9AM
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That's it for this Tuesday's edition of BathurstAM.
Stay tuned to the Western Advocate this week as we bring you all the action from Mount Panorama for the 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
I'll leave you with this picture of one campsite up at the mount taken by our photographer Zenio Lapka.
Now THAT is taking camping to the extreme!
8:50AM
Formula One driver Jules Bianchi, remains in a critical but stable condition after one of the sport's worst crashes in nearly two decades.
On Monday Bianchi's parents arrived at the Japanese hospital their son has been admitted to after the young French driver careened out of control on the wet curcuit at Suzuka on October 5 and crashed.
Philippe and Christine Bianchi entered the hospital without speaking to journalists, as a row brewed in the rarefied world of F1 over why race organisers had pressed ahead with their planned 3pm start time when such heavy rain was expected.
Bianchi suffered severe head injuries and the hospital is refusing to comment on the driver's condition, citing patient privacy and directing enquiries to the FIA.
8:45AM
MEMBERS of the team at Sid Newham Rural Supplies have race fever.
To celebrate the Bathurst 1000, they are running a BOC Gases trade week.
Until tomorrow, there will be great specials on all BOC welding equipment, including gas welding kits, electrodes, mig, tig and stick inverters.
Sid Newham principal Johnno Seaman said that as a special promotion for the big event, anyone spending $50 or more will go into the draw to win a weekend double pass to the race, as well as a chance to win two Team BOC Racing merchandise packs.
"In addition to this, the Team BOC promotional race car will be on display out the front of the shop all week, culminating with a driver signing in store on Wednesday, October 8," he said.
"Jason Bright and Andrew Jones will be on hand from 6pm-7pm to sign autographs and have photos taken with the public.
One lucky person will also win a double weekend pass as a lucky door prize, and must be in the shop to win.
"Don't miss this great opportunity to bring the kids down, grab some great bargains, and get involved in the biggest event on the Bathurst calendar."
8:35AM
It's the story that has got tongues wagging all over Australia, and the Western Advocate office is no different.
There has been plenty of discussion here about The Bachelor finale and the aftermath - how could Blake and Sam be over already?!
Last night the newly single Bachelor appeared on Ten's The Project to open up about his split with winning lady Sam Frost.
"[It's] a difficult thing," Blake Garvey told The Project. "It's hard because I do love Sam, she's just a beautiful person.
"I've had my heart broken throughout this because I've said goodbye to many, many incredible women – all of them, now. And it's going to take time to heal."
The Project's live studio audience didn't think much of his explanation and they laughed and scoffed at what he had to say.
And his now ex-fiance Sam had as much doubt in him as the audience.
"We actually haven't even hung out as a couple and given it a shot. He actually just dusted off his hands and said, 'It's done.' And I'm like, 'What's done? You haven't even tried!'," she said.
Read more about what happened on The Project last night here.
8:30AM
After decades in use, the BoM is revolutionising its rainfall forecasts to make them simpler and clearer for consumers.
Under the new system, adjectives such as patchy, scattered, widespread and isolated will be replaced with the straightforward terms slight, medium, high or very high to describe the chances of rainfall.
The chance of rain will also be expressed in percentage terms along with a forecast of how many millimetres of rain is expected.
The change is possible because of the BoM's new Meteye autographic information system, which divides the nation into six square kilometre grids and allows for highly localised meteorological observations and forecasting within each square.
8:20AM
Do you have any hazardous household chemicals taking up space around your home or garage? Well, here's your chance to get rid of them.
Bathurst Regional Council will hold its annual collection for hazardous chemicals on Friday October 31.
Head down to Cooke Hockey Complex with your hazardous household chemicals on this day to ensure they are disposed of correctly and don't end up in landfill.
Note, this collection is for domestic use only, not business.
8:15AM
We have some stars on the way today..
V8 Supercars brothers Todd and Rick Kelly have selected a rare piece of Nissan road car history to venture up to Mount Panorama this week.
Following a road trip tradition that the pair has held true for over a decade, the former Bathurst champions will arrive at the famous circuit today in a unique Nissan Bluebird TRX – one of six cars built by Nissan Australia as promotional vehicles in 1982.
Kindly loaned by car owner and restorer Peter Rowlston, the Kellys will cover 800 kilometres on their way to Bathurst.
And to ensure authenticity, Todd and Rick got dressed up in their best 1980s gear for their journey.
“We’ve done a lot of cool things in motor sport, but one of the coolest things is to do our once a year road trip,” Todd Kelly said.
8:10AM
Nevermore.
On this day in 1849 American writer, poet, and critic Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore. He was 40 years old.
Just a few days ago the legend was immortalised in brass in Boston. Read all about it here.
8AM
Say hello to some of Bathurst's cutest new residents.
7:45AM
There's been some BREAKING NEWS in the Central West this morning...
Police from Canobolas Highway Patrol have charged two men after they were allegedly caught travelling with drugs and an explosive device in Orange overnight.
The vehicle was stopped on Burrendong Way around 10.40pm after police received information from an anonymous source.
The two male occupants of the vehicle, aged 35 and 50, were spoken to by police before being searched.
Police allege they found cannabis and amphetamine in their possession.
The men were arrested and police searched the white Falcon sedan they were travelling, where they in allegedly discovered a round object, about the size of a tennis ball, in the boot.
The object was covered in electrical tape and had a wick protruding from the top of it.
The item was seized and later examined by a bomb technician from Bathurst Police Station who confirmed the object was an improvised explosive device.
The men were taken to Orange Police Station where the 35-year-old man was charged with possess prohibited drug (x2) and possess explosives.
He was refused bail and will appear in Orange Local Court today.
The 50-year-old man was charged with drug possession and was given bail.
He will appear in Orange Local Court on October 30.
7:30AM
This is what's happening around the Central West:
A DISQUALIFIED driver who allegedly drank five beers while on a high-speed police pursuit with an unrestrained six-year-old child in the back seat, told police he consumed the beers during the chase to “calm me down and stop me doing something stupid”.
AROUND 500 Electrolux workers have been told to take the day off after a "significant" chemical spill forced management to close the factory on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday.
THE weather gods turned on a superb day for the opening of the Lithgow Olympic Pool with a small band of hardy swimmers taking advantage of the Saturday conditions.
And in national news...
Tributes are flowing on social media for the victim of a brutal dismemberment murder in an inner-city Brisbane apartment.
Police are yet to formally identify Mayang Prasetyo, a young Indonesian who worked at Melbourne transgender cabaret show Le Femme Garcon before settling in Brisbane with partner Marcus Volke, who is believed to have murdered her before taking his own life
7:15AM
In local news this morning:
A MAN who crashed his car into a tree after he failed to negotiate his own driveway has been charged with high range PCA after recording an alleged alcohol reading of .225 - almost four and a half times the legal limit.
THE mateship built over many Bathurst 1000s is clearly on display as the first campers start to gather on Mount Panorama.
A FREE community music forum will be held in Bathurst this Sunday - and legendary Australian conductor Richard Gill is set to lead the workshop.
IN CYCLING, Bathurst's Hollee Simons will take on a huge program from tomorrow when she heads to Adelaide for the Oceania Track Cycling Championships.
7AM
Good morning and welcome to another edition of BathurstAM.
It's Rachel here this morning and I'll be keeping you up to date with everything happening in the Central West this fine Tuesday.
We're in for a cooler day today with a top temperature of 22 degrees. The rain is already well on the way and set to continue throughout the week, but make sure you keep applying the sunscreen as the UV Index is very high.
If you have any news you want included this morning, please email me at rachel.ferrett@fairfaxmedia.com.au