Roads going half potty

REGIONAL Roads Victoria maintenance crews will make inspection of the crumbling Calder Highway at Inglewood a priority.

Large pot holes, one up to half a metre wide and several centimetres deep, have appeared in Brooke Street in the past fortnight.

Department of Transport and Planning was alerted to the condition of the highway last Friday. It comes as potholes and deteriorating road surfaces at Bridgewater and along the Loddon Val-

Hairy moments in good grooming

THE challenge is on to honour the Loddon’s best groomed bloke. Tarnagulla’s Strictly Vintage Fair next month wants to find the best groomed moustache and beard in its Facial Hair Extraordinaire competition.

Locals Brett Trenenen and Lance Billen have thrown out the challenge for any one to face off against the hirsute veterans.

Brett started growing his beard the day he left the army in 1987 to augment his previously regimented moustache.

And newcomer to facial grooming, Lance, only started his growth eight years ago when the lure of gold prospecting brought him to the area.

Lance says he may even wax the moustache for competition day.

ley Highway at Serpentine have raised concerns with motorists.

A department spokesperson said on Tuesday: “Last year the Inglewood area experienced the wettest year on record.

“This unprecedented level of rainfall caused incredible levels of damage to our roads and we’re still seeing new potholes open up months after the peak of the floods due to the amount of water left sitting under the surface.

“We’re getting on with repairing that damage, with $770 mil- lion set to be spent on maintaining our road assets and flood recovery during 2023-2024 and $2.8 billion over 10 years announced as part of the Victorian Budget.”

The spokesperson said: “Incredible levels of rainfall across Victoria in the past two years ... caused a huge amount of damage to our roads.

“Our experts are finalising a program of works that will repair hundreds of kilometres of our state’s roads, keeping drivers

Vietnam Veterans’ Day

and freight on the move across Victoria.

“In order to carry out these vital repairs, we need to wait for drier, warmer conditions – delivering this type of work when conditions are cold and wet means we risk the repairs not delivering a long-term solution.

“Our crews are continuing to monitor every single kilometre of our arterial road network on a regular basis, delivering shortterm repairs where needed and planning for long-term solutions.”

VIETNAM Veterans’ Day will be commemorated with a brief service at Inglewood’s war memorial tomorrow evening. The 6pm service will be held on the anniversary of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Long Tan. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the Federal Government has struck a commemorative medallion for veterans.

Sounds of steam

MUSIC lovers are on track for a weekend-long treat with Monday’s announcement of Sound Tracks, a new live music and tourism experience set on a restored steam train that will travel from Melbourne to Charlton in October. The journey is part of a series of flood recovery music events that includes Whole Loddon Love playing in Boort, Pyramid Hill, Bridgewater and Newbridge ahead of the 2022 flood emergency anniversary.

Final functions

WEDDERBURN sporting groups are preparing for their final functions in the Donaldson Park pavilion before it is demolished as part of the $5 million community hub upgrade. Sports end of season events will be held this month.