South Gippsland Shire Council has adopted its 2026-27 annual budget, delivering a 2.75 per cent rate rise and a $24.26 million capital works program after a spirited debate at last Wednesday’s council meeting that saw one councillor vote against.

A wish list of parking and access improvements for Fish Creek has been left unfunded in South Gippsland Shire Council's 2026/27 budget, despite a detailed community submission outlining a string of practical concerns about how visitors, locals and service vehicles move through the town.

South Gippsland Shire Council's 2026/27 budget confirms a significant pullback in funding for public toilets across the shire, both in terms of new infrastructure and the ongoing cleaning of some existing non-Council-owned facilities.

The sun was shining and the breeze was light, so volunteers at the VICSES Foster Unit were surprised that their pagers went off three times the Sunday before last!

Is the thylacine really extinct? It's a question that has fascinated Australians for generations, and one that has consumed Tasmanian based researcher Neil Waters for the past 12 years.

Waratah Beach Surf Life Saving Club has made history, claiming a silver medal at the Victorian IRB State Championships in the women's mass rescue event, with the club's first ever state medal in IRB racing after 12 years of competition.

A petition carrying more than 2,000 signatures calling for a three-year rates freeze failed to sway the majority of South Gippsland Shire councillors at Wednesday 17 June's budget meeting, but it did generate the meeting's most pointed debate.