Candlelight procession, giant mural, and new tree for Uralla Christmas Street Fair
Santa, reindeer and a candlelit parade down the main street. Uralla’s Christmas Street Fair is back with a giant mural you can help paint, a 10-metre slide and a brand-new Christmas tree.
Glen Innes to light up Grey Street for Christmas in the Highlands
Grey Street will be bathed in Christmas lights on Saturday, 28 November, when Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations turns the Glen Innes CBD into a festive wonderland for one night only.
Crowns and capes as Grand Stroll brings New England villages together
Thrones, crowns, capes, and egg-and-spoon races. New England’s aged care villages went all out for a good cause, and one village walked away with the trophy.
International students face growing uncertainty as study rules tighten
A medical certificate, a missed deadline, and a coordinator on leave. Now one nursing student’s plans are on hold, just as new visa rules make changing course harder than ever.
Local News
Armidale to remember lives lost to violence during 16 Days of Activism
Behind every life lost to violence is a name and a story. This December, Womens Shelter Armidale is asking the community to come together and remember them.
Sapphire Wind Farm fund backs 15 Inverell Shire projects
From rescue tools to game balls, almost $142,000 in wind farm money is flowing to 15 Inverell Shire groups. See who got funded, and when the next round opens.
Perfect season for Lytras as Gunnedah’s Balcary Park hosts flat track nationals
Not a single race dropped all year. John Lytras sealed a perfect Pro Twins season at Gunnedah, while the Drane brothers traded race wins in the Pro 450s. Who will be crowned on the TT…
Tamworth’s First City of Light engines receive world honour at 138th birthday
Tamworth lit up Australia’s streets first, back in 1888. On Sunday morning its rare steam engines received an international honour, and the free birthday celebrations continue Monday.
What's On
LONG READ >
The pipeline that wasn’t: inside the fight over Keepit water
WEEKEND LONG READ: The Keepit pipeline is dead. Downstream towns are relieved, Tamworth’s mayor calls it political, and the city’s backup is a pipeline that has sat full of stale water for years. What happens in the next drought?
Events
The Sydney Hotshots Live at Codfish hotelEnds: November 11, 2026
Sapphire City MarketsEnds: November 15, 2026
Tenterfield Job ExpoEnds: November 20, 2026
Sounds of the SessonEnds: November 28, 2026
Stained Glass WorkshopEnds: November 29, 2026- Sapphire City MarketsEnds: December 6, 2026
Politics
Laptops off the list for primary kids
No more forking out over a thousand dollars for a school laptop. NSW public primary schools are dropping BYOD from 2027, and screen time in class is about to shrink.
Basin review names urgent reforms
One in 10 Australians live and work in the Murray Darling Basin. A major review has named the reforms it needs, and conservationists say the ball is now in politicians’ court.
The pipeline that wasn’t: inside the fight over Keepit water
WEEKEND LONG READ: The Keepit pipeline is dead. Downstream towns are relieved, Tamworth’s mayor calls it political, and the city’s backup is a pipeline that has sat full of stale water for years. What happens in the next drought?
Chaffey says rate rise another blow for Parkes electorate families
Rates at an 18-year high, $450 a month more on a $600,000 loan, and economists putting recession odds at one in two. Jamie Chaffey says families are already at breaking point.
Councils slam developer levy delay
Labor says letting developers pay later will get homes built faster. Councils say it’s a handout that will leave regional towns short of roads, parks, and drainage.
Coalition taskforce to hunt for new dams
One in six apples, four in 10 blocks of butter, and nearly half our pork could be imported by 2040, the Coalition warns. Its answer is more dams.
North West cotton growers to get new help fighting soilborne disease
Verticillium wilt is a serious threat in long-term irrigated cotton. A new partnership aims to put better soil science in the hands of local growers.
Farmers call for simpler environment laws
Follow every NSW rule and you could still fall foul of federal law. Farmers say the system is broken, and they have built their own tool to help.
Energy and Environment
Tamworth hits 50 million containers as New England joins the cycle for National Recycling Week
Tamworth residents have returned 50 million drink containers through the town’s Return and Earn depot, and the milestone will be marked with a community celebration during National Recycling Week.
Bundarra to Wee Waa: local groups share in $250,000 grants boost
Six New England North West towns are on the list, from Bundarra to Wee Waa. Find out who’s sharing in more than $250,000 for grassroots community projects.
Tamworth Return and Earn depot hits 50 million containers
Three in four people seeking help from Vinnies in Tamworth needed food. Now locals’ bottles and cans have hit a 50 million milestone, and every one has helped.
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT >
Primary Health Network continues to support and invest in the Glen Innes community
Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN) has reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to Glen Innes through continued investment in local healthcare services, community programs and innovative models of…
Have your say on the future name of Killean
New owners of McLean Care want your help in naming the main home, and have put up $5000 to make it worth your while to have your say. Vote now!
BUSINESS
Armidale’s only 4.5-star hotel hits the market as mining and REZ demand builds
Armidale’s only 4.5-star hotel is up for sale, with agents pitching Rydges Armidale as a ready-made base for the miners, renewable energy workers, and corporate visitors expected to fill the city’s beds in coming years.
INDIGENOUS
Gunnedah’s Rainbow Serpent restoration wins state award
Crafted by Kamilaroi women, eroded by the western sun, and pieced back together tile by tile. Gunnedah’s Rainbow Serpent has just won a state award, and the judges couldn’t stop praising it.
SPORT
Six national titles up for grabs at Gunnedah flat track finale
Six national titles, eight Pro 450 races, and a points leader who says he’s not nervous at all. The Aussie Flat Track Nationals finale hits Gunnedah’s Balcary Park this weekend.
On engage now
Engage is our hub for opinion, letters, comments and ideas.
- Letter: Peel River levee welcomed
The $10.5 million to upgrade Tamworth’s Peel River CBD levee is welcome news for our community has been welcomed by Tamworth Labor. The post Letter: Peel River levee welcomed appeared first on New England Times Engage.
> Submit your own opinion, letter or comment to New England Times Engage
Good News
Quirindi’s candlelit Christmas concert returns, with Handel’s Messiah at its heart
More than half the seats are already gone for Quirindi’s candlelit Christmas concert, as Sounds of the Season returns for a second year after its first outing sold out.
Tenterfield Show turns 150 with a black-tie ball
A black-tie ball at the Tenterfield Showgrounds will celebrate 150 years of the Tenterfield Show, with 400 tickets now on sale for Saturday, 20 February 2027.
