, Goulburn-Murray Water implements a five-knot speed restriction for the entire lake, except for the area near the pumphouse to the lake’s northern end, which vessels are completely prohibited from.
Greens Lake is 51 per cent full as of November 29. Depending on the weather, the lake could fall below 47.4 per cent within a month.
The boat ramp will soon be out of the water, restricting larger speed boats from accessing the lake. However, smaller craft such as fishing boats may still launch from the bank below the boat ramp.
“Greens Lake is quite a shallow storage, so when its capacity drops, it becomes dangerous for boaters to travel at speed,” G-MW’s Chris Braden said. “It now seems very likely we will need to implement the rule in the coming weeks.”
More information on the waterway rules at Greens Lake, as well as the storage’s current level, can be found at: https://www.gmwater.com.au/greenslake
Support farmers this Christmas
Rural Aid is calling on Australians to provide much-needed help for struggling farmers this Christmas.
Farmers across parts of South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW are currently enduring drought, while farmers in south-west Western Australia are recovering from their driest start to a cropping season on record.
Donations to Rural Aid’s Christmas Appeal will fund vital emergency food deliveries for livestock, as well as emotional and wellbeing support to help farmers cope.
Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said some crises “slip under the radar”.
“While large-scale fires, droughts, and floods grab the headlines, these ‘quiet’ droughts are causing just as much devastation and heartbreak,” he said.
Donations to Rural Aid’s Christmas Appeal can be made at https://buyabale2024.ruralaid.org.au
5G is coming to Cohuna
Telstra will be upgrading its mobile base station that services Cohuna to bring new 5G coverage to the area, which will also help boost the area’s existing 4G performance.
Telstra mobile services in the area will be temporarily affected while the upgrade works are under way. Telstra mobile customers will receive texts advising of the work.
Landline services, NBN internet services, and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted.
The site will be switched off from Monday, December 9 to Friday, December 13. There will be no Telstra mobile coverage between these dates with restoration at the end of the day on the Friday.
From Saturday, December 14 to Monday, December 16 there will be minor disruptions during the day as Telstra completes the call testing and integration of the network.
Customers can continue to make calls and send texts during the disruption by switching on ‘wi-fi calling’. This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to make and receive mobile calls while connected to wi-fi.
Seek help with 3G problems
The National Farmers’ Federation has urged farmers experiencing mobile connectivity issues in the wake of the 3G network shutdown to reach out to providers for help.
The 3G network was progressively turned off across Australia from October 28.
“Telstra and Optus committed to 4G equivalence to their mapped coverage and tested and signed off on this commitment prior to closing their networks,” NFF Telecommunications Committee chair Peter Thompson said.
“Now the reality is that we are living in a world without 3G and farmers are finding unexpected glitches with the new system.”
Mr Thompson urged anyone experiencing issues to contact their provider.
For free independent connectivity advice, call the Regional Tech Hub on 1300 081 029 or book an appointment online at: https://www.regionaltechhub.org.au
Free camping in national parks
Camping is free in every national park and state forest in Victoria from December 1 until June 30, 2025.
Almost 100,000 nights of free camping have already been booked at Park Victoria’s 131 paid camping grounds.
The Victorian Government hopes its $9 million investment in free camping will attract new visitors to towns all over regional Victoria.
To book a free camping site, visit: https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/where-to-stay/booking-information
Hort Innovation names new directors
One new and one returning director have joined the Hort Innovation board.
At the organisation’s annual general meeting, voting members elected Cameron Mackay and Robert Mullins to the board. Julie Bird was later re-elected as chair by the new board, and John Said was elected as deputy chair.
Ms Bird thanked outgoing director Catherine Oates for her contributions.
“We are proud to say that Hort Innovation had a record-breaking year, with more than $158 million invested in research and development, marketing and trade initiatives to benefit levy payers,” Ms Bird said.
“Hort Innovation is in a strong position with our latest data showing our projects returned $5.60 for every dollar invested in R&D over a year.”
“Our commitment is to continue listening to and working alongside growers and the Australian horticulture supply chain to propagate ideas and solutions that make a tangible difference.”