Fire officials have defended the text message they sent to out to people in East Gippsland on Sunday saying they were dealing with extreme fire conditions on Monday with soaring temperatures and strong winds.The message, which was sent out at about lunch time on Sunday, panicked many people who packed up and left the area.Tourists visiting East Gippsland and residents all received the message...

More than 30 local volunteers joined members of the East Gippsland Conservation Management Network (EGCMN), in a rainforest at Metung’s Chinamans Creek last weekend to ‘lend a hand and learn’ about this special place.EGCMN manager, Tom Crook, shared some of his knowledge about both the natural features and problems this habitat faces, helping the group look at the forest with fresh eyes and a...

East Gippsland Water will bring in Stage 2 water restrictions for all customers reliant on the Mitchell River supply system and Buchan River from Monday, January 13.The East Gippsland region is experiencing its driest three years on record and the Mitchell River’s water flow fell below 265 megalitres per day on December 11, which is some 80 per cent below average for this time of year,...

With the fires in East Gippsland expected to continue burning for some time to come, authorities have erected a tent city on the Swan Reach football oval.More than 300 tents have been set up to accommodate rotational crews of firefighting taskforces from all over the state.Swan Reach will serve as a base camp for the huge fire response effort and constitutes a huge logistical operation.The camp,...

Work at the Hope Restart Centre near Bairnsdale is quickly nearing completion with preparations well underway for the centre to open its doors to clients early next year.Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, secured $3.8 million in Federal Government funding for the residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.Mr Chester recently met with Hope Restart Centre board chairman Peter...