Here is what is making news for October 1, 2026.==================================Yesterday's KidsFest event expanded the smash hit success of last years events with much needed funds raised for local community initiatives.

Colac Salvation Army's Josiah Van Niekerk says the community event will see money invested straight back into programs the local Salvo's run for the regions youth.
====================================================================Works to install safety barriers on two sections of the Great Ocean Road near the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge are scheduled to begin in early October.

Delivered jointly by the Department of Transport and Planning and the Great Ocean Road and Parks Authority, the project will take up to three months to complete. 
====================================================================It's hoped by many across the Colac community that the success of KidsFest at the Bluewater Leisure Centre opens the door for more community groups, and events across the regions.

Bluewater Programs Coordinator Sam Grinton says the day showed what is possible at the facility.
====================================================================The Colac Otway Shire Council has endorsed an updated Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy to guide operations through to twenty-thirty.

A recent mid-term review revealed twenty-eight of the original seventy-six actions have been completed since the plan was adopted in twenty-twenty-one.

The refreshed strategy consolidates future efforts into twenty practical initiatives under five strategic objectives. 
====================================================================Yesterday’s successful KidsFest could lead to more community events at Colac Otway Shire facilities.

Shire C-E-O Andrew Tenni hopes to see the festival back on the calendar next year, encouraging other regional groups to utilise council-owned venues.
====================================================================The Walk the Walk Festival hits the Colac Showgrounds this weekend.

The twelve or twenty-four-hour walking challenge will raise funds for local mental health programs.

Jan from Let's Talk Colac says spectators can enjoy live music and food vans for a gold coin donation.
====================================================================AND IN SPORTIt is time to hit the water, with the Colac Yacht Club launching its new sailing season this Saturday.

Yacht Club Commodore Adam Chambers says the current water levels present another expected short season.

A Learn to Sail program will run from nine A-M to twelve P-M.

From one thirty P-M, sailors can enjoy a cruise or casual racing to help prepare their boats for the start of formal competition next week.====================================================================Colac's City United Cricket Club has secured a two-thousand-dollar Emergency Sporting Equipment Grant for its junior players.

 Announcing the funding, Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney congratulated the Knights on the successful application.

Ms Tierney says the money will help young cricketers get back on the field with the equipment they need.
====================================================================Colac's Central Reserve yesterday hosted the region's top under-fourteen girls' footballers for a special showcase.

Playing as part of the Geelong Cats Next Generation Academy, the promising young athletes battled it out, with Team Webster ultimately defeating Team Prespakis.
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