Jockey Kayla Nisbet at Thoroughbred Park with her father John Nisbet’s horse, Dollythediva. Photo: Thoroughbred Park. After more than 13 years as a professional jockey, with nearly 600 victories under her belt, Kayla Nisbet has announced her retirement. The 29-year-old is going out on a high after what she believes to be her greatest achievement just weeks ago – winning the Country Racing Championships title at Randwick. “I couldn’t believe it. It was an absolute thrill and it felt like the perfect way to top off my career,” Kayla says. “I’ve won a couple of premierships and local country cu ..read more

ACT SES chief officer Anthony Draheim is proud of everything his volunteers achieved during the recent high-risk weather season. Photo: Claire Fenwicke. Despite predictions of a hot and dry El Niño-type summer that didn’t eventuate, the Territory was battered by six severe storms during the high-risk weather season, which runs from October to March each year. Over that period, calls to the ACT State Emergency Service (SES) jumped 55 per cent and we’ve been urged to get ready now for the next emergency. The ACT SES received 2316 requests for assistance by the end of February 2024. Over the sa ..read more

Stephanie Helm learned winemaking from her parents – and she’s putting that knowledge to good use at her own winery in Murrumbateman. Photo: The Vintner’s Daughter. Who are you? I’m Stephanie Helm, co-owner and winemaker at The Vintner’s Daughter winery in Murrumbateman. What is your venue? My husband [Ben Osborne] and I established the brand a decade ago on an existing vineyard and winery, which made wines dating back to the 1970s. We make small-batch wines with a focus on premium quality that reflect the place where the grapes were grown. How did you get involved in the hospitality industr ..read more

The Stomp Festival and Canberra Wine Week combine this year. Photo: Canberra District Wine Industry Association. According to Wine Australia, Canberra holds “one of Australian wine’s best-kept secrets”. “Canberra district wines have already made an impact on wine-lovers and critics, producing some of Australia’s most-loved cool climate Shiraz, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay.” The experts largely put it down to our climate of extremes, with its “cold, crisp winters and hot, dry summers”. This is said to give the grapes plenty of time to ripen while also supplying them “some res ..read more

Will Yvette save Canberra United? Photo: Sue Read. This week’s episode of the Hoot is all about mysterious powers and odd disappearances, starting with the ACT Liberals’ sense of political timing. Listen on other platforms: Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts READ ALSO: Canberra United safe for another season after ACT Government injects extra $200,000 The Canberra United saga was ripe and ready for the political plucking as locals despaired over what seemed like a small sum to keep the team afloat. The issue has been floating about for almost a fortnight and solving the problem seemed li ..read more

At this property, your biggest worry will be choosing which beach to visit. Photos: Blackshaw Real Estate. At 9/17-19 Barbara Crescent in Denhams Beach, the sun, sand and waves are never far away. In fact, they’re visible from just about every window. “The glorious panoramic ocean and island views are exceptional,” says Blackshaw Real Estate Coastal licensee Pat Jameson. “They are more impressive than any other property I’ve ever been in – they are 270 degrees.” From the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and the covered deck, the next owners can take in what the NSW South Coast is ..read more

Many of the houses in Curtin open directly onto green spaces, with no fences. Photo: Richard Burns. It’s “one of Canberra’s best-kept secrets”, and although visitors do occasionally struggle to find it, it’s not the whereabouts of Richard Burn’s front door. But it is related. “We sometimes have people coming through into the garden, walking around the house and scratching their heads wondering where the front door is,” Richard says. Richard and his wife moved into Curtin more than 10 years ago, in part captivated by its unique layout. The suburb was one of four in Canberra involved in an urb ..read more

Karinya House offers support for new mothers across the region. Photo: Karinya House. Pregnancy is a time of heightened vulnerability for women, but it can also be a time for hope and change. That’s the message Canberra’s Karinya House wants to spread to the community. For more than two decades, the not-for-profit group has been helping mothers and their children and those who are in crisis with the changes they experience while going through motherhood. Karinya House Chief Executive Officer Lavinia Tyrrel says that while women experience significantly higher vulnerabilities before and after ..read more

Tristan Egon Sebastian Waters (second left, in a grey hoodie) arrives in Australia in January 2019 after being extradited from Serbia. Photo: AFP. A former successful builder from Canberra has been handed two decades in prison for his role in a globe-spanning conspiracy in which a criminal syndicate attempted to possess up to $1.5 billion worth of cocaine. In April 2017, 2576 blocks of cocaine weighing a total of 1.28 tonnes had been hidden inside prefabricated steel before they were seized by police when they arrived in a shipping container in Sydney. It was estimated the drugs had a street ..read more

Toast Eden has great frontage and brings fab food and coffee to the town’s main street. Photo: Supplied. Eden is a beautiful town with a main street that has seen a parade of culinary openings and closings and chef comings and goings over recent times. Recently the team at popular Pambula cafe Toast saw an opening when Sprout Cafe – the produce-driven eatery started by Karen Lott in 2011 – became available. Ms Lott sold her popular cafe in late 2022, and after only 16 months or so under a couple new to town, seasoned cafe owners Nicky Austin and Ollie Pitcher have stepped in and set up a sis ..read more