Articles by: Ashleigh Wyss

Travellers left waiting at Colac
Colac and district commuters have faced more travel misery as suspended V-Line bookings lead to overcrowded trains during Easter and the start of school holidays.

Funds support health services
Colac Area Health has received a major boost to its mental health and alcohol and other drugs services.

Family appeal for answers after thieves target vehicle
An Elliminyt family has been left devasted after their Toyota LandCruiser was stolen from their home in the early hours of Monday morning.

Colac weather station online after short outage
The Bureau of Meteorology’s weather station at Mount Gellibrand is back online after an almost five-day outage.

Victorian Governor’s award commends Bay fishing families
From council chambers to local businesses, Colac Otway residents have received high honours for their community contributions from the Governor of Victoria.

Vote for favourite in youth art comp
Voting is now open for the People’s Choice Award for Colac Otway Shire Council’s Youth Art Futures Competition.

Artistic awakening at the Bay
The first time Georgia Graffin saw the ocean turn pink at Split Point she was just passing through, an artist who for two years had travelled around Australia in search of a place to call home.

Businesses hoping for weekend crowd
As concern over rising fuel costs builds ahead of the Easter holiday period, businesses through the Otways are bracing for uncertain times.

Free travel escalates issues
Colac commuters will ride for free on all V-Line trains and buses throughout April, but a local MP is concerned Warrnambool line train travellers are being funnelled onto an already overburdened service.

Otways winery weighs in on data push
A proposed national vineyard registry has been tentatively welcomed by Otways winemakers who say the initiative could improve industry-wide decision making even if its impact on small producers is limited.

Renewing tradition of giving
Colac East IGA owner Love Dang will honour his father’s legacy of giving this week with the Good Friday Appeal Fundraiser.

Fuel price surge forces service to impose levy
A Colac waste management business has imposed a five-per-cent levy to help shoulder expenses from surging petrol costs the company says has made its operations unsustainable.

Governor tours Otways region
Victoria’s Governor has praised the spirit of Colac and district communities in the wake of recent fires and floods.

Veil to lift on property prices
Colac real estate agents say new laws requiring agencies to reveal properties’ final sales prices is a positive move for hopeful homebuyers.

WALKOUT: District teachers strike for pay increase
Almost all public schools in Colac and district have been impacted by state-wide teacher strikes, while an educator says the message is critical – raise the funding for our government schools.

Bay artist reignites creativity
Apollo Bay artist Zuzanna Karolewska has reclaimed her spark for painting, creating expressive regional landscapes from her window.

Central building on agenda
Paths, a fuel contract, and the future of Colac Youth Club are just a handful of the items on the agenda at this month’s Colac Otway Shire Council meeting.

Furry friends find new homes
More people are turning to Colac Otway Shire Council’s pound to find their own four-legged friend.

Police praising a rise in reporting
Crime rates have fallen across Colac Otway, while breaches of court orders have reached a record high.

‘Climate whiplash’ hit Otways
The erratic swing between extreme heat, fires and floods across the Otways was made “significantly more likely” because of human-driven climate change, a Climate Council report says.

Manager shake-up prompts public gap to widen
Changes in senior leadership at Colac Area Health and Colac Otway Shire Council have seen the companies’ gender pay gap widen, newest data shows.

Colac nurse inspired by colleagues
Colac Area Health’s assistant director of nursing Meagan Kerr says she is inspired every day by the hard-working mums and women working in the Urgent Care Centre.

Manager shake-up widens public gender pay gap
Changes in senior leadership at Colac Area Health and Colac Otway Shire Council have seen the companies’ gender pay gap widen, newest data shows.

Rovers call on Parliament for state soccer bid
Colac Otway Rovers leaders and councillors have taken to Parliament in an effort to bolster momentum behind a council plan to construct the region’s first-ever soccer hub.

