Established in 1981 as the
proudly serving Sunbury and Macedon Ranges
28 APRIL, 2026
Competition heats up
(Damjan Janevski) 548145_05
The crowning champions of the 2025 Edgy Veg awards are hoping to reclaim their title as the 2026 awards heads to a close. Owner and manager of Macedon Ranges Wholefoods Kat Elise (pictured) caught up with the Star Weekly to chat about how the awards boosted business for the Gisborne store, and how their soup this year is tracking in the awards. Read more on page 4.
Tree clearing backlash By Georgia Tacey A plan to remove a number of trees from Mount Macedon has “blindsided” Macedon Ranges council and the wider community. On 13 April, Parks Victoria began its Mount Macedon Memorial Cross view lines project, which aims to reinstate views to the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross and offer a wider view of the Melbourne skyline for visitors to the Cross Reserve through the removal of trees.
Council and environmentalists were only notified the project had received approval from the planning minister, having been deemed a project of state significance, on the same day, A planning application was brought to council with the same title by Parks Victoria back in 2023, which was refused following community backlash. Macedon and Mount Macedon Landcare president Kate Lawrence said she heard no more about the project until 13 April. “That was a total shock to everyone
because of the process, there hadn’t been any warning, there hadn’t been any ability to speak, to make representations to the minister, to advocate on behalf of the trees,” she said. In a community update published to Parks Victoria’s website in April, the organisation said it was proceeding with the plan following community consultation in July 2023. Parks Victoria said a minimal amount of regrowth snow gums that grew after the fi res in 1983 were to be removed as part of
the project, with a revegetation program planned to plant more in and around the park. Ms Lawrence said she and other environmentalists headed to the cross in an attempt to stop the destruction. “We started to gather up at the mountain in the car park there from Wednesday and we went and sat where the machines were, and that stopped work for two days,” she said. Continued: Page 3.
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