Hamish Dunlop visits Megalong Restaurant and Lot 101 Farm in the Megalong Valley. He talks with Chef Colin Barker and Farm Manager Mark Wells about their philosophy of sustainability, being self-sufficient and reducing the time between pasture and plate.

This month, father and son team Bob and Tom Colman launched Frankie & Mo’s, a new Blackheath bar and bottle shop. It showcases natural wines, beers and spirits complemented by organically-grown sharing platters, sourced where possible from local growers

Keith Brister is on a mission. He and his fellow Bushcare volunteers spent years “achieving the impossible”, protecting Blackheath’s stunning natural bushland, only to see the weeds return when COVID restrictions limited Bushcare. But Keith did not despair. Instead, he asked what else could be done, and set about doing it.

Habitat for Humanity is supplying the Medlow Bath community with CB radios and providing property services to vulnerable people to reduce risk during disasters.

Planetary Health Initiative writer Hamish Dunlop talks to Amy St Lawrence from Blue Mountains City Council’s Healthy Waterways Team. Amy explains what she’s doing at her home to collect and use water. She also talks about how her rain garden reduces run-off during and after rainfall.

There are many voices in this debate. There is a political split, drawn primarily down partisan lines. There are also differing positions among Aboriginal leaders and communities on the best way forward.

A Blue Mountains program called Connect at Home started during COVID to support early childhood language development. Through the program families access high quality storybooks and are guided on how to optimise learning at home.

Committee members: Elizabeth Giddey, Christine Wheeler and Henry Lebovic In mid-January the Blackheath Rhododendron Festival Committee put the word out to other local community organisations and businesses that we had a now-or-never opportunity to upgrade the power supply at Blackheath Community Centre, for the relatively small sum of $10,000. The upgrade is a necessary precondition for the installation of electrical …

Hamish Dunlop interviews Deborah Wells in the Blackheath Campbell Rhododendron Gardens. She shares how a group of passionate and dedicated volunteers have created a community space that is a haven for all species, and how they've helped it recover from drought, fire, flood and pandemic.