The Newcastle Golf Club is excited to announce a special summer rate for all visiting members of Newcastle and Hunter Valley golf clubs.

It allows local golf club members to play one of Australia’s top ranked golf courses at our club member guest rate of $40 per person.

This Summer Special is only available on a Sunday or Monday and ends on the 30th March 2009. So come and play at a NSW golf course that ranks as one of the best.

Happy New Year from Newcastle Golf Club

Note: Please quote your membership number and club when booking and present membership or golflink card on arrival.

A small amount of rain over the region’s water storages in the past week has seen levels remain constant as local water users prepare to meet to discuss their future.

Lake Glenbawn remained at 48.7 per cent of capacity this week after recording just four millimetres of rain at the dam wall.

Meanwhile, Glennies Creek Dam is sitting at 47.9 per cent of capacity this week, after just nine millimetres of rain was recorded.

The annual general meeting of the Hunter Valley Water Users Group will be held at the Singleton York Street RSC next Monday from 7.30pm, with more information is available from Arthur Burns on 0419 698 742.

Rising employment and income and high consumer confidence will lead the latest economic message from the Hunter Valley Research Foundation when it presents its findings over breakfast tomorrow.

Foundation Director of Research, Robin Mcdonald, says that increased housing demand and consumer spending, and a strong mining sector are also making a major contribution to the local economy. The ongoing strength of mining in the Region is assured for the current year, with coal prices set to rise and continued demand from China and Asia. 

“It is very heartening to see that the widespread rain throughout the Region is, at last, giving farmers a break,” says Robin. 

There is one note of caution however. A major threat to domestic demand in the immediate future appears to be a weakening in the demand for housing, probably exacerbated by rising interest rates. 

“We are looking for increased business investment spending to compensate. High business confidence at the end of 2007 in combination with good trading performances are positive initial indications that business investment in the Region will provide additional momentum to propel the economy in 2008,” concludes Robin.

While Hunter residents remained optimistic despite November’s interest rate rise and the uncertainty generated by the Federal election, business people did not, according to HVRF Co-Director of Research, Robin Mcdonald,.

“Business confidence waned in December, and it is likely that stock market shenanigans in January, another rate rise in February, and clouds over the US economy may curtail business spending in the new year,” she said.

“Hunter residents’ confidence in the regional economy improved considerably in 2007, after sliding throughout 2005 and 2006. The brighter outlook translated into the best Christmas trading season in three years.”

HVRF research shows that higher incomes – from rapid employment growth since September – appear to have motivated residents to dispense with their post 2005 belt-tightening, despite ongoing interest rate rises.  Robin says that it will be up to consumers to lead the economic charge into 2008.

Coal shipments from Australia’s Newcastle port, the world’s largest export harbor for the fuel, fell 26 percent last week, helping prices jump to a record $130 a metric ton.

Loadings dropped to 1.47 million tons in the week ended Feb. 4, Newcastle Port Corp. said today on its Web site. Two spot market cargoes traded on Feb. 1 at $129 and $130 a ton, about 45 percent higher than the previous deal on Jan. 8, Tex Report said today.

Thermal coal prices at Newcastle, a benchmark for Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, have soared as snowstorms in China, power cuts in South Africa and floods in Queensland reduce output. Xstrata Plc, Rio Tinto Group and other miners are struggling to meet increasing demand due to bottlenecks in port and rail networks in Australia’s east.

“Coal availability is currently at low levels at most mines,” the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Logistics Team, coordinator of coal exports from the Hunter Valley through Newcastle port, said in an end-January report on its Web site. Of the 23 ships waiting to load coal as of Jan. 31, nine had “coal availability issues,” it said.

The reduced loadings contributed to an increase in vessels waiting off the port to load coal to 28, up from 22 a week ago.

Record Prices

The Tex Report said the cargoes for March delivery sold at $129 and $130 a metric ton, excluding freight and insurance costs. The record prices are about $40 higher than the previous spot trade on Jan. 8, which was at $89 a ton for March delivery, the coal industry newsletter said.

The globalCOAL NEWC index for Newcastle spot coal prices jumped 25 percent to a record $116.44 a ton in the week ended Feb. 1. Coal prices gained 73 percent last year.

Macarthur Coal Ltd., the Australian supplier of more than a third of world exports of pulverized coal, gained 5.4 percent, to A$10.54 in Sydney trading. Sydney-based Centennial Coal Co. rose 1.1 percent, while Felix Resources Ltd. increased 5 percent.

An average of 8.74 days was needed to load coal last week at Newcastle compared with 0.57 day for general cargo, the port company said on its Web site.

In January, the average vessel queue was 27, down from an average of 55 last year, Port Waratah Coal Services Ltd., operator of the two coal terminals at Newcastle, said on its Web site. Ship-loading ran at an annualized rate of 91.3 million tons a year in January

Twenty ships carrying the fuel left the harbor in the week ended Feb. 2, the port said today in an e-mailed report. Fifteen of the vessels were headed for Japan, three for Taiwan, and one each for South Korea and Port Kembla, Australia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Macdonald-Smith in Sydney at amacdonaldsm@bloomberg.net

Winning the battle to remove invasive bitou bush along Nobbys Beach is to enter a new stage thanks to a conservation program sponsored by Newcastle Port Corporation.

CEO, Gary Webb, said Newcastle Port Corporation was providing $22,000 in sponsorship during the next two years to enable the Hunter Branch of Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) to undertake the work.

Nobbys is the gateway to the port and to the Hunter Valley and it is good to see both local and international volunteers working under the CVA banner, said Gary.

This is the first beach project by CVA for 2008 and the volunteers will be working hard to remove the bitou bush and then stabilising weeded areas before experimenting with hay bales as dune fencing.

The 2008 conservation program includes working blocks in January, March, April and May with about a dozen volunteers working at Nobbys Beach this week.

Newcastle Port Corporation provided $10,000 in sponsorship last year to CVA for the initial phase of the project that linked with work undertaken by Nobbys Dunecare Group and Newcastle City Councils Coastcare Program.

The invasive nature and prolific growth of bitou bush is threatening the biodiversity of the coastline, said Gary.

The bitou has created a monoculture by taking over native vegetation and altering habitat utilised by native fauna.

The 2007 program at Nobbys Beach resulted in 21,000 square metres of weeding and revegetation, planting of more than 4,000 stems and trees and 55 metres of fenceline being erected.

Extending Newcastle Port Corporations sponsorship for another two years enables CVA to progress its work and enhance the beauty of one of the citys main recreational locations.

Media enquiries should be directed to Public Affairs Officer, Keith Powell, on Tel: 4985 8258 or Mobile 0409 304 573

Source: Hunter Valley Wine Country

Lovers of New South Wales’ Hunter Valley wine district will be treated to a new innovation in wine tasting when two new smartcard touring programs commence this weekend.

Developed by Smartvisit Solutions (SVS) and supported by Tourism New South Wales, the programs aim to provide visitors to the famous wine region a value-added and rewards focused experience.

Cellar Door Pass combines cellar doors and winery restaurants into a single flexible-itinerary package. It will retails for $99 and contains a total value to the consumer of over $200. Benefits to the consumer include up to $120 worth of premium wines, premium wine tasting, winery tours and other special offers for up to two people.

Cheese & Wine Trails retails at $55 and provides two people with a cheese and local produce hamper to take on a 4-course progressive picnic to wineries where their cheeses are matched against particular wines available for tasting. The package also includes a free bottle of wine collected on the journey.

Each of the programs have experienced several years of success in other wine regions. Cellar Door Pass was launched in 2005 in South Australia and was recently awarded a State Tourism Award.
Cheese & Wine Trails have been running the McLaren Vale, just south of Adelaide, for the past 5 years and has quickly become an iconic experience of the district. Both programs have also been released in Victoria.

“The Hunter wine region was an obvious choice for the program as we expand it nationally” says Nick Carter, General Manager of SVS Wine & Regional Tourism. “The experiences are second to none, the wines are magnificent and of course it is so close to Australia’s largest community in Sydney. There is huge potential here and we want to help get more people visiting the region.”

The programs also employ the use of Smartcard technology which allows all of the benefits to be preloaded onto a single card and deducted as the customers visit the wineries. Customers are also encouraged to earn points on their cards as they buy wine which can also be redeemed as $20 credits for more wine at Cellar Doors and local dining.

Wineries use the programs to access new customers and to receive regular reports on customer movements and spending allowing them to more effectively develop and market their business.

"These programs are a great way to increase visitation to your cellar door" says Ruth Harris, of Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre – one of the most visited cellar doors in the Barossa. "With Cellar Door Pass the six free bottles are great value for the visitor, but we’ve found it’s the convenience of being able to ship cartons home for free that is the real bonus for our customers".

In NSW SVS currently operates the See Sydney & Beyond Smartvisit Card, the Sydney Convention Card and a number of other travel and hotel loyalty programs across Australia.

For further information visit www.cellardoorpass.com.au and www.cheeseandwinetrails.com.au

Media contact:
Tim Stead at tstead@smartvisitsolutions.com or 0409 094 100
Lauren Russell at lrussell@smartvisitsolutions.com or 0431 741 203

WHITE supremacists are plotting to use Cronulla riot-style tactics to hijack Australia Day celebrations across Sydney – including a plan to push their racist views at the sacred Anzac Cenotaph at Hyde Park.

The attempt to co-opt the war memorial to create the impression "Hitler is coming to Sydney" has disgusted veterans, with the RSL calling it an appalling slur on the memory of our Diggers.

Other rallies will be held near the scene of the Cronulla riot and in Camden to protest the construction of an Islamic school.

The far-Right groups even promote an online handbook on how to combat police and avoid detection and infiltration when holding such meetings.

In an embarrassing display of incompetence, much of the material includes warnings about the need to keep such material secret from the media.

The racist material, which condemns migrants for not being able to speak English, is riddled with spelling mistakes and poor grammar.

Much of the activity has been co-ordinated through the neo-Nazi website Stormfront, whose Australian arm is moderated by 18-year-old Newcastle resident Rhys McLean.

Mr McLean said he was aware of the plans but said it was a matter for the individual organisers, not the website.

The main organiser is a semi-literate man from southwest Sydney who posts under the name "Aussie Nationalist".

After taking a poll of preferred locations, including Cronulla, the Central Coast and Bondi – because of its large Jewish population – the group appeared to settle on one of Sydney’s most sacred sites.

"The location is Hyde Park, preferably near the Cenotaph which is a place of eternal honour and the epitomy (sic) of the Australian Spirit," Aussie Nationalist wrote.

RSL president Bill Crews said the plan was disgusting.

"We’d be appalled by any attempt to use any memorial or the Anzac memorial in Hyde Park to support any prejudiced political group," he said.

Another organiser promotes using tactics similar to the 2005 Cronulla riot, when en masse text messages were used to swamp the beach with violent thugs intent on bashing anyone of ethnic appearance.

"Organise flyer drops two weeks before the rally in Sydney and its surrounds, and start a Cronulla style SMS campaign five days before the rally," the poster identified as "Awake at last" wrote.

"Hopefully by the time the rally starts the media will have everyone thinking Adolf Hitler is coming to Sydney."

The threads also encourage users to consult a manual entitled How to Combat the Political Police.

An electronic newsletter distributed by the far-right Australia First Party employs the tactics, promising a rally near Cronulla and in Camden but refusing to disclose the exact location until the morning of January 26.

One meeting will be held in "a club in the Sutherland Shire" and be addressed by convicted race-hate criminal Jim Saleam.

Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) today said the Hunter coal industry would continue to face massive challenges managing demand, and that there was an onus on the entire industry to work together to find solutions to maximise export efficiency.

PWCS made the comments following today’s decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to reject an application for interim authorisation for the so-called ‘2008 Vessel Queue Management System’ (VQMS) proposed by PWCS and two other Hunter coal export service providers – Pacific National and Queensland Rail.

“PWCS respects the ACCC’s decision and thanks the ACCC for the thorough and transparent process it followed,” PWCS General Manager Graham Davidson said.

“We acknowledge the ACCC’s concerns with the VQMS proposal, and also the concerns that have been raised by various members of the Hunter coal industry.

"However, we appeal for the Hunter coal industry to recognise that there are no easy solutions for overcoming the existing flaws along the Hunter coal chain.

"Throughout 2007, the Hunter coal industry has been unable to unanimously agree on a methodology for deciding 2008 export allocations.

“Accordingly, PWCS, PN and QR presented the 2008 VQMS as an alternative way forward. The VQMS option received strong support from many key stakeholders in the Hunter coal chain.

“A very strong onus remains on the entire coal industry and service providers to find solutions for the numerous deficiencies that are entrenched throughout the coal chain.

“PWCS will continue to work with industry stakeholders to try and find solutions that are perceived to be fair and balanced for all industry players.”

PWCS said that following the rejection of VQMS interim authorisation, it was highly likely that ship queues off Newcastle would continue to grow again beyond January 1 2008.

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) — Australia’s competition regulator rejected plans by the operator of Newcastle port and two rail companies to change the way export capacity is allocated at the world’s biggest coal-export harbor.

The proposal, backed by Xstrata Plc and Rio Tinto Group, based export allocations on rail transportation contracts. It raised “significant concerns” that competition would be reduced, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC, said in a statement.

A shortage of rail and port capacity at Newcastle, which accounts for a third of Australia’s coal exports, has contributed to Asian prices for thermal coal rising to a record. The bottleneck has led to a build-up in the line of ships waiting at the port to load coal, boosting costs for mining companies.

“Significant concerns have been raised with the ACCC that the proposed Vessel Queue Management System could have an immediate and permanent detrimental impact within the industry, including reduced competition in the provision of rail services in the Hunter Valley, and reduced production levels at certain mines,” Graeme Samuel, chairman of the regulator, said in the Dec. 13 statement.

The proposal was put forward by Port Waratah Coal Services Ltd., operator of the two coal terminals at Newcastle, Pacific National (NSW) Pty and QR Ltd.

Xstrata’s and Rio Tinto’s support of the plan pitted them against smaller mining companies including Donaldson Coal Pty, Whitehaven Coal Ltd., Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty and Centennial Coal Ltd. all of whom opposed the change.

Under the existing capacity allocation system, which expires Dec. 31, producers get a pro-rata allocation based on the quantity they seek to ship, leading to some miners overstating their needs. Demand from coal mining companies for port capacity in 2008 is 116 million metric tons, while Port Waratah estimates 95 million tons will be available.

To contact the reporters on this story: Angela Macdonald-Smith in Sydney at amacdonaldsm@bloomberg.net ; Michele Batchelor in Singapore at mbatchelor@bloomberg.net