🔵 Mosman's reel history

HEARD THIS WEEK👂

⚽️ West Pymble turf war: Ku-ring-gai Council mulls tipping millions more into unusable oval

More details have emerged about Ku-ring-gai Council’s botched resurfacing of Norman Griffiths Oval, with the upper North Shore council conceding another $7.5 million must be spent to amend what it alleges were “poor workmanship and materials” during construction.

However Turf One, the company behind the resurfacing, has hit back, describing the claims as “unsubstantiated”, saying it is “deeply disappointed [it] was not permitted to complete a project that the Norman Griffiths Oval community so strongly deserved”.

What happened: Norman Griffiths Oval, home to the West Pymble Football Club, has been a vacant construction site for nearly a year, after Ku-ring-gai Council terminated its contract with Turf One last May.

The council then launched an investigation into the project for the purpose of identifying "critical learnings”.

While the investigation's full findings remain confidential “due to ongoing legal issues”, a council report filed for this month's meeting provides an insight into those “learnings”.

Read the full story below.

🎞️ Mosman used to have three cinemas?

Before broadcast television, cable TV and streaming, the North Shore had movie theatres — lots of them.

Watch the full video below.

🥧 Back on the pie trail: Le 76 Patisserie & Bakery, Neutral Bay

It’s about time I got back to finding the best pie on the North Shore. Watch our latest instalment in the series below.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

🔥 Bad timing: One of Australia’s two petrol refineries catches fire

Energy Minister Chris Bowen says a blaze at one of Australia’s last remaining oil refineries will impact petrol production.

One of two refineries in the entire county, Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery supplies 10 percent of the nation’s fuel. Emergency Services were called to the facility in Corio, about 60km southwest of Melbourne, shortly after 11pm on Wednesday following reports of explosions and flames.

About 50 firefighters, 10 fire trucks and a boat attended the blaze with firefighters telling reporters the inferno started small but after several explosions grew into a large, intense fire.

Fifty percent of Victoria’s fuel comes from the site, according to Viva Energy’s website.

The refinery can produce more than 120,000 barrels of oil per day, manufacturing petrol, diesel, jet fuel, LPG, avgas and low aromatic fuel.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said petrol production has been affected, while jet fuel and diesel are being produced at reduced levels.

Bowen told Nine: "At this point, the impact is mainly on petrol production, but obviously this is very early days."

In November last year a power supply disruption at the refinery led to the safety flare bellowing out black smoke over the community.

In January 2026 another “operational disruption” led the flare to burn “larger than normal”.