The Taralga Wind Farm Community Fund has allocated more than $130,000 to nine community groups in the Upper Lachlan shire.

 

Nearly $46,000 will allow the Taralga and District Progress Association to install playground equipment at Goodhew Park and $24,000 will buy a purposed tractor for the Taralga Golf Club.

 

The restoration of unmarked graves at the Stonequarry Cemetery has attracted $19,000 and the Rugby Union Club will use its $14,000 to install permanent seating.

 

$8,000 have been given to the Taralga 200 Committee for its Taste of Taralga Festival with another $8,000 for air-conditioning units at Crookwell Taralga Aged Care.

 

The Historical Society has secured almost $6,000 for a concrete floor in the machinery shed of the museum and the Taralga Sports club will buy a defibrillator with its $3,350 allocation.

 

$2,000 will allow the Taralga Playgroup to upgrade play equipment.

Australia's largest rail freight operator, Pacific National has seriously questioned the future of the freight transport mode between Melbourne and Sydney.

 

In the process the company CEO has stated that the Hume highway has become a conveyor belt of 700,000 B-double return truck trips each year along the route.

 

Dean Dalla Valle says less than one per cent of 20 million tonnes of palletised and containerised freight between Sydney and Melbourne is hauled by train.

 

He has blamed excessive government charges applied to rail freight services and a build up of red tape for suffocating the movement of goods by rail between the two capitals.

 

Calling attention to the size, weight and momentum of trucks, Mr Dalle Valle says he suspects that with the Hume now fully duplicated, governments will allow even bigger trucks on the freeway.

A private caravan park has been given the go-ahead close to Braidwood.

 

The Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council has approved a development application for the caravan facility on Reservior lane near Braidwood.

 

It will accommodate staff who will work at the Dargues Gold Mine at Major's Creek.

 

A number of conditions of consent have been imposed including, that upon closure, the site be decommissioned and restored so that it is suitable for primary production.

 

The re-vegetation of disturbed areas has also been specified.

 

Queanbeyan Palerang council says the approval of the caravan park is temporary for the life of the mine.