🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

• JAN. 1 - JAN. 31 | Big Summer Read

• JAN. 1 - JAN. 31 | Australian Near and Far Art Exhibition

• SATURDAY, 31/01/26 | Ella Hooper

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

• SATURDAY, 31/01/26 | The Mirboo North Market

• SUNDAY, 01/02/26 | Kongwak Market

• SUNDAY, 01/02/26 | Maffra Rotary Community Market

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

☀️ “The heat we're experiencing now is not business as usual”: GP’s warning as mercury hits 48.9C in Victoria

On Tuesday, the severe heatwave saw temperatures in the Mallee northwest of Melbourne reach 48.9C - the highest ever recorded in Victoria, beating the previous record of 48.8C during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

The 48.9C reading was registered in Hopetoun, about 385km out of Melbourne, and in Walpeup, a further 85km north.

In the wake of this heatwave and the catastrophic bushfires that razed great chunks of the  state earlier in the month, experts and farmers are concerned that record-breaking hot days aren’t anomalies, but a sign of a growing trend.

Australia’s most deadly natural disaster

Doctors for the Environment Australia executive director and GP, Dr Kate Wylie, told the Monitor these temperatures are posing an increased risk to public health.

• 🗣️ “The heatwaves are traditionally called Australia's most deadly natural disaster.”

Wylie said statistics show “about 3,300 people die every year in Australia from extreme heat”, but said that figure doesn’t represent the reality, as heat can impact so many other conditions.

• 🗣️ “Heatwaves increase our risk of having a heart attack, a stroke, of having kidney disease, of having acute urinary tract infections. They increase the risk of domestic violence and increase mental health impacts.”

Wylie said those most vulnerable to heat stress and heat exhaustion are people with preexisting underlying health conditions or anybody who works outside during the day.

• The best ways to avoid the impacts of extreme heat [are] to keep hydrated and stay out of the sun, Wylie said.

Read the full story here.

🐄 How do you keep a herd of 280 cows in Neerim South cool during a heatwave?

The cows of Gippsland enjoy standing under a blazing hot sun about as much as humans, which is to say not at all, so when the mercury nudges 35C Neerim South dairy farmer Dave Johnson cranks up the sprinklers.

Hot cows aren’t hungry

Johnson told the Gippsland Monitor that cows, like humans, lose their appetite as it gets hotter. In the case of the bovines, they look to shelter in the shade rather than graze in a paddock.

• “Cows are sort of big fermentation tanks,” Johnson said. “They handle the cold a lot better than they handle the hot.”

If it gets around 35C Johnson - whose property is 180 hectares - will change the way he organises his day. He’ll keep his 280 cows closer to the dairy, where it’s cooler, and milk the herd later in the evening.

Cool respite

Johnson said sprinklers in the yard wet the cows before they’re brought into the shed for milking. During the milking the cows stand under a large mister "to keep them cool".

Aside from sprinklers, fans are used to try and keep the farm’s workers and the cows cool.

• “Generally, the cows can handle one hot day not too bad. Usually the issues really start when you get three or four really hot days in a row,” Johnson said.

Farmers across Victoria are having to cope with more frequent and severe heatwaves as temperatures around the country continue to rise.

Read the full story here.

🍻 FEBRUARY EVENT GUIDES 🎊

🕺 What's on in Gippsland this February?

From art lessons and a boat show to stand-up comedy and motorcycle races, there's plenty to get up to this month.

Check out the full list here.

 🥳 Family-friendly events in Gippsland this February

The Monitor has compiled a collection of family-friendly events across Gippsland this February, where you can see woodchopping, pygmy goats and enormous pumpkins.

Check out the full list here.

🎸 February gig guide: The best live music in Gippsland this month

From country singers to surf rock duos and folkies, there is heaps to choose from.

Check out the full list here.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

I found this interview the National Account’s Archie Milligan did with election analyst Ben Raue really interesting. Raue gave a lot of context into the recent polls that show One Nation are ahead of the Coalition in primary votes.

I knew that One Nation had been polling strongly since the last election, but I didn’t know about where those voters are moving from and whether that polling will turn into future electoral success.

Take a look at the full interview below.