Hunter Farmers All Dried Up

BY TYLER FARDELL


It's one of the worst droughts parts of Australia have ever seen and the Hunter is no exception, with many farmers in the region struggling to continue with their livelihood.

But a silver lining has shown through in these dry times, with the community getting behind the 'Buy a bale' campaign.

A farm in Glen Oak has received the first bale of hay from the campaign for the Hunter and there's plenty more to come.

The campaign is being supported by the Rural Aid charity as well as local newspapers throughout the Hunter and raised over $20,000 during the first two days.

The donations of hay to the Glen Oak farm was a welcome gift for farmer Norman Stork and his hungry cows, but many farmers still need support during this dry spell.

Parliamentary secretary for the Hunter Scot Macdonald met with the Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair and Member for the Upper Hunter Michael Johnson to show them the severity of the drought in the Hunter.

"The pastures are in a very dire state", Mr Macdonald said.

"Great to have the Mr Blair and Mr Johnson here and showing them the effect the drought has had in the Hunter".

Mr Macdonald is confident seeing the drought first hand will result in Mr Blair taking the issue to parliament and sending more support to struggling farmers.

Hay being delivered to Glen Oak
Photo source; The Maitland Mercury

Long Awaited Concept Designs for the Newcastle Cruise Terminal Unveiled

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Cruise ship passengers will soon get a first class welcome when they arrive in Newcastle.

The long-awaited concept designs for the Newcastle Cruise Terminal were released this morning.

The $12.7 million terminal will be built at the Channel Berth where passengers will be able to see harbour views and more easily move around, while the position in the harbour will allow for bigger cruise ships to visit Newcastle more often.

The design is influenced by Newcastle's working harbour. Image supplied.

Port of Newcastle's CEO Geoff Crowe said construction will be undertaken throughout next year and be finished by the end of 2018.

"The tenders for the lead construction firm open today and a principal contractor will be appointed early in the new year. So we are pushing pretty hard to make sure we meet that deadline and to also ensure we deliver the cruise terminal by the end of next year," said Geoff.

It's estimated that already cruise shipping in Newcastle injects around $11 million per annum into the local economy. Once finished, its expected the number will jump to around $26.7 million.

"As Novocastrians, we are proud of the contribution the port makes to the region's economy and this project will provide a welcome boost to businesses throughout the Hunter," said Geoff.

Image supplied.

The purpose-built facility will stretch over 3,000m2 and include facilities for passenger drop-off and pick up, coach parking and vessel provisioning.

It will give passengers a more professional experience as well. Geoff said it will be good-bye to the white marquee which goes up whenever a cruise ship pulls into the Port.

"I think most people are getting a bit tired of the white marquee go up and down. It's done a very good job for a number of years but the cruise terminal will replace the white marquee and it will give us a permanent, professional visiting experience for our passengers visiting the Port."

Image supplied.