News

Construction starts on new ambulance station

Construction has begun on a long-awaited $9m ambulance station on Bald Hills Road at Mt Barker. SA Health Minister Chris Picton was at Mt Barker last week to mark the beginning of work and said the town was in clear need of better health services...

Scott Murphy

How to manage animal dangers on Hills roads

Motorists are being reminded how to safely handle incidents involving animals on the road, as data shows autumn is the worst time for animal collisions. RAA data has revealed that since 2020, animal collision claims in SA increased by an average of...

Whooping cough cases on the rise

With whooping cough infections in SA already more than eight times greater in number than they were by the same time last year, Hills doctors are calling for less complacency as winter approaches. SA Health has reported 100 cases of whooping cough...

Crafers a regional speeding hotspot

Crafers has been revealed as the State’s regional speeding hotspot, with more than 7000 motorists collecting almost $4m in fines from the freeway speed camera in the town last year. Police data recently revealed the top ten regional sites for...

17 Apr 2024

Arsonist to spend almost a decade in prison

The arsonist who deliberately lit the 2021 Cherry Gardens bushfire will spend a minimum of nine years behind bars. Gregory McGannon, 63, of Hallett Cove, was handed a 14-year prison sentence from District Court Judge Emily Telfer earlier this week...

17 Apr 2024

More funding needed to continue tree salvage work after Cudlee Creek fire

A local organisation which recovers and repurposes plantation trees impacted by the Cudlee Creek bushfire is at risk of disbanding, but co-founder Cass Selwood says its work is not done yet. Treecovery was formed in 2021 by a team of locals whose...

Hills homelessness an ‘epidemic’

Housing supply and affordability in the Hills is reaching a “critical point”, with a Mt Barker reverend reporting a significant increase in people seeking short-term accommodation, while a man who is experiencing homelessness labels the current...

Rise in number seeking financial help

A local community outreach organisation has seen a “significant” uptake in people needing financial support, as Hills residents continue to face mortgage stress and cost of living pressures. Mt Barker Community Centre (MBCC) manager Nicki van...

Tony to provide a voice for First Nations people

SA First Nations Voice to Parliament representative Tony Wayne Minniecon, who was elected to the advisory body last month, is confident that the spark that will light the fire of reconciliation can never be extinguished. A Kabi Kabi (Sunshine Coast)...

Gather Gone? Mt Barker AFL games in doubt

The future of Gather Round games at Mt Barker hangs in the balance, despite record attendance at two AFL matches in the Hills over the weekend. Mt Barker’s Summit Sport and Recreation Park hosted clashes between the Sydney Swans and the West Coast...

Scott Murphy

Customers return, but support still needed

Stirling Business Association chair Sarah Burchell is “grateful” to shoppers returning to the main street over the past month, but says more needs to be done to attract locals and visitors and prevent the recent uptick from falling away again...

03 Apr 2024

New plan for old post office

A 19th Century cottage that served as Upper Sturt’s local post office for five decades could be renovated and turned into a community facility, under plans lodged with the Adelaide Hills Council. Originally constructed in the 1880s before it was...