5G comes to Shepparton
Telstra will be upgrading its mobile base station in Shepparton CBD.
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To date, there have been 10 other upgrade projects delivered as part of rolling out 5G to Shepparton and Mooroopna, this is the final upgrade to be completed in this round of works.
Mobile services in the area will be temporarily affected while the upgrade works are under way.
Full site outage will happen from Saturday, June 14 to Friday, June 20 and minor or intermittent interruptions from Monday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 25.
Telstra customers can continue to make calls and send texts during disruption to mobile services by switching on Wi-Fi Calling.
BOM water app to close
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Water Storage app is being decommissioned and will retire on August 20.
Once retired, the app will no longer be available to download from the App Store and the app will stop serving new data.
The water storage data found in the app is available in alternative bureau products.
- Water Storage dashboard
- Water Data Online
- Murray–Darling Basin water information portal
Most water utilities also provide water storage information via their website or app.
Broad calls for ’roo cull
Urgent action is needed to manage kangaroo numbers across the region, State Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad said.
Ms Broad said the most reliable statistics on accidents involving kangaroos were from insurance companies and wildlife rescue teams.
The RACV and Wildlife Victoria reported last year that there were nearly 10,000 collisions, but the real number is likely to be higher as many go unreported.
“Sustainable harvesting provides a way to manage kangaroo numbers, while also unlocking a valuable source of leather and meat,” she said.
“There is also a significant impact on our farmers, who are already battling drought.
“Kangaroos compete directly with livestock for feed and water, and the pressure on agricultural land is growing.”
Rail culvert works start soon
Rail culvert works to improve water delivery and rail safety work is about to start on a culvert on the Murray Valley No. 6 Channel south of Katunga.
Replacement of the culvert, which runs under the Shepparton-Tocumwal freight railway line north-west of the Allerts and Numurkah Rd intersection, is due to start on June 23.
The project is part of Goulburn-Murray Water’s Winter Works program, which takes place each year during the irrigation off-season.
Unlike the existing culvert, the replacement culvert will be constructed from precast concrete pipes, creating efficient installation of the new 28m long triple barrel culvert extending the width of the railway corridor.
The line will be closed from June 28 to July 13.
During the construction period, the community is advised to obey any road work signs and be aware that heavy machinery will be operating in the area.
Goulburn River trail report
Greater Shepparton City Council has noted the findings of the Goulburn River Trail Exploratory Study Report.
The report outlines a preferred trail alignment that follows the Goulburn River and connects multiple towns and communities.
As part of their community planning process, each of the communities on the western side of the Goulburn River (Mooroopna, Tatura, Toolamba, Old Toolamba and Murchison) identified the need to develop walking and cycling paths and trails in and between each of the towns.
Community members and stakeholders will be invited to stay informed on the project’s progress.
The full report can be found at tinyurl.com/mspkt9a8
Victorian exports lead nation
Victoria’s primary producers and food manufacturers have delivered another year of record-breaking exports, leading the nation and hitting the state’s $20 billion target six years ahead of schedule.
The 2023-24 Food and Fibre Export Performance Report, shows Victoria is Australia’s top food and fibre exporter, capturing 27 per cent of the total national export value.
Butter exports surged by an incredible 81 per cent – a testament to the quality of our produce, sustainable practices and safety standards.
Victoria saw growth in export value to many of our key markets in addition to China, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and India.
To read the report, visit global.vic.gov.au/victorias-export-performance
Technology tackles foreign pests
MALDI-TOF and MinION are new diagnostic systems adopted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s border biosecurity operations that use protein and DNA profiles to rapidly identify species through automated data matching.
“Historically, identification of unknown pests entering the country could take up to a week. Now with the assistance of the new diagnostic tools, identification can be concluded in under seven hours,” DAFF’s Justine Saunders said.
The new technology is a part of the Federal Government’s four-year Modern Technologies and Diagnostic Tools (MTDT) program, using innovative tools to modernise Australia’s diagnostics systems and help combat biosecurity hazards.
For more information, visit: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/policy/biosecurity-2030-roadmap