Tuesday, 14 April, 2026
Opposition leader Angus Taylor visits Coldstream
Dee Slip bridge finally reopened
Healesville’s atomic history revealed
See Real Estate liftout inside
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A Star News Group Publication
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Iconic squad There is a changing of the guard in Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Detection Dog Squad. Two seasoned pooches are retiring, and two young pups are stepping up to continue vital conservation work sniffing out threatened species. Based at Healesville Sanctuary, these best noses in the biz help field biologists track the tiniest and most cryptic creatures, to those buried with barely a scent. Each breed brings its own superpower to the fight against extinction, and it’s the bond between dogs and humans that’s been driving big wins for wildlife. There’s the Kelpie-cross, Kip, who became the squad’s first recruit in 2019. Labrador Moss is the squad’s cheeky character, who joined in 2020 after proving too energetic as a pet. Labrador, Beatrix, or Bea is a fiveyear-old black Lab with previous experience at K9 Bellator detecting explosives before a conservation career change. Read more on page 20
The team enjoying working together. (Jo Howell, Zoos Victoria)
Teenager airlifted By Oliver Winn The opening of Warburton Bike Park’s newest trails and the launch of shuttle services will be one to remember, for reasons both good and bad. Taking place across the weekend of 4 April, the opening saw sold out shuttle buses and a great riding experience for mountain bikers. But, the mood was soured by a serious incident on the Mad Max trail which saw a major emergency services response in the
early afternoon. It ended with a male teenager being airlifted to The Royal Children’s Hospital with upper and lower body injuries in a serious but stable condition. Despite the incident, the rest of the opening weekend ran smoothly, and Yarra Ranges Council mayor Richard Higgins said it was wonderful to see the wide smiles of riders experiencing the new trails for the first time.
“We welcomed locals and visitors, men and women, young riders and the young at heart,” Cr Higgins said. With the new opening of the trails, Warburton Bike Park now offers more than 70 kilometres of trails and 650 metres of elevation. Additional trails will open throughout the year, with the full 125km Southern Network expected to be completed by 2027. Ride Time Bikes manager Matt Swann said the
Warburton Bike Park was “the biggest thing to happen to mountain biking ever, in the history of Australian mountain biking”. “There must’ve been thousands of people riding the trails over the weekends, the weather was fantastic, and the trails held up really well.” But, he said there was “virtually no inclusion” of local bike businesses in the opening event and it left him feeling “passed over and ignored”. Read more on page 7
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