Introduction to the Oberon Matters web site

February 1, 2024

Oberon is a lovely place to live or work in or to visit. It's situated just west of what everyone calls the Blue Mountains, and is officially the highest town in the Blue Mountains region at 1113 metres above sea level. Another metre higher and it would be half the height of Mt Kosciuszko (2228 metres), the highest point in Australia. Because of the height it regularly gets snow in winter time (and sometimes at other times) but rumours that it is the coldest place in Australia are false. It is the closest real country town to Sydney.

The main industries in Oberon are forestry, timber product manufacturing, agriculture and tourism.

Oberon from a long way up. Image from Google Earth, taken in 2021

The word "matters" can be a noun or a verb. Used as a noun, "Oberon Matters" means things going on in and around the town of Oberon, and this site is here to report on those things and events and also matters affecting the town and the surrounding area. Used as a verb, "Oberon Matters" means that what goes on is important to the people who live here.

The site encourages resident participation. It's your town. We want you to tell us what you want us to say, so we welcome stories about coming and past events, and we want to hear about what is important to you.

 "Letters to the Editor" are welcome and provided that you stick to the rules (short, polite, no defamation, writers must be identified, a minimum of conspiracy theories) we will try to publish everyone's opinions. Longer pieces are also welcome and can include photographs, and visitors will be able to comment on the articles.

We will accept paid advertising for local events and businesses, with rates to be discussed on an individual basis.  We would also welcome sponsorship to help with the bills.

As everyone who works here has a "real" job, we can't be on top of everything immediately. The initial plan is to update the site at least weekly, with the occasional news story appearing as soon as it happens.

The menu at the top of the page will take you to where you need to go.

There are some things planned for the future of the site:

• Pages to collect archives of articles in various categories (community, sport, music, people, …) will be added as the number of articles grows.
• An email mailing list to keep people up to date with what's happening.
• A system to inform people when changes are made to the site.
• A podcast - a fortnightly fifteen minute show featuring interviews and comments.
• Maybe even a printed edition one day.

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