6 June 2024

In this newsletter – help make Maldon a Top tourism winner, get involved in Harcourt Co-Op, the Regional Events Fund returns, celebrate Five Flag’s head chef win and we chat to Maldon Bakery.

Help Maldon become a Top Tourism Town winner!

Maldon is in the running for the Top Tourism Town Award. And we need your help to win.

These awards celebrate the regional destinations of our state and Maldon is a finalist in the Small Town category. You can read more about the awards by heading to the VTIC website.

Vote now for Australia's first notable town – and share the link with your family and friends. Cast your vote before Monday 24 June and you’ll go in the draw to win a luxurious stay in Melbourne for two, including two nights at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, $500 worth of dining vouchers at Chin Chin and Yakimono, and more!  

Could you join Harcourt Organic Farming Co-op?

Harcourt Organic Farming Co-op is a collaboration of diverse organic and regenerative farmers who lease land on a single farm in Harcourt, on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Their model presents opportunities for farmers to access land, shared infrastructure and existing strong sales channels, and offers a great opportunity for new farmers or those without land. They are currently recruiting people who want to run enterprises in:

• Horticulture (e.g. market gardens, cut flowers)
• Orcharding (with access to existing established organic orchard)
• Grazing (particularly goats or chickens)
• Business-in-place (e.g. value-adding, community education, natural building)

The co-op is running two webinars on 6 and 11 June for those seeking more information, to find out what the co-op has been working on in recent years and to help people shape an Expression of Interest. Get in touch with any questions by emailing info@hofcoop.com.au.

Five Flags Hotel chef wins AHA Victorian Chef of the Year 

Congratulations to the Head Chef at Campbells Creek’s historic Five Flags Hotel, Rory Brown, who has been named ‘Chef of the Year’ at the Australian Hotels Association (Victoria) 2024 State Awards for Excellence. Rory won the honour in a competitive field and he'll now go on to compete for the national title in Brisbane in November.

Five Flags Hotel is also a state finalist in the ‘Best Family Dining’ category. Rory sources local products whenever he can – meat from local butcher Clifford’s Quality Cuts, honey from Warral Maldon and Shedshaker Brewery beer make the menu. Look out for the new winter menu launching soon...

Local Spotlight: Maldon Bakery

We visited Maldon Bakery last week and spoke with owner Rebecca Barnett to find out more about this much loved business.

Can you tell us a little about the history of the bakery and how you became involved?

Built in 1864, The Maldon Bakery is 170 years old this year and is the oldest continuously running bakery in Australia. It was built at the start of the gold rush in Maldon and the Scotch oven was the first brick structure in Maldon. It is vast inside and was designed to bake masses of loaves in each bake. The Scotch oven was the heart of the burgeoning town and it would have been fired constantly to feed the thousands of miners pouring into the goldfields to try their luck at finding their fortune. The thermal mass is huge and once the oven is hot it retains the heat for a surprisingly long time. I became involved because I could see it had good potential to build something fabulous. I come from a background in hospitality business and have five generations of bakers in my family.

How has the bakery changed in the time that you have been there?

I have invested a lot of time, money and effort into increasing efficiencies and capacity while also restoring the bakery’s inherent charm. I have restored the Scotch oven and use it during the colder months to bake our sourdough bread. The original bakery shop is once again open; this tiny and charming original shop had been closed for nearly 20 years. It is now utilised as popular little coffee window. This has been great as customers love seeing the bakers at work in the bakehouse as they order their coffee.

How has the bakery impacted the Maldon community?

The Maldon Bakery has a high sentimental value for generations of people long before I took it on. I often have visitors who will joyfully recollect memories they have of the bakery when they were young, or relatives who have worked there.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a similar business?

Find your point of difference and celebrate it.

What’s your favourite item from the bakery and why?

The fancy vanilla slice is really popular and made with slightly candied croissant pastry and filled with a delicious crème pat custard. The fruit tarts are lovely, especially when I can top them with fruit from the ancient pomegranate tree in the bakery garden. I am very proud of our bread. It is 100% slow leavened sourdough made with excellent flour from wholegrain milling. There is no rubbish in our bread, only four ingredients – flour, water, salt and leaven. The way bread should be!

Regional Events Fund

This $38m fund supports events that showcase the vibrancy of Victoria's regions and attract thousands of visitors, to deliver economic impact for local businesses. Support is available across three streams:

• Stream 1 – Regional Event Acquisition for one-off or ongoing major events.
• Stream 2 – Event Growth and Development funding of up to $500,000 to grow the economic impact of medium to large-scale events.
• Stream 3 – Event Industry Support of up to $50,000 to build capability and support the marketing and operations of events that attract intrastate or interstate visitors.

Council's Tourism Marketing and Development Officer can assist you with any initial queries - email Jessica McNamara at j.mcnamara@mountalexander.vic.gov.au 

End of Financial Year Checklist

End of Financial Year (EOFY) is a critical time for financial reporting and meeting tax obligations for business. You'll need to complete bookkeeping, tax returns and plan for the new financial year. 

Small Business Debt Helpline

This is a service started in 2020 by Financial Counselling Australia that gives free help and advice to business owners in financial difficulty. Qualified financial counsellors will listen and provide independent and confidential advice. They can help with:

• understanding business and personal debts, and personal guarantees and their implications
• grants and training for small business owners that you may be able to access
• considering business viability 
• options for payment arrangements with the Australian Tax Office (ATO), creditors, suppliers and service providers
• where you can access dispute resolution.

You can call the Small Business Debt Helpline on 1800 413 828 from 9.00am to 5.30pm AEST, Monday to Friday.

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Mount Alexander Shire Council
email: business@mountalexander.vic.gov.au  web: www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au

Mount Alexander Shire Council acknowledges that the traditional custodians of this
land, the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung peoples, proudly survive. We acknowledge their continued practice of custom and their close cultural, spiritual, physical, social, historical and economic relationship with the land and waters that make up
their country, which includes Mount Alexander Shire.