COVID-19 fragments have been found in wastewater in Bairnsdale on Monday, October 4. While there has not been a confirmed positive case in East Gippsland, residents are urged to be vigilant and get tested if they have any symptoms.

There is some good news in terms of bushfire recovery with some restoration work underway across the region. Work has commenced on the restoration works on the boardwalks at McKenzie River, but recently stopped due to the shutdown of construction industry.  “Hopefully they will be able to recommence in a couple of weeks and it will be open by Christmas,” Orbost Chamber of Commerce...

Bushfire recovery has been a slow burn, but finally some action will begin on the Cape Conran rebuild. Closing in on two years since the Black Summer Bushfires ripped through parts of East Gippsland, Cape Conran Coastal Park is now progressing with the engagement of a Gippsland-based construction company to rebuild accommodation in the park. It had previously been announced that $3.5 million...

Future of Orbost and district project manager, Tim Cotter, provided an update on the project this week to enable those interested to get a snapshot of the current state of play.  “COVID lockdowns have caused the cancellation of many of our planned events including the next planned phase of the project, the conducting of five locally held entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) workshops,”...

The planned release of a high volume of water into the Snowy River from the catchment dams higher up in the Snowy Mountains is still scheduled to go ahead next month despite the concerns of farmers. Farmers in the Orbost region, who farm on the Snowy River flats, have recently had their properties under water following heavy rainfall. Dennis Reynolds, whose 200-acre flat country farm is about...