News

No compensation from ElectraNet, SA Power Networks: minister

ELECTRANET and SA Power Networks are not required to compensate the thousands of Yorke Peninsula businesses and residents affected by Friday’s almost 20-hour power outage, according to the state energy minister. Minister Tom Koutsantonis told State...

Sarah Herrmann

19 Mar 2025

News

Dusty days numbered in Moonta Bay

STAGE 1 of the upgrade to the unpaved Moonta Road, Moonta Bay, is now open for tender. The first section to be sealed with bitumen will be between East Terrace and Haylock Road. The project will be completed in two stages, with public consultation...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

FINAL PUSH FOR HEALTH

One step in a lengthy process AFTER years of campaigning, Yorke Peninsula’s healthcare system is now being investigated by parliament. As part of the process, South Australia’s Economic and Finance Committee will visit Yorke Peninsula to host...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

‘Traumatic’ wait for aged care

ELDERLY South Australians are waiting an average of 253 days to be placed in aged care — the longest in the country, and almost double the national average of 136 days. For Barunga Village, Port Broughton, resident Margaret Thomas, who has...

Sarah Herrmann

18 Mar 2025

News

LIGHTS OUT

Power outage knocks out Yorke Peninsula LAST week, about 25,000 Yorke Peninsula residents were without electricity for almost 20 hours. The power went out in the early morning of Friday, March 14, due to faults in ElectraNet’s transmission network...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

Meds spoiled in power outage

MANY Yorke Peninsula residents were without cold food, drinks and air conditioning during last week’s extended power outage. However, some residents had other concerns on their minds, such as their refrigerated medicine. Kadina locals Suzanne and...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

Losses all over the peninsula

BUSINESSES across Yorke Peninsula went dark and many closed their doors on Friday, March 14, after the peninsula was hit with a complete power and phone outage. However, some managed to stay open with the use of back-up generators and some...

Rachel Hagan

18 Mar 2025

News

‘Hundreds of thousands of dollars’: push for compensation

ONE Yorke Peninsula small business owner is considering creating a collective of likeminded traders to advocate for compensation after Friday’s mega power outage. Taste the Yorke, Moonta, owner Jo Gibbons said she had lost an estimated $6000 to...

Sarah Herrmann

18 Mar 2025

News

Warning signs: Bakeries have been suffering for weeks

BEFORE the whole peninsula went dark on Friday, one industry had already been experiencing outages for weeks. Early morning power flickers-turned-cuts since the beginning of the month had been putting a spanner in the works at Moonta’s Toogood...

Sarah Herrmann

18 Mar 2025

News

Ready for one disaster, but not two

THOUGH preparedness and resilience have been two key focuses for the SYP Community Hub since the SYP fires in 2019, hub staff say Friday’s phone and power outage caught them off guard. Since the fires, the hub has worked hard to ensure the...

Rachel Hagan

18 Mar 2025

News

Fears for the elderly and vulnerable

FOR the elderly and vulnerable, Friday’s power and telecommunications outages were isolating and dangerous. Stansbury’s Cheryl Waldron, 68, was recovering from a knee replacement she had three weeks ago, which limits her mobility. “It was so...

Sarah Herrmann

18 Mar 2025

News

Trapped and disconnected

MEG from Wallaroo Mines narrowly avoided being hemmed in at home during last week’s power outage, thanks to her friendly neighbours. With her electric roller door stuck and no phone service, their help was the only way she could get out. Since...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

What the telcos say

TELSTRA regional general manager for South Australia Michael Patterson said several Telstra mobile sites on Yorke Peninsula were impacted by the power outage as they need power to run. “Our teams on the ground worked closely with authorities and...

Contributed

18 Mar 2025

News

‘Extremely challenging and potentially unsafe’: school

WITHOUT functioning air conditioning, toilets or phones, public schools on Yorke Peninsula, including kindergartens, were forced to close on Friday. A Department for Education spokesperson said the closures were in “the interests of wellbeing of...

Joanna Tucker

18 Mar 2025

News

Police News... Suspicious house fire

POLICE are treating a Wallaroo house fire as suspicious, and investigations are continuing to determine its cause. Just before 2pm on Sunday March 16, police and fire crews were called to a house on Daly Street after the occupant reported smoke...

Contributed

18 Mar 2025