A look back at 2023
January All about sport THE new year started with a roar as power-boat enthusiasts gathered for the Eppalock Gold Cup. In a day jam-packed with speed and...
Heathcote remembered part one
IN NOVEMBER 1913 the McIvor Times published a short history of the Heathcote district. This first extract covers early European settlement with its vast pastoral...
From the pages of the McIvor Times
FIRE, politics and the march of progress feature in this journey into the past. In 1873, one local family lost their house just before Christmas,...
The man who put Heathcote on the map
WHEN newly appointed district surveyor Philip Chauncy arrived in Heathcote in late September 1853, the McIvor diggings were less than a year old. William Bulling’s...
From the pages of the McIvor Times
SNAKES, alleged liquor licensing lawbreakers and the future of the Heathcote post office feature in this journey into the past. Changes to licensing laws in...
Saving Heathcote’s oldest building
HEATHCOTE’S oldest building has been fully-restored and is now home to critically-acclaimed restaurant Chauncy. But when Jasper Hill Winery proprietors Ron and Elva Laughton purchased...
The legacy of a lovable rogue
HENRY Rood Palling was one of Heathcote’s more prominent nineteenth century citizens and his larger-than-life persona inspired the naming of the present-day Palling Bros...
Heathcote Show art and craft competition results
Senior categories GARDEN AND FARM PRODUCE Trophy (donated in memory of the late Mr & Mrs F. Rowell): B. Mathieson, Blue ribbon, best exhibit: C....
Crowds flock to Heathcote Show
ORGANISERS have declared the 2023 Heathcote Show a resounding success after more than one-thousand two-hundred and fifty people came through the gates on Melbourne...
Looking back on the Heathcote Show
THE first Heathcote Spring Show took place on 15 November 1882. Its supporters, including the McIvor Times, hoped that competing for show honours would help...
From the pages of the McIvor Times
IN this month’s journey into the district’s past, 150-year-old warnings about snakes echo recent posts about reptilian dangers on local Facebook groups, and a...
It’s almost showtime!
AFTER three years of cancellations, the Heathcote Show is back on Tuesday 7 November and organisers say it’s shaping up to be bigger and...
Heathcote’s grand pastoral run
The Mount Camel Estate IN the 1840s, the wider Heathcote district was home to several large pastoral runs including what was then known as Mount...
Last train to Heathcote
Golden age of rail THE Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay Railway Company launched Australia’s first passenger railway in September 1854 with a four-kilometre track running from...
From the pages of the McIvor Times
A BROWSE through the McIvor Times over the past 150 years reveals an eclectic range of stories. From a search for a gun, to a...
Netball player marks double century of games
TARA Condon has just celebrated her two-hundredth game with Heathcote Football Netball Club with the current A Reserve player first taking to the court...
New scoreboard brightens up gamedays
LOCAL netballers have a new electronic scoreboard courtesy of a grant from the Community Bank Heathcote & District. Following the more than $5500 donation, volunteers...
Meet the starman looking at the sky
NORM Matyson wants to share his passion for astronomy with everyone. From time-to-time he sets up one of his telescopes at Heathcote on a Friday...
Dementia villa on the home stretch
COSTERFIELD House, the Heathcote Dementia Alliance’s prototype care villa, is almost complete. HDA founder and president Sandra Slatter said there were only a few finishing...
Movie night shaping up all right
THERE’S still an opportunity to grab a ticket for the upcoming Heathcote Film Festival. Festival spokesperson Duncan McGann said there were a few left for...
Black tie magic makes a night to remember
THE recent Heathcote Community Black Tie Ball was a chance for district residents to frock up and put on their dancing shoes. Heathcote RSL Sub...
Have your say on cost-of-living crunch
MEMBER for Euroa ,Annabelle Cleeland, wants to gain a better understanding of how current cost-of-living pressures are affecting regional Victorian household and business budgets. As...
Firefighters debrief after floods
A RECENT flood recovery event at Munari Wines gave Eppalock Group volunteer firefighters a chance to share their stories from last year’s floods. CFA co-ordinator...
Story time fun at Tooborac PS
A NEW weekly story time session at a local school is all about building community connections. Tooborac Primary teacher Cheryl Ward said the event was...