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Weekly Mini Crossword Week 04/11/2025 Challenge
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All go for interchange
A MAJOR milestone has been reached in Wallan’s long campaign for better freeway access, with Australian-owned company, Winslow, awarded the contract to deliver the Watson Street Interchange Upgrade, a project set to transform how locals travel in and out of the fast-growing town.
The $175 million project, jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, will finally complete a full diamond interchange at Watson Street, providing the missing south-facing ramps that have long caused congestion and safety issues for motorists. The Australian Government is contributing $90 million, with the Victorian Government investing $85 million.
Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the upgrade represents one of the region’s most significant road investments in decades.
“The delivery of this project is my number one priority for Wallan. I am proud to be part of a government that, in partnership with the Victorian Government, is delivering this essential piece of infrastructure for our community as promised. Not only will this make our travel to and from home safer, it will mean less time on the road and more time with our families,” Mr Mitchell said.
Early works are already underway, with crews on site conducting investigations and establishing the project compound. Major construction is expected to start in early 2026, with completion scheduled for late 2027.
The upgrade will cater for up to 30,000 vehicle movements a day, improving access for commuters, freight operators, and emergency services. It will also feature new walking and cycling paths, enhancing safety and connectivity for all road users.
Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence said the contract award means the long-anticipated project is finally moving from planning to delivery.
“This long-awaited upgrade is another step closer and will change the way residents travel in and out of Wallan. It will ease congestion, reduce delays and mean locals spend less time in their car and more time with their families,” Ms Spence said.
Calls for a full interchange at Watson Street stretch back several years. In November 2019, Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, raised the issue in State Parliament, urging the government to prioritise construction of the southern-oriented Hume Freeway on and off ramps to exit and enter Watson Street.
In August 2020, the Federal Government announced an initial $50 million commitment for the upgrade, and planning continued through 2023 and 2024, led by Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV). The business case identified the interchange as a critical piece of infrastructure for Wallan’s future growth.
With Wallan’s population expected to more than double in coming years, the interchange is seen as vital to easing pressure on existing routes such as the Northern Highway and High Street, and to unlocking further residential and industrial development in Wallan East.
Right project wrong place
WHITTLESEA locals say a project planned for Black Flat Road is needed but in a more suitable location as concerns mount over traffic, safety, and environmental impact on a narrow urban road.
Around 100 Whittlesea residents gathered recently to voice strong opposition to a proposed three-storey, 51-bed aged care facility planned for 3 Black Flat Road, arguing the development is “not in the right location.”
While the residents group made it clear they support the need for more aged care services in Whittlesea, they say the semi-rural street is unsuitable for a large-scale facility due to traffic, safety, and environmental concerns.
Janine Harvey, who is leading the community opposition, said the proposal, which includes 21 parking spaces, is inadequate to accommodate staff and visitors.
“This development is totally insufficient. We would be faced with a big increase in traffic, and local streets would be overrun with parked cars. It’s not safe or practical in a residential area where older people are walking on uneven ground,” Ms Harvey said.
The proposed site sits next to a new childcare centre under construction at 1 Black Flat Road, which residents say will already add significant traffic pressure to the narrow road. Locals also raised concerns about rural-style fencing and limited pedestrian safety along the stretch.
Stephen Harvey outlined a number of additional issues, including parking overflow, the difficulty of large vehicles navigating Black Flat Road, the impact on neighbourhood character, and the need to protect the area’s biodiversity and bushfire safety buffer near Mount Disappointment.
Residents also dispute claims made by the developer that there are no other aged care options within a 15 kilometre radius.
“The developer clearly hasn’t done its homework,” Ms Harvey said.
“There are already two aged care facilities in Whittlesea, and Council approved another aged care and retirement village on Plenty Road in May this year. That site, opposite Funfields, is far more suitable and located next to the industrial area.”
The resident group is urging others to lodge formal objections with the City of Whittlesea, citing planning reference PLN-44075, 3 Black Flat Road, Whittlesea 3757. Objections can be emailed to buildplan@whittlesea.vic.gov.au.
Further information and updates are available via the community Facebook page “3 Black Flat Rd, Whittlesea” or by contacting Janine Harvey at 3blackflatroad@gmail.com.
GDCA Sunny side up
THE cricket season’s first series of two-day matches were played on the weekend with mixed results keeping the punters on the edge of their seats in brilliant, sunny weather across the region.
Gisborne and District Cricket Association (GDCA)
In round five of the McIntyre Cup, the Broadford Firsts dished it up to Macedon at Harley Hammond.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, an opening partnership between Sikander Sharma and Braden Hickey accumulated 108 runs.
The Macedon Cats cheered when Sharma was run out on 42, and later Hickey was caught out by Zavier Smitten on 66.
Fourth order batter, Iezaz Ul Hassan wowed the crowd with its first six in a short innings (8) as did Dilsher Pal Singh (8).
In between, Joshua Nolan came close to half a century (42) and later Jeremy Bradshaw added 26 to the scoreboard until he was also dismissed when the bails lifted.
Nathan Woods was still on the crease and Bryan Fleming did not get to bat as umpire, Kevin Oakley, called the match finished at 73.1 overs on 227
Broadford played the highest scoring game in the round and Macedon opened their innings sending Gareth De Rosayro (11) and Harry Pender (4) out to face the music.
Macedon captain Cameron Howlett spoke to the Review and confirmed Macedon is second on the ladder, and that they have five players out with injuries.
Rupertswood challenged Woodend at Salesian College in Sunbury and finished 10/197 across 75.3 overs. Woodend’s opening batters donned the pads, Daniel Eastley (4) and Harry Lawson (1) giving chase.
Romsey travelled to play Wallan for their first clash of the season and after winning the toss, they elected to field first.
Romsey fielded brilliantly and denied the magpies big runs. Aaron Paterson claimed four wickets including Jack Mifsud’s (15) and Bryce Vance’s (48).
Late in the batting order, Zac Bell finished on the pitch (22) with Campbell Fowler (16) and the umpire declared the day over (80). Romsey will be chasing 154 when they bat.
Gisborne, the team to beat, played Sunbury United at Gardiner Reserve and are chasing 10/192 when they resume their innings with Brenton Cook (2) and Spencer Jones (8) on the pitch next Saturday.
McIntyre seconds get it started
Romsey hosted Wallan and racked up a massive score card, 6/345 when they won the toss and chose to bat first.
Matthew Richardson (48) Adam Frost (97), Nathan Hoy (40) and Archie Jedwab (53 not out) did the most damage.
For Wallan, the wickets were shared with one each from Darby Bishop, Ekampreet Singh, James Farrell, Beau Fowler and Troy Jeffs.
Wallan certainly have their job cut out for them on Saturday at Romsey Reserve.
Gisborne played Sunbury United at Langama Park in Sunbury and won the toss and batted first.
Reegan Scott (57) opened the innings and made exciting progress whacking four fours. The promising batting order was disrupted with four ducks and the side finished at 73 overs with 203.
Rupertswood and Woodend played at Kyneton and are 3/67 and 10/145 respectively.
Rhys Bennett claimed seven wickets for Rupertswood who are second on the ladder, while Woodend are third.
Finally, Broadford fielded brilliantly against Macedon at Tony Clarke.
Cody Ball claimed three wickets and Jake Lovell two.
Late in the innings, Michael Mirabella damaged the run card when he delivered Joe Evans a golden duck. Macedon put 101 runs up for Broadford to chase.
With Connor Stute (35) and Mitchell Collier (19) making a great start by sending thrilling fours to the boundary, and only one wicket down (Kyle Hopkins) they have it in them. Broadford need 34 runs to win.
Johnstone Shield Firsts
Playing their first round of two-day matches, Eastern Hill’s campaign for season finalists were played out against Diggers Rest Bulla Village on Saturday when they won the toss and chose the crease.
Diggers are chasing 264, the most runs made for the round.
In Eastern Hills middle order, Oscar Newell (84) and Nathan Fowler (91) did the most damage.
Sunbury’s Charlie Hammond-Collins and Jake Reid fielded brilliantly with two wickets and two wicket keeper catches respectively.
Eynesbury played East Sunbury at Eynesbury and in another high scoring innings the Power declared at 80 overs, 252.
Kilmore travelled to play Harkness where they won the toss and chose to field first.
Ben Dawson’s and Elliot Frendo’s bowling was on fire, between them taking seven wickets! Harkness was dismissed on 138 across 46.4 overs.
Kilmore’s stalwart Dale Tassone (48) and Josh Squire at the other end will face his first ball when play resumes on Saturday, at Arnolds Creek, Kilmore need 45 runs to win.
Finally, Lancefield and Sunbury Kangaroos are hitting it off at Lancefield in what is a low scoring match to date.
The Kangaroos fielded well with their private player taking three wickets early in the game.
Adam Ferney and Mace Green collected two each and across 54.2 overs Lancefield made 105.
The Roo’s are off to a good start, with private player (26) and Russell Philipps (9) to return to the pitch on Saturday chasing 53.
In between Harrison Lehner claimed Jordan Ballinder’s wicket with a golden duck, The Johnstone Shield seconds series resumes with one day matches on Saturday.
The overall ladder has East Sunbury on top, followed by Eynesbury and Diggers Rest Bulla Village.
The Jensen Shields competition featuring twelve teams competing across the summer fixture was in recess.
Riddell, Trentham and Gisborne’s teams are occupying the top three ladder positions respectively. Wallan is in sixth place, and it will be play away on Saturday at Riddells.
In the thirds, Kilmore has a lot to do to lift off the bottom rung to rise above Eynesbury at LB Davern on Saturday.
Melton South, Melton and Rupertswood are the teams to beat in the 2025/26 fixture.
The Kookaburra’s also had a break on the weekend, and the Review has learnt that Darley has withdrawn from its T20 competition.
Kilmore will play away against Lancefield Black on Sunday and Wallan also play away against Gisborne.
In the B grade, Broadford are hosting Melton Centrals at playing at Harley Hammond.
Whittlesea’s bowling blues
WHITTLESEA went down to Lalor in their weekend pennant bowls clash on Saturday, with the visitors claiming a solid victory.
Playing on their home greens, Whittlesea struggled to match Lalor’s consistency across the rinks, falling 68 shots to 88.
The result saw Lalor take home 14 points, while Whittlesea picked up 4.
Despite the loss, several close ends kept spectators entertained throughout the afternoon, with Whittlesea showing glimpses of form they’ll look to build on in the coming rounds.
Tight win and a loss in thrillers
IT was a dramatic weekend of cricket in the DVCA competition on Saturday, with South Morang recording a hard-fought victory and Laurimar seeing a three run loss in low and high-scoring one-day encounters.
It was a tough outing for Laurimar’s First XI on Saturday, as they fell narrowly short in a tense one-day clash against Keon Park at J.C. Donath Reserve.
After being sent in to bat, Laurimar struggled to build partnerships and were dismissed for 112 in the 32nd over. Despite some determined resistance in the middle order, wickets fell regularly as Keon Park’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding kept the pressure on throughout the innings.
Laurimar’s bowlers gave their side a real chance with a spirited defence of the modest total. Early breakthroughs had Keon Park reeling at 3/35, and hopes of an upset were alive as the chase tightened. However, a composed partnership through the middle overs steadied the hosts, who eventually reached 6/115 in the 30th over to snatch the win.
While the loss was disappointing, Laurimar can take positives from their fighting effort with the ball and in the field, showing resilience and teamwork that will serve them well as they look to bounce back next round.
Finals scores were Keon Park 6 for 115 to Laurimar 10 for 112.
Meanwhile, at Mill Park Lakes Recreation Reserve, South Morang edged past Thomastown United in a thrilling finish that went down to the final overs.
Thomastown United batted first and posted 10/183 from their allotted 40 overs, a competitive total built on several handy contributions through the middle order. But South Morang’s chase was measured and determined, reaching 8/185 in the 39th over to secure victory with just a few deliveries to spare. Thomastown finished the day 10 for 183.
The win showcased South Morang’s depth and composure under pressure, with lower-order contributions proving decisive in what turned out to be one of the round’s closest finishes.
Both matches highlighted the competitive nature of this season’s one-day fixtures, with early-season form suggesting a tightly contested campaign ahead.
Whittlesea had a bye at the weekend and will return to the crease to face McLeod on November 8.
Seymour’s Motocross triple champ
ACROSS the weekend, Seymour rider, Nate Shortt competed in the Northern Regions Motocross (MX) championships at the Goulburn Valley Junior Motorcycle club in Mooroopna.
Nate qualified to ride in three individual events, as classified by the engine size of the bike, and as well as celebrating his 15th birthday on the weekend, he has three trophies to add to his collection!
In a press release, Nate spelled out his excitement on winning A Grade 85cc, 125cc, and 250cc titles in the same year.
“I raced my very first Northerns back in 2018 at Albury, on my little 50cc,” he said.
“I’ve raced every year since.
“There’ve been some epic battles, some wild stacks, and a few moments that nearly gave Mum a heart attack.
“It’s been such an awesome journey. I’ve met some of the best people, made lifelong friends, and learned heaps along the way.
“The older riders have always been there to support me, and I’ve tried to do the same for the younger riders coming through now.”
Nate competed in Darwin last month and as captain of the Victorian 85 team at the MXGP.
Nate said mechanically, it was a tough gig.
“A tough one at MXGP unfortunately,” he wrote on his social media.
“[I] thought we had the bike dialled but we didn’t . Thankfully, [I] still managed to qualify and pushed hard in every moto. Not the results I wanted, but the focus is on Aussies now.”
The following week, Nate raced in the Australian Junior MX Championships in Gillman, SA where he did Victoria proud as the fastest Victorian in 85 and 125 classes and second fastest Victorian in the 250.
“My first Aussie titles and wow what a hectic week,” he wrote.
“Racing three bikes was tough! But I did it…my goals were to get top 10 in all classes and I achieved that.”
Overall, Nate placed fourth in the 85’s, ninth in the 125’s, and eighth in the 250’s, he certainly met his personal goals.
Nate also announced on social media that he will be focusing on the ProMX and SX series, and we at the Review look forward to sharing more of Nate’s success stories.
Police beat; October 27 to November 2, 2025
The following crimes were reported to Eastern District 3 (ED3) Proactive Policing Unit
WALLAN
Theft
Between 2:00pm on 29/10/2025 and 6:30am on 31/10/2025 unknown offender/s attended a premises under construction in Palm Cct, Beveridge and stolen electrical cable valued at $7,000.
Burglary
Between 3:00pm 30/102025 and 11:45am 2/11/2025 unknown offender/s attended a property on Donovans Lane, Beveridge and damaged fences and gates allowing animals to escape. Offender/s accessed a shipping container: stolen property includes chainsaws, power and hand tools.
KILMORE
Theft from Motor Vehicle
Between 1:00pm 26/10/2025 and 6:00am 27/10/2025 unknown offender/s attended an address in Buloke Cres and stole the rear number plate from a white Holden Colorado.
Burglary
Between 8:00pm 31/10/2025 at 08:00pm and 8:00am 1/11/2025 unknown offender/s attended a vacant address in Baden Drive, Heathcote Junction stealing a set of keys and damage by graffiti valued at $200.
If you can assist in any information about the above incidents contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or your local Police Station.