INSIDE THIS EDITION… LIFESAVER AMENAH RECOGNISED, PAGE 3
9 - 22 JANUARY, 2026
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Who’s up for cricket?
(Ivan Kemp) 526485_04
Harvey, Violet, Maisie and Lenny are pictured playing some beach cricket at Ocean Grove main beach on a lovely Tuesday 6 January before the mercury soared on Wednesday. While it was a pleasant 27 degrees on Tuesday, Wednesday was a stinker with north-westerly winds bringing the heat from central Australia and pushing the temperature to more than 40 degrees. A cool change swept through late afternoon to provide relief and Thursday was back to the mid-20s. Today (Friday 9 January) will be another hot one with the top temp pushing to 40 degrees before another cool change in the afternoon and then 24 degrees on Saturday. According to the BOM, the rest of the forecast period, in true southern Victorian fashion, will be cool with top temps struggling to reach 20 degrees. For more beach pictures on Wednesday, see page 19.
Roadwork blitz intersection’s traffic lights will be out of action, with a temporary roundabout in place to help manage traffic flow. The works will result in unavoidable road closures, with Barwon Heads Road itself closed between Boundary Road and allMotti Road from 9pm on 12 January to 6am on 13 January. Central Boulevard, which provides access to The Village Warralily, will be closed at Barwon Heads Road for nearly two weeks, from 9pm on 12 January to 6am 25 January. Detours will be signed for both road closures, including pedestrian detours for impacted walking paths.
Once Central Boulevard reopens on 25 January, construction crews will continue to work behind barriers until the intersection is completed in 2027. The works are part of Stage 2 of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade, worth $318 million, that will see the 6km stretch from Reserve Road to Lower Duneed Road become a four-lane arterial road. Stage 1 of the project, which was completed in 2023, delivered duplicated roads between Settlement Road, Belmont and Lower Duneed Road, new shared paths, improved intersections, lighting, and a new bridge over the railway at Marshall.
Big Build Roads program director Tim Price said the works, which would make journeys safer and more reliable for motorists, would be fully completed in 2028. “Our crews will work around the clock to safely upgrade this intersection and reopen Central Boulevard as quickly as possible,” he said “We thank the community for its patience as we continue working to deliver safer, more reliable travel for all the users of Barwon Heads Road.” Visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au/roads for more information about the project, including traffic changes.
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Roadworks on a key Armstrong Creek intersection will accelerate through January, with multiple road closures scheduled. Workers on the intersection of Barwon Heads Road and Central Boulevard will take advantage of reduced traffic in the final fortnight of the summer school holidays to deliver a two-week blitz as part of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade. Crews will work day and night to construct new through and turning lanes, sections of walking and cycling paths and install new traffic lights. While the works are underway the