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Yorke Peninsula Media, Minlaton (2026)

22/06/2026

DOES THE DEADLINE END ON THURSDAY OR NOT?

The Yorke Peninsula Council has created a large amount of confusion around the deadline for comment on a proposal to close public roads at Pine Point and Sandilands.

Both sections of road are to be closed then transferred to ownership of Rex Minerals for its Hillside mine.

The proposal was published in the government gazette on May 28th with a deadline of 28 days for public comment which gives it to June 25th, this Thursday.

However council communications on the proposal were only posted on their electronic sites on June 10th which has created the confusion as with the 28 days for comment that would put the date back to July 8th at 5pm.

So the problem is that the Statutory obligation is the government gazette and the Minister's website which reaffirms the closure for public comment is this Thursday June 25th.

Now to add to the confusion the council has just edited its electronic sites noting that the closure is on Thursday but it will still accept public comment on the proposals until 5pm on July 8th.

One YPM reader wonders whether the council administration really knows what they are doing and whether the Mayor and councillors are fully across it.

21/06/2026

NOT OLD ENOUGH TO GET A LICENCE BUT OLD ENOUGH TO STEAL

Three boys were arrested on Northern Yorke Peninsula early this morning after stealing a car from Adelaide last night.

Just after midnight on Sunday 21 June, police spotted a stolen Mazda sedan travelling north on Torrens Road at Woodville North.

The Mazda had been stolen from Adelaide about 15 minutes earlier.

Patrols tracked the vehicle from a distance as it headed north on the North-South Motorway and then continued along Port Wakefield Highway.

PolAir continued to monitor the Mazda and patrols were able to spike the car’s tyres just south of Port Wakefield and again at Kulpara.

The vehicle soon came to a stop, and the three occupants were arrested without incident.

Two 14-year-old boys from Port Augusta and Coober Pedy, and an 11-year-old boy from Amata were charged with illegal use of a motor vehicle, serious criminal trespass and theft.

The Port Augusta boy was further charged with speed dangerous, driving unlicenced and breach of bail.

They were refused bail to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Monday.

19/06/2026

BRAZEN THIEF SMASHES WAY IN

Police are investigating the theft of two electric bikes from a store in Moonta in the early hours of this morning.

About 3.50am today (Friday 19 June), a person armed with a metal pole smashed their way into the store on George Street and stole two e-bikes, namely a Eunorau Flash AWD 1.0 bike and a Eunorau Fat HS e-bike.

The suspect was dressed in black clothing and tan-coloured boots.

Anyone who recognises the suspect (even though the picture is dark) or sees the bikes pictured below is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

15/06/2026

HEY MY BRIGGS AND STRATTON CAN OUT DO YOURS!

They were the fighting words that sparked a unique style of motor sports in Australia back in 1988.

Across the border in (Mexico) Victoria at a place called Harrietville five men challenged each other to race their lawn mowers after a long night of revery.

They chugged up the steep slopes belching smoke from their unmodified Briggs and Strattons , rounded a nominated gum tree, then flew down in “Angel Gear” – Australian outback slang for neutral – to the finish line.

“Half the town’s 100 people, 300 sheep and 150 dogs were there,” according to Brian Ross, six-time president of the Australian Ride-On Lawn Mower Racing Association (AROLMRA), the biggest lawn mower racing club in Australia.

So what does this have to do with the Yorke Peninsula.

Well on July the 25th at the Magazine road Copper Coast Motorsports venue in Wallaroo they'll be holding their first ever "Mower Munchin' Maniacs" lawn mower races.

The Mallee Mower Racing Club will present the event where mowers will be going full throttle around a purpose built track.

It is being presented as "Where the grass gets cut & the racing gets wild".

Boasting all-day, high-adrenaline action, some of the state’s best lawn mower racers will be duking it out to see who will lift the trophy and be crowned the title of fastest mower.

Make no mistake.

These aren’t your average lawn mowers, and the racing is certainly a cut above the rest.

With dozens of drivers taking part in the race meeting, these modified lawn mowers – which have had their cutting decks removed – have been modified to reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Mix together the tight twists and turns with plenty of spills and thrills on the winding dirt track, and you’ve got yourself a day of lighthearted family fun for all ages.

Gates open at 9am with races starting at 10am.

10/06/2026

WHY DOES IT APPEAR THE YORKE PENINSULA COUNCIL IS SO SECRETIVE?

Ratepayers throughout the Peninsula are questioning why two recent Yorke Peninsula Council decisions concerning land associated with the Hillside Mine project weren't considered together to provide potentially increased financial benefits to ratepayers.

Is there something fishy going on or it is a matter of plain incompetence?

It revolves around the closing of a public road at Sandilands and Pine Point that would then be incorporated into the land of the Hillside Mine project.

Now this may all seem pretty straight forward but what are the ratepayers hence the council going to get out of it?

On the 13th of May Council resolved to endorse a Proposal to Initiate a Resource Extraction Code Amendment for submission to the Minister for Housing and Urban Development.

Fifteen days later, on the 28th of May, a statutory notice was published in the South Australian Government Gazette proposing the closure of portions of a public road at Sandilands and Pine Point.

The proposal would result in the affected road reserve being closed and merged with adjoining land associated with the Hillside Mine project.

A YPM Reader from Sandilands says the timing of these two processes raises an important public-interest question.

"If the proposed Resource Extraction Code Amendment is ultimately approved, it is reasonable to expect that land associated with the mining project could command a substantially higher value than land valued solely on the basis of primary production use.

"The value of the public road reserve proposed to be closed and disposed of may therefore also be materially affected by the outcome of the rezoning process.

"This raises a legitimate question as to whether the community's financial interests would be better served by determining the future planning status of the land before the disposal process is completed.

"Once the road reserve is closed and transferred from public ownership, the community may lose the opportunity to realise any future increase in value arising from planning changes associated with the project area," the reader said.

The issue is further complicated by Council's public communications regarding the road closure proposal either it is sly, secretive or plain incompetent.

The statutory notice published in the Government Gazette states that objections must be lodged within 28 days of "this notice" which was May 28th or 14 days ago.

An Ardrossan ratepayer told YPM that the Notice was published on the Council's Face Book page today.

"Now does that mean we have 28 days to respond as of today?

"Or do we have to respond by June 24th?

"You see the dilemma, it sticks out like the proverbial," the Ardrossan reader said.

This is not a minor procedural issue.

The right to object to a proposed road closure is a statutory right.

In a matter involving public land, a major regional project and potentially significant implications for the future value of that land, members of the public should be provided with clear and unambiguous information regarding their opportunity to participate.

Whatever one's views on the Hillside Mine project, the community is entitled to a process that is transparent, readily understood and capable of maintaining public confidence that public assets are being managed in the community's best interests.

05/06/2026

TIME NEARS TO ERASE THE RUBBER STAMP GANG

The Yorke Peninsula Council ratepayers have been complaining for years about the poor representation they receive from their elected members.

However the time is closing in for them to stand up and do something about it.

One of our readers proposes the solution is to simply erase the "Rubber Stamp" Gang that passes every bit of regulation that the CEO Andrew Cameron wants brought into law, whether it's good for the community or not.

The members are Deputy Mayor Richard Curruthers and Councillors Naomi Bittner, Scott Hoyle, Trevor Clerke and Michael O'Connell.

"Firstly, everyone needs to check their eligibility to vote and ensure they are on the Voters Roll which closes on July 31st at 5pm."

Nominations for councillors and Mayor open on August 25th.

The reader suggests the community picks new candidate/s to run.

"In Kalkabury Ward the community should campaign to oust the Deputy Mayor Richard Carruthers.

"And I would suggest to get 3 candidates to run in Gum Flat Ward to oust Bittner, Clerke and Hoyle and another in Innes/Pentonvale ward to oust Michael O'Connell.

"Now that would be a great start to turning this deplorable council and its decision making process around.

"Remember the old saying that Evil succeeds when good men/women sit on their hands and do nothing.

"Here's your chance to change it, if not you'll get same old, same old," the reader concluded.

The mail out of voting packs starts on October 15th and closes at 5pm November 11th, polling day.

27/05/2026

IS THE RAIN A REPRIEVE FROM THE MOUSE PLAGUE

With Western Australia fighting a massive mouse plague around Geraldton and the CSIRO concerned at the build up of mice on the Adelaide Plains and on Yorke Peninsula, the rain may just be a saviour here.

Growers supplies agronomist James Chard, who operates in the Adelaide Plains and Yorke Peninsula, said there has been an uptick in mice sightings and burrows in the area earlier this month.

“We’ve been noticing a few active holes but have recently experienced some high rainfall events, and we’re not sure what effect that has had on populations yet,” Mr Chard said.

“We’re seeing the greatest pressure in barley stubbles, and I’ve been advising growers that they may need to be prepared to bait at the very least their high value crops.”

Earlier this month an emergency use permit was granted to South Australian farmers that will unlock a powerful tool in their battle to protect the state’s agriculture sector from mice.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has approved an emergency use application, prepared by Grain Producers Australia (GPA) on behalf of the industry, allowing South Australian grain producers to access double-strength Zinc Phosphide mouse bait (ZnP50).

This will enable grain producers in areas heavily impacted by mice to better control pest rodents damaging their crops, with farmers having raised concerns that the currently approved zinc phosphide product, ZnP25, was less effective at controlling high numbers of mice.

CSIRO monitoring in recent months has confirmed mouse population increases, with significant increases recorded in the Adelaide Plains and Yorke Peninsula.

Under the conditions of the emergency use permit, ZnP50 can be accessed and used until 15 December 2026.

Grain producers will also need to complete a short online training course and meet obligations around reporting baiting details to meet APVMA compliance requirements.

A plague is defined as more than 800 mice per hectare, according to the national science agency, the CSIRO.

This square (pictured) represents a hectare, which is 100 metres by 100 metres.

That’s about 2.5 acres in the old money.

The CSIRO estimates the plague in some farming communities in WA has reached up to 8,000 mice per hectare as depicted here.

Each brown dot represents a mouse.

24/05/2026

SPEEDSTER GETS 2 GRAND FINE

A driver lost his licence after he was caught speeding at Minlaton on Friday night.

Just before 8pm police were conducting speed detection duties when they recorded an Isuzu ute travelling at 145km/h in a 100km/h zone.

The driver, a 40-year-old man from Murbko, was issued with a $2,059 fine and a six-month immediate loss of licence notice.

18/05/2026

HISTORIC CARS AND TRUCKS HIT ARDROSSAN

The Federation of Historic Motoring Clubs SA is expected in Ardrossan on Friday afternoon with more than 40 vehicles on a current 8 day driving tour of the mid north, lower Flinders and Yorke Peninsula.

The group is part of the "Going North' tour, an event organised by the Federation which started on Saturday from Willaston.

It will be calling into Clare, Burra, Peterborough, Quorn, Port Pirie and Kadina, plus lots of others, before coming to Ardrossan for two nights.

Saturday the 23rd will see the group drive to Minlaton and onto Bublacowie Military Museum.

Since 2001, when a tour to Canberra was organised to participate in Australia's Centenary of Federation celebrations, the Federation has organised a series of "Meet the Club Tours" around South Australia with members of clubs utilising their Historic Vehicles exclusively.

The first of which went to the West Coast in 2003, meeting and socialising with Federation Member Clubs, along the way.

This format continues every two years.

Yorke Peninsula Media

22/06/2026

21/06/2026

19/06/2026

15/06/2026

10/06/2026

05/06/2026

27/05/2026

24/05/2026

18/05/2026

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