WELCOME to “Pride of Port Stephens”, a new regular column from News Of The Area highlighting the unique icons that make the region special. THE Bay’s favourite local celebrity, Eric the Emu, has inhabited his iconic, often overgrown and flooded roadside paddock, since he was a chick - initially alongside

MEDOWIE residents Michael Walton and Paul Rooms appeared last week as witnesses to an inquiry into ‘forever chemical’ contamination in waterways and drinking water supplies throughout NSW. The inquiry, overseen by a NSW Upper House select committee, rolled into Newcastle on Tuesday, 4 February, following hearings and site visits in the

STAGE one of planned reconfiguration work is now underway ahead of Newcastle Airport’s international terminal opening in August. Newcastle Airport Interim CEO Andrew Warrender said the airfield reconfiguration was an important step in the airport’s attempt to become a “world-class international gateway”. Advertise with News of The Area today. It's worth

AUSTRALIA’S aluminium industry is set to share in billions of dollars of investment to help it convert to renewable energy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Tomago on Monday to unveil a green aluminium production credit scheme that will provide financial support to smelters changing their energy source before 2036. Advertise with

THE summer holiday season has once again brought hordes of visitors to Port Stephens, sparking debate over ways to better manage traffic congestion. As it has previously, the Tomaree Headland Heritage Group (THHG) set up “help desks” at Tomaree Headland from Boxing Day into the new year, providing local information

STATE MP Kate Washington joined Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson and councillors Chris Doohan, Jason Wells and Nathan Errington for a tour of the new amenities building at Yulong Oval late last month. Led by members of the Medowie Football Club and Medowie Cricket Club, the party explored the $2.6

FINDING a path after school can be tricky, especially when you have additional needs, but Otto van de Wijgaart is taking charge of his future by following his passion. The Newcastle-based pop culture artist lives with autism and intellectual delay, but this has not prevented him from becoming Uniting’s 2024/25 Abstract

SUNDAY, 15 December, was a special day for Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) as it hosted the last Nippers event of 2024 and relaunched an important piece of equipment. For the past six years, beach matting has provided wheelchair-friendly access to Fingal Beach for hundreds of thousands

NEWCASTLE Airport will host the Australasia Aviation Roundtable for the first time from 18-20 June 2025, ahead of the planned grand opening of its international terminal on 1 August. The event will bring together airlines, airport representatives, and aviation professionals to discuss the future of aviation and tourism. Advertise with