Regional Victoria came out of COVID lockdown at midnight on Monday with the Orbost community welcoming the State Government’s decision to ease restrictions. With no positive cases nor exposure sights within 350 kilometres, Orbost and the rest of East Gippsland is pleased to be open again, albeit in a reduced capacity. Metropolitan Melbourne remains in a hard lockdown. Limitations remain on the...

Mike Irvine is a ranger with Parks Victoria in Orbost. He is also the ‘ranger team leader’ overseeing five other young rangers who work alongside him in the town. Mr Irvine started with Parks Victoria in 2002, but has worked in the conservation and park management space for 30 years, having started his career with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).Like many rangers...

For Marlo Hotel publicans, Russell Bates and Matt Coad, it was last drinks on Sunday after they signed off from running the iconic pub in the coastal resort town for well over a decade. As of Monday, the hotel was handed over to a consortium of new owners who will now become its custodians. The end of an era was bittersweet for Mr Coad, who initially bought the pub with his best mate and their...

Orbost is one of 90 Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) regional branches that will shut its doors early as of October 4. The Orbost branch is among the huge number of casualties, including fellow Gippsland site, Maffra, angering local businesses.The CBA branch will continue to be open five days per week, however at the reduced hours of 9.30am to 1pm.Locals were outraged as this news echoed...

The Howitt Society, the Gippsland group whose motto is ‘Healthy and Safe Landscapes’, has produced a new study that tackles critics who challenge fuel reduction burning (FRB) as a way to fight massive bushfires. Bushfire disasters should be treated in the same way as a disease pandemic such as COVID-19 –prevention is better than the cure, according to The Howitt Society, whose work is inspired...