Benny's Bistro at the Royal Hotel is proving to be a hit. Great to see so many locals out and about enjoying the good food and atmosphere on Belubula Street. Below: Chef Lisa Hartwell demonstrates her culinary skills for photographer Nick Lee. Photo courtesy of Nick Lee

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage is pleased to advise the opening of applications for two of the Heritage Near Me grant streams, which will see nearly $5 million available in the next financial year for local heritage projects. The Local Heritage Strategic Projects program encourages local communities to identify their own priorities under four broad categories covering conservation and restoration, raising community awareness, innovation in heritage management, and

Now in its fourth year, the popular Textures of One Art Exhibition is expanding to encompass a new Art Festival. Showcasing the growing number of local artists in the area, the new Art Festival will be one big weekend in Blayney, Carcoar, Millthorpe and surrounding historic villages featuring the Textures of One art exhibition, designers & artisan markets, quilt hanging, history displays, pop-up galleries, Blayney Arts Trail to local artist's studios, how–to workshops with th

On Sunday April 23 The Carcoar Hospital Museum & Restoration Committee will again be holding their “Down to Earth Gardening Expo and Plant Fair.“ As part of the event entries are invited in a competition for garden art created from recycled materials. The aim is to promote the reuse of materials and show how creativity can reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill. Artwork must be comprised of 70% or more recycled/recyclable/reused materials and all entries must be on

The locals are excited, the stoves are fired up, and the chef is pumped for the launch of Benny's Bistro at The Royal Hotel this Saturday. Lunch will be available between 12pm and 2pm and dinner from 6pm. Reservations are essential. Chef Lisa Hartwell will be serving up a super tasty menu which combines specialty dishes with some traditional pub favourites. In addition there will be cold beer on tap, spirits and Angullong Wines to complement your meal. Following the grand ope

The Carmanhurst Villages Association, incorporating Carcoar, Mandurama and Lyndhurst, has appointed Danielle Stonestreet to the position of Community Development Coordinator. The main aspects of the role of the coordinator will be to advocate for the relevant community of interest, support locally based community organisations to coordinate and promote local events, and to source external funding for local community projects. Carmanhurst president Eric Foote said “We are very

At one time the pews inside St. James Presbyterian Church at Carcoar were filled every Sunday but that was many years ago. Now the building sits idle, paint flaking from the walls and the air is filled with damp instead of prayer. Last week it was reported in the Blayney Chronicle that the Presbyterian congregation could no longer afford the costs involved in maintaining a building which it no longer uses. In the face of declining church attendance in smaller rural areas Reve

On Saturday Feb 11 The Carcoar Village Association held a barbeque in Kurt Fearnley Park to thank all the volunteers for their contribution towards the success of this year's Carcoar Village Fair.

With temperatures set to soar over the next few days here are some tips to help you stay cool: Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. You can open the windows for ventilation when it is cooler. Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and don't go out between 11am and 3pm (the hottest part of the day) if you're vulnerable to the effects of heat. Keep rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows. If this isn't possible, use light-c

Carcoar and the surrounding area is set to feature on the Sydney Weekender program. Host Mike Whitney and crew will be in town on the 14th and 15th of February to interview locals and visit some of our attractions including The Hospital Museum and 20th Century Toy Museum. The show will be broadcast on the 12th March from 5.30 - 6.00pm on the Seven network.