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.
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.
Uralla’s Pioneer Park a step closer to becoming Fibonacci Park
Two, three, five, eight. Uralla’s postcode is hidden in a famous mathematical pattern, and now locals have backed giving Pioneer Park a name to match.
Tamworth women’s team tees off for cancer research in The Longest Day
One of the very few women’s teams registered in NSW will tee off at Tamworth Golf Club on Monday, 9 November, as Cancer Council’s The Longest Day golf challenge returns to raise money for cancer…
Local News
Inverell Shire backs its young athletes on the road to Brisbane 2032
Could the next Olympian come from Inverell? Council has locked in three more years of backing for the academy helping local athletes chase their sporting dreams.
Don’t take our water: Barwon MP fights Tamworth’s Keepit Dam pipeline plan
Tamworth wants a pipeline to Keepit Dam to drought-proof the city. Barwon MP Roy Butler says downstream farmers would pay the price, and he reckons there’s a better answer already in the ground.
Inverell farewells last WWII veteran
Blanche Ada Mason, the last World War II veteran of the Inverell RSL Sub Branch, has died at the age of 103, on her 82nd wedding anniversary.
NRL stars tee off for mental health in Narrabri
Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves are swapping footy boots for golf shoes in Narrabri. With $141,000 already raised for local mental health, organisers want to go bigger this Saturday.
What's On
LONG READ >
Camps in the paddock: the REZ housing legacy that isn’t
WEEKEND LONG READ: New England was promised worker housing that would stay behind as homes. The REZ EIS delivers 2,060 beds in five temporary camps on paddocks a long way from anywhere.
Events
Twilight Tales at Calala Cottage Museum – Garden Picnic and Museum ToursEnds: November 7, 2026
Twilight Tales at Calala Cottage Museum – Garden Picnic and Museum ToursEnds: November 7, 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
Politics
Democrats, Trump face off after blue tsunami splits US
Democrats and Republicans are squaring up for what could be two years of deadlock in Washington, with the resurgent Democrats vowing to use their resounding midterm election victory to rein in President Donald Trump
Stamp duty relief pledged for family trusts
Thousands of family businesses run through trusts have been left wondering if a federal tax change would trigger a state stamp duty bill. Labor says, if re-elected, it won’t.
By-elections loom for Walcha and Tenterfield after councillors resign
Two New England councils are down a councillor. Walcha has locked in a January by-election, while Tenterfield waits on advice about how to fill its empty A Ward seat.
Nationals blast buyback starting before the rules
The firearms buyback starts 2 November, and Grafton Police Station is one of the first collection points. The Nationals say the rules aren’t even written yet, and Tamworth’s music festival is in the way.
Chaffey urges kindness after Haines attack
Parkes MP Jamie Chaffey says words can hurt and words can heal, as parliament pays tribute to Dr Helen Haines. His message to Australians after the attack: “Let’s continue with kindness.”
Phosphine rules delayed until 2028
Harvest is here and grain growers have dodged a curveball. New phosphine exposure rules won’t kick in until 2028, giving the industry time to find practical answers.
Crop margins stay tight, but yields help
Rabobank says crop margins stay squeezed into 2027. Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia are cushioned by strong yields, but dry Queensland and northern NSW growers are more exposed.
Hanging Rock trout farm reels in grant to go off the grid
One of the region’s hidden jewels is going off the grid. The Hanging Rock trout farm behind The Drunken Trout Café has landed a grant to ditch diesel and power up with renewables.
Energy and Environment
Downstream councils vow to fight Keepit Dam pipeline to Tamworth
Tamworth wants a pipeline from Keepit Dam. Seven councils downstream, from Gunnedah to Walgett, say it would leave their towns exposed in the next drought, and they’re vowing to fight it.
Camps in the paddock: the REZ housing legacy that isn’t
WEEKEND LONG READ: New England was promised worker housing that would stay behind as homes. The REZ EIS delivers 2,060 beds in five temporary camps on paddocks a long way from anywhere.
Armidale pipeline tops list as Uralla weighs its water future
A pipeline from Armidale has topped the list of options to secure Uralla’s water. But Council says nothing is decided yet, and it wants to hear what residents think.
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
Point Of Law wins Melbourne Cup
Favourite Point Of Law has run down frontrunner Royal Supremacy to win the $10 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington
On engage now
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- QW: Congrats to The Bolt
Re: Uralla’s Bolt Inn adds Best Steak in a Pub NSW to awards haul Congratulations Bolt Inn Team!!! Hard earned & well deserved!! Another Uralla business setting the standard for others to follow. The post QW: Congrats to The Bolt appeared first on New England Times Engage.
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Good News
Moree Plains Shire Council names new general manager
Moree Plains Shire Council has found its new general manager. Meet the man who says the shire has “enormous potential”.
SBM26: Road-ready support, inclusive opportunities and a helping hand
Today for Small Business Month, we’re celebrating three businesses and organisations making life easier for their communities: a Tamworth towing and caravan specialist offering personal service from purchase to repairs, an Inverell not-for-profit creating opportunities and independence for people with disability, and a Coffs Coast family business helping households and businesses clear clutter, move furniture…
