🦎 Does bin chicken island need cleaning up?

🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

• FRIDAY, 13/02/26 | Toni Childs

• SATURDAY, 14/02/26 | Tim Freedman’s Moonlit Dek

• FRI. 13/02 - SAT. 14/02 | 130th Korumburra Show

• SATURDAY, 14/02/26 | Coal Creek Living Heritage Day

• SUNDAY, 15/02/26 | Summer Sunday Sessions on Churchill Island

• SUNDAY, 15/02/26 | Cape Woolamai VIC Fire Relief Fundraiser

• THROUGHOUT FEB | Baw Baw Arts Alliance sessions

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

• SATURDAY, 14/02/26 | Coal Creek Farmers Market

• SATURDAY, 14/02/26 | Metung Market

• SATURDAY, 14/02/26 | Fish Creek Summer Market

• SUNDAY, 15/02/26 | Longford Community Market

• SUNDAY, 15/02/26 | Kongwak Market

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🔌 What’s the deal with the 345 kilometres of cables set to be unspooled in the Bass Strait?

The Marinus Link project, a 345 kilometre cable connecting the Victorian and Tasmanian electricity grids, has had its first construction stage approved. 

The project is aiming to lower power bills and make the electricity grid more reliable for both states.

What happened: Last Friday, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) approved the first stage of the Marinus Link. The giant transmission cable between Tasmania and Victoria will allow electricity to be shared between the states.

• The project’s cables will run 345 kilometres, including 255 kilometres of undersea transmission across the Bass Strait and 90 kilometres of underground cables in Gippsland.

Why build a giant cable?

The AER expects the project to reduce wholesale electricity prices in the long-term for Victorians and Tasmanians. 

• By allowing Victorian energy consumers to access Tasmania’s hydropower and wind energy, it’s expected to reduce the state’s reliance on burning expensive gas for electricity.

• By connecting Tasmania to the eastern state’s electrical grid it’s expected Tasmanians will have more reliable energy and efficient energy.

According to the Marinus Link project, it’s estimated the link will save Victorian’s $68 on their household power bill annually. 

Read the whole story here.

🏝️ Sale's "Bin Chicken Island" ruffles feathers but council's hands are tied

Is a growing ibis population a sign of Sale’s healthy natural environment or a smelly nuisance? 

On Lake Guthridge, a former Wellington Shire mayor wants something to be done about a colony of bin chickens he says are throwing trash all over town - but council says there’s not much it can do.

What happened: Former Wellington Shire mayor Ian Bye has written to council complaining about the growing ibis population on Lake Guthridge island in Sale - now commonly known as "Bin Chicken Island" - describing the smell and appearance as "terrible". 

Bye said the number of ibis living on Lake Guthridge had grown to unacceptable levels, "spreading all over town, getting into bins and spreading food items".

Read the full story here.

⛰️ How did the Strzelecki Ranges get their name?

Geologist and explorer Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki was born in Poland in 1797.

From 1834 to 1839, Strzelecki travelled the Americas analysing soil and examining minerals, before heading to New Zealand and then arriving in Australia in 1839.

In the same year, Strzelecki left for an expedition into the Australian Alps with two other explorers and two Aboriginal guides: Charlie Tarra and Jackey.

🎥 Take a look at the video below to hear about the details of Strzelecki’s Gippsland expedition.

🔋 “Popping up everywhere”: Gippsland’s large-scale battery boom

Overlooking the enormous retired Hazelwood open-cut coal mine is a small plot of land that contains rows and rows of 2.5 metre tall grey boxes. They don’t appear to be doing much, but these 342 batteries power over 30,000 Gippsland houses every night.

🎥 Take a look at a video I made about my visit to Engie’s Hazelwood battery farm and my chat with battery coordinator Johnathan Vila below.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

My colleague Archie Milligan from the National Account got to interview former ABC election analyst Antony Green last week and I really enjoyed listening to their chat.

They talked about how much election coverage has changed over the years and what to watch out for in the upcoming state polls.

Take a look at the full interview below.