💧 TOCUMWAL TOWN BEACH TO CLOSE Due to rising river levels, Tocumwal Town Beach and the new and old boat ramps will close from 8am Friday 14 August 2026.⚠️ The closure may occur earlier if river conditions change.Campers currently at Town Beach will be advised of the closure and asked to leave before the closure.
As part of Council's ongoing Integrated Rabbit Control Program, rabbit fumigation will be undertaken across a number of Council-managed sites. Rabbit fumigation will commence from Monday 27 July 2026.
Published on 19 February 2026
2026 is certainly in full swing with the school holidays now over and everyone getting back into normality. Though, I can’t leave it unsaid, it has been an extremely hot summer which I know has challenged the resilience of all of us in Berrigan Shire.
Speaking of resilience in the face of extreme conditions – Cobram Barooga Golf Club hosted the Webex TPS Murray for the fifth year in the last week of January. The golfers were challenged with three days of over forty degree temperatures leading to some firsts for the Australian PGA, including the use of golf carts on the first two days and an earlier start time on the third day after the cut. I was honoured to again be part of the presentation on the final day. As part of the week, I attended the opening day stakeholder lunch which focussed on the economic outcomes of golf and was asked to give a short speech. I took the opportunity to highlight the importance of golf to our tourist economy and the recent $4 million investment announced jointly by the NSW and Federal governments through the Sustainable Communities Program to the Bullanginya precinct in Barooga to help advance tourism in our shire. I also mentioned the review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which is now open for public consultation, and how it is important that future plans take into account all aspects of our economy that are impacted by the plan, especially tourism where funds are being directed by government.
On 14 February I was honoured to be invited to a vice-regal reception in Corowa hosted jointly by the Governors of Victoria and NSW. I have been honoured to meet both governors on several occasions – Governor Margaret Beasley visited us in Tocumwal in 2023 and Governor Margaret Gardiner through my own work with Monash University where she was Vice Chancellor. The event was a celebration of the fiftieth year of the Australian honours system and the 20th anniversary of the Black-Allen line which marks the Victorian NSW border from the source of the Murray River to Cape Howe. The event was remarkable in that there were 61 recipients of Australian honours present from Berrigan Shire and surrounding regions, including our very own John Bruce OAM and Murray Haynes OAM. A wonderful afternoon was had by all.