Man Charged Over Upper Hunter Shooting

 BY IAN CROUCH

A man is due to face court today (Thursday 9 October, 2025) over the alleged shooting death of a man in the Upper Hunter.

Emergency services were called to a property on Rotherwood Road at Cassilis just before 9.00am yesterday to reports a man had sustained a gunshot wound while hunting.

Paramedics attended the scene and declared the 71-year-old man deceased.

Following inquiries, a 63-year-old man was arrested and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station where he was charged with manslaughter and fire firearm likely to injury persons or property.

He's been refused bail ahead of his court appearance today.  

 

NEWCASTLE AIRPORT – Direct Flights to Tasmania Announced

Newcastle Airport has announced a seasonal flight to Hobart, Tasmania. The service will begin on the 2nd of December and run 3 times a week until late April of next year.

The Airport will also be sponsoring a Tasmanian Devil, dubbed “Newy”, as part of the project.

Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton says its exciting to provide a direct connection.

“It’s a seasonal route, but that gives us capacity for about 22,000 passengers to go back and forth between Newcastle and Hobart, which is great,” he said.

“For the region, we’re adding more connections for people to the places that matter to them; there’s such a strong demand from the Hunter going to Tasmania during the summer.

“It’ll give the region more travel choice, supporting the Hunter economy and [create] new opportunities,” he said. 

Photo Credit: Newcastle Airport

  

GLENDALE – Map Mix Up? Train Station Marked on Transport Plan

 A map mix up in the Hunter Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan is drawing attention to calls for a train station at Glendale.

The plan announced by the State Government last week identifies Glendale as a future transport destination, but the map appears to mistakenly mark railway next to the shopping centre between Cardiff and Cockle Creek as an existing station.

The map also appears to include Civic and Newcastle stations, which were cut over ten years ago before the introduction of light rail on Hunter Street.

Plans for a Glendale station have been talked of for decades, most recently floated in 2019 amid talk of a Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange, but by 2021 Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said it was “flogging a dead horse”.

We asked Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison’s office about the maps. We were told the plan does not contain concrete commitments but strategic direction, and does generally flag Glendale as a focus area for better service provision.

 

SWANSEA – Power Pole up in Flames, Cuts Electricity

 Power is still out to about 36 customers at Swansea after a pole caught alight just after 5 o’clock this morning on the Pacific Highway southbound, just after the bridge.

Emergency services arrived to find the pole arcing, with smoke issuing. An exclusion zone was set up while crews waited for the power to be switched off.

Firefighters then extinguished the blaze. Power’s expected to be back up by 3 o’clock this afternoon.

 

BUCHANAN CRASH – Woman Dies, Critical Incident Declared

 Police say a critical incident investigation is underway following a fatal accident at Buchanan on Buchanan Road at Louth Park Road.

The road is closed in both directions between Louth Park Road and Valley View Lane.

At 10:45am today police attempted to pull over a vehicle, which briefly stopped before leaving the scene. A short time later, the vehicle crashed into a high-voltage power pole and caught alight.

The female driver and sole occupant died at the scene. While yet to be formally identified, she’s believed to be aged in her 30s.

Police say the incident will be subject to an independent review by the Professional Standards Command.

Buchanan Road. Credit: Google Maps

Man Arrested After Pursuit At Rutherford

 BY IAN CROUCH

Court today (Friday 3 October, 2025) for a man allegedly involved in a police pursuit at Rutherford overnight.

Patrolling officers say they noticed a Silver Isuzu SUV being driven is a suspicious manner on Fairfax Road just before 1.30am and gave chase when the vehicle failed to stop.

It's alleged the SUV reached 100 km/hr in a 50 zone before the driver pulled over on Dunkley Street.

Police say the 22-year-old driver was in possession of small quantities of cocaine, cannabis and steroids as well as a knife.

He's been refused bail to face court today charged with driving while disqualified, drug possession, breach of bail and having custody of a knife. 

 

Hunter Housing Industry Welcomes Home Deposit Reforms

 The Housing Industry Association says new Federal reforms to home deposits will open up access to the market and drive up demand.

The Federal Government this week announced first home buyers of all income levels can now purchase a home with only a 5% deposit. In the event of a default, the Government will step in.

But there’s criticism the scheme will inflate property prices.

The Association’s Hunter Executive Director Craig Jennion says he’s not concerned.

“You need to understand the difference between the real estate market and the housing market and they are very much linked,” he said.

“The key is that in the very short term, yes, we will see a slight increase as there are more people out purchasing homes.

“But the great news is that over time we’ll actually see an increase in supply and as a result we’ll see prices stabilise and hopefully actually start to fall,” he said.

Craig Jennion. Via LinkedIn