Armidale’s Polar Plunge returns to Dumaresq Dam on Sunday, 23 August, as organisers look to build on last year’s icy dip in support of local Special Olympics athletes.
Penelope Shaw
Penelope Shaw is a freelance writer for the New England Times. With a background in English Literature, she will always have a special place in her heart for anything to do with books or live performance. In her free time she loves the outdoors, spending time with her family, reading and exercising.
Posted inNarrabri, What's on, Women
Narrabri to host 2026 NSW Rural Women’s Gathering
Narrabri has been named host of this year’s Rural Women’s Gathering, bringing about 300 women from across regional, rural and remote New South Wales to the North Western NSW town.
Posted inFeature, Local festivals and shows, North Coast
Two nights, two vibes: Bellingen’s Beyond Jazz Weekender is back
Bellingen Memorial Hall will transform into a jazz club for two nights this month, with the Beyond Jazz Weekender returning for its second year on Friday, 14 August and Saturday, 15 August.
Posted inArmidale, Lifestyle, Training and courses
Armidale workshops invite locals to create and connect at The Clique Curation
Armidale crafters have a new place to pick up a skill, meet like-minded locals and take home something they made themselves, with The Clique Curation launching its “Create & Connect @ Clique” workshop series.
Posted inArts, Feature, Tamworth
Boggabri farm boy’s eight decades of art on show in Tamworth
A painting career that began with a flowering almond tree on a Boggabri farm eight decades ago is now filling the walls of Weswal Gallery on Brisbane Street, Tamworth, in a retrospective spanning the entire working life of veteran regional artist James White.
Posted inAgribusiness, Agriculture, Armidale
Armidale scientists turn satellites into nitrogen advice for cotton growers
Armidale researchers are turning satellite images into real-time fertiliser advice for cotton growers; in a project the University of New England hopes will change how the industry manages one of its biggest costs.
Posted inArmidale, Local festivals and shows, Recreation
Armidale film festival returns with French favourite to open two-week program
The Armidale International Film Festival will open on Friday, 7 August with the French drama Colours of Time, as organisers bring another wide-ranging lineup of international cinema to the Belgrave Cinema.
Posted inAgribusiness, Agriculture, Wee Waa
Wee Waa business to pitch biological pest control fix for cotton industry
A Wee Waa agricultural business is preparing to pitch a new approach to controlling one of cotton’s most stubborn pests, using predatory mites instead of chemical sprays, at the Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast this August.
Posted inNarrabri, Roads and Infrastructure
Rock formations push Narrabri’s Violet Street Bridge opening back to November
The replacement Violet Street Bridge in Narrabri will not open until mid-November, after workers uncovered huge rock formations under the riverbed during piling.
Posted inCommunity development, Consultations and feedback, Energy, Inverell Shire
Residents invited to have their say on Inverell battery project
Construction on the proposed Inverell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) could begin as early as 2028, with the project now moving toward a major public consultation stage next week.