Local news for local people
Welcome to the Oberon Matters web site
No 130 - October 1, 2026
An early visitor from Western Sydney Airport?
 | Your Federal Member's Community Update Your community update from the Federal Member for Calare, Andrew Gee MP, can be seen here. |
First piles drilled in major milestone for Victoria Pass reinstatement Someone was whining on Facebook a few days ago, complaining that no work was being done to reopen Victoria Pass. He was wrong, of course, but attempts to educate him failed. Here is the latest report from Transport for NSW, with a video showing that a lot is really happening. |  |
 | RFS recognises years of service The Rural Fire Service had ceremonies on September 26 to recognise the service that its members have provided over the years. Members from Oberon and surrounds figured prominently. |
Oberon Council Mayor's Column This fortnight's column from Oberon Mayor Andrew McKibbin can be seen here. |  |
 | We like it when firefighters just play cards all day Everyone likes to keep busy, but there are some occupations which we all wish never had to do any work at all. One of these is Fire and Rescue. Last week, the firefighters in Oberon had almost too much work to do with two house fires only days apart. |
The Oberon taxi has new owners.
Ring
to book your ride.
They Say They're Saving a Forest. They're Really Saving Coal. There's that old saying: "Follow the money". Social commentator Frackman Project has done a bit of research into what is going on around Oberon. It's worth a read. |  |
Mayoral Message: Request for Respectful Debate The investigation into the feasibility of constructing and operating The Pines Wind Farm is a highly significant issue that has generated strong and differing views across our community. Mayor Andrew McKibbin asks for politeness and restraint. |
 | Year 12 students might feel anxious as exams approach. Here’s what can help With final exams coming up, students might (probably will) be anxious about their results and what those results mean for the rest of their lives. This article from The Conversation might help with that anxiety. |
Schools settle down for the holidays. And the HSC. The week before the holidays and everyone is looking forward to a few days away from education. Except for Year 12, of course, who are looking forward with trepidation to the HSC exams. Good luck to all (although you probably don't need it). |  |
 | Sport winds down for the season With almost all the sports reaching thend of theior seasons, it was a week of presentations and looking back to 2026 and forward to 2027. |
Visitor statistics
October 1, 2026
Here is what has happened around this site over the last three months
| Month | Unique visitors | Most read page in the month |
| July | 14,531 | New owners for Oberon's taxi |
| August | 11,150 | What's On In Oberon |
| September | 11,716* | Opinion - When adults behave like children |
* This was the count up to September 29. It will be adjusted when the final number is known.
With new filters against AI scavengers, the recorded visitor numbers are now at a much more reasonable level. And this month, both Google and Bing have crawled more pages than ChatGPT.
And the weirdness continues. For over 20 years I ran a successful online magazine called The Millenium Project. Other than search engines it is now the second highest referral site after Facebook. I can only assume that my old fans have asked themselves "What is he doing now?" and followed the link there that sends them here.
"Unique visitors" counts IP addresses that have connected to the site at least once during the month. It doesn't include search engines, but even if it did Google and Bing (who index the site at least once a week) would only be counted as one visitor each. Put another way, it is the lowest estimate of the number of visits to the site during the month.
Oberon Citizen Science Network
September 2026 Oberon Council Meetings September Oberon Council meetings. Congratulations to Andrew McKibbin and Katie Graham on being reelected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor respespectively. |  |
 | Helping Nepal after the flood Following on from last week's story about Nepal, here are two articles from The Conversation about what to do and not do to help the country recover. |
Lower speed limits to deliver safer trips on Jenolan Caves Road New speed limits will apply along Jenolan Caves Road from September 23. When we can actually drive to Mount Victoria again we can observe the caution "adjust travel times accordingly". |  |
 | Schools. More action than you can throw a duster at. With the holidays approaching fast, there's action at the schools around Oberon to get things done. |
Just a little bit of sport Now that almost everyone's season is over it's down to the golfers to keep the sporting flag flying. The men over at Oberon United FC got through to the Grand Final but, alas, only achieved a Silver Medal. Next year! |  |
Helping people cope with mental health issues.
See What's On for dates or contact Lincoln on
.
Opinion - When adults behave like children Oberon Men's Senior League team won the Grand Final and made us all proud. Then they did something that should make us ashamed to even know them. |
 | Rockley turns 175 It's not often that a town turns 175 so it was a pleasure to go to Rockley for the birthday party. |
National Collaboration Resolves Insurance Concerns for Landholders living near Renewable Energy Projects A lot has been said about the liabilities of people living near renewable energy projects, much of it scaremongering and disinformation. This media release from the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) should dispel most of the concerns. |  |
 | Showing support for Nepal It would have been impossible for anyone anywhere near a television, radio, newspaper or social media outlet recently to be unaware of the appalling disaster in Nepal. Over the weekend of September 11,12 and 13, Brenda Lyon opened up her garden at Brydie Park to bring everyone in Oberon together with the local Nepalese community to reflect on the disaster and show support. |
Moron Alert It was a lovely day for the 175th birthday of the town of Rockley. Unfortunately, some people decided that their convenience overrode other people's needs. |  |
 | There's always a time for learning That's a true statement and it certainly applies to the schools around Oberon. And speaking of "around Oberon", Rockley Public School has been added to the collection from this week. |
Meanwhile, out on the sporting field There was a weekend, so there was some sport. It is (almost) always thus. |  |
Stories and articles for the most recent three weeks appear on the front page.
For earlier stories
see the Site History page.
We would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri, Gundungurra and Dharug nations as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work and we pay our respect to Elders past, present and future
Site last updated on September 30, 2026
