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Melbourne Food & Wine Festival hits the road to regional Victoria

It’s been a long-time in the making for the first proper Melbourne Food & Wine Festival –  Regional Edition.

We got our first taste of MFWF in regional Victoria way back in March 2019 when the tiny Gippsland dairy-farming town of Jindivic was taken over for The Village Feast.

This time around, we see the return of The Village Feast to Gippsland added to a large number of events across the state to become MFWF’s Regional Edition running from 18 to 27 November.

As an added bonus, you can receive 25% off your tickets as part of the Victorian Government Dining and Entertainment Program (T&C’s apply).

Victoria’s High Country Crawl and Bite

MFWF Regional VictoriaMFWF devotees will be happy to know that the much loved Crawl and Bite event will be relocated to Victoria’s High Country with the progressive food adventures moving across venues in the towns of Beechworth, Bright and Rutherglen.

More details here.

The Village Feast

MFWF Regional EditionThe Village Feast will see the picturesque town of Thorpdale turned into a souped-up country fair for the weekend. Gippsland producers will set up alongside pop-up food outlets from local and interstate chefs, with a live music program brought to you by Always Live.

Find out more here.

Signature Escapes

Regional Victoria MFWFDeep dive into regional Victoria with unique itineraries developed by the state’s top chefs, producers and hoteliers. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Yarra Valley with a local winemaker, discover the producers of Victoria’s High Country with Michael Ryan (Provenance) and take a luxurious culinary tour of western Victoria.

Take a look here.

Ballarat Unlocked

Regional Victoria MFWFBallarat will be home to a number of quirky foodie occasions, unlocking hidden locations across the city. Find street food and DJs in an old laneway, an Italian fiesta in a former drive-through and a five-course degustation menu served in the basement of the Mechanics’ Institute.

Find all the details here.

 

 

THE DETAILS

What: MFWF Regional Edition
When: November 18-27
Where: Around regional Victoria
More Info: MFWF Regional Edition

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Almost Summer Music Festival is kicking off summer festivities in Bendigo

Words by Tehya Nicholas
Images Supplied

As the state begins to peel back their layers of duffel down, cast aside the woolly hats, and reveal their vitamin-D deficient skin to the sun, so too is the planning for warmer days ramping up. Musical festivals are often the first cab off the rank in the booking-up of sunshine months and Bendigo has gifted us a new ripper: Almost Summer Music Festival.

The regional festival is exploding into its inaugural year with a huge lineup of local and national acts. Its headliners include Kardajala Kirridarra—the incredible all-female First Nations act from the Red Centre—singer-songwriter extraordinaire Gabriella Cohen, and critically acclaimed Melbourne five-piece Bananagun. Punters can also expect to catch a range of other artists across almost every musical genre: Geoffrey O’Connor, Pookie, PhoebeGo, Cool Sounds, Greatest Hits, Sunfruits, Freeds, Suzi, Carissa Nyalu, Nadia Phillips, Flora, and Aplegate all feature. To keep you dancing into the night, DJs Joey Lightbulb and DJ Friday are on deck with their original mixes of disco, house, funk, and more.

All acts will take to the one outdoor stage, located right beside historic Capital Theatre, across three days. The event is family-friendly and has been curated by experts to keep the vibes high. Plenty of locally sourced food and drinks are available for a pitstop in between boogies, and Bendigo Vinyl will host a pop-up record store throughout the event if you’re hoping to add to your record collection.

Creative Director of Hear Them Holler, the independent agency behind Almost Summer, Lior Albeck-Ripka says, “Curating Almost Summer Music Festival has been a dream come true. We’re getting to put on a festival that we want to go to! We’re beyond excited to have booked Kardajala Kirridarra — a band I’ve personally fawned over and who haven’t played in Victoria for over four years. Whilst we’re all experiencing one of the coldest winters ever in Victoria, we are busy planning this super fun all-inclusive festival of great music and food. We want the experience to be easy, relaxed and fun, and we’re thinking of all the things audiences will want so we have them on the ground ready to go.”

Almost Summer is a part of Victoria’s celebrated new statewide Always Live program centred on bringing world-class live music events to hungry gig-goers. Other acts include Dua Lipa at the Palais Theatre (sold out), Toro Y Moi at Northcote Town Hall, and many more.

Tickets to Almost Summer are limited to 500 per day to keep the shows intimate and to ensure plenty of dancing room. Punters can choose to purchase a pass for the entire three-day event or to pop in on individual days/nights. The full timeline of acts can be found on the Almost Summer website linked below. Tickets are available now.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Almost Summer Music Festival
WHERE: View St, Bendigo VIC
WHEN: November 25-27 2022
MORE INFO: Almost Summer Music Festival

We wish to acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

What to expect at this year’s Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival and why it will be the final one

The Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival launched in November 2011 and in that time has really set the standard for what a grass-roots, community-led regional music festival can achieve. 

With the 2022 program just announced, we spoke with the festival founder, direct and programmer Colin Thompson about the history of the festival, its impact on the community and why it’s time to call it a day.

It’s sad to hear that this will be the last Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival, why has the committee decided not to continue?

The short version is that we need a break from the year-round work it takes to put on a festival of this size.  People on the outside might think “hang on, haven’t you had a break in 2020 and 2021 [during the height of the pandemic] from running the festival?”, but the reality is that we worked on the festival in case it could happen each of those years while creating online events and other smaller events along the way, to continue creating paid work for artists and production crews, so it was never actually a restful time.

Essentially we’ve been working on our 10th annual festival for 3 years now and we’re understandably a little burnt out from it.  If it was a commercial venture, that’d be another story, but myself, my wife and our core committee and crew have worked on this festival for over a decade on a purely volunteer basis, working our day jobs and raising kids, etc, all while working (what is for some of us) a second full-time unpaid job.

It’s been an incredible time, making so many new friends and sharing so much amazing music with thousands of happy punters, so we can walk away from this project with a lot of pride and satisfaction.

What is the background and history of the festival?

The live music scene locally was suffering back in 2009, not from a lack of quality bands to be enjoyed, but a lack of punter engagement, which resulted in more and more venues turning away from staging gigs.

It’s hard to convince venues to keep paying musicians to play if it’s not proving commercially viable, so I set about starting up an event that encouraged audiences to get off their bums and engage in live gigs again locally, therefore proving to venues that live music can be commercially viable again – not just culturally enriching to the community as a whole.

What has been the social and economic impact of the festival over the years?

The figures arrived at by Bendigo City Council tell us that the financial impact on the city over the last few years has been in excess of $ 5 million per year – just counting the 4 days of the festival itself each year.  This obviously doesn’t count all the other smaller-scale events we run or partner with year-round.

We hear about the social and cultural impact all the time as well, which to me is even more important.  Anecdotally, a lot of musicians and punters say things like: “you guys have put Bendigo back on the music map” or that we’ve set a good example for other cities or regional centres on how they can run events that help nourish and grow the local music scene and arts scene in general.

When we hear that, that obviously fills us with pride, but it’s an ongoing mission and I’m always excited to see others in our community starting events that have similar goals to ours.  If no one else is out there doing the same kind of work we’ve done, then it might end up feeling like it was for nothing.  I’m confident Bendigo will continue to be a destination for major events of all sorts, including music festivals, well into the future.

What are some of your own favourite memories of past festival years?

As any event director or manager would appreciate, I’m usually too rushed off my feet getting jobs done over the four days of the festival to stop and enjoy any of it. But over the years I’ve managed to force myself to take a moment here or there to just soak in some of the awesome music we’ve programmed and watch audiences lap it up.

Even when I’m buzzing around picking up and dropping off drum kits and PAs and helping out here or there, it’s always a thrill just to see how happy everyone is around town at all the venues I call into along the way.

What’s next for the festival organisers?

Enjoying the knowledge that we don’t have to turn around and start the work all over straight away will be the first thing I think.  But we all enjoy staging grass-roots-sized events and so The Blues Tram will continue into 2023 and beyond (staged on the second Saturday of each month).

We’ll also continue supporting touring and local artists by promoting and staging concerts at The Old Church on the Hill on an ad hoc basis.  We’ve already been approached by a couple of bigger venues in town who’d like us to stage something specific with them, on the November weekend that BB&RMF would have normally fallen on. But we’ll consider those proposals in early 2023 or thereafter I think.

Last November we staged a very popular ticketed event called Live’n’Local at a custom-made event space in White Hills (on the north side of Bendigo), just as Victoria came out of the most severe COVID lockdowns and restrictions.  There’s every possibility we’ll look at doing something like that in the future – a one-site, one-day event that can celebrate local and visiting independent artists, and local food and beverage providers.

We’re certainly not saying goodbye to live music events, just looking forward to not working year-round on a 4-day event that hosts well over 100 acts in 4 to 50 venues.

What can we expect for the 2022 swan song festival?

Many of our favourite acts over the last decade will be returning to work with us this November.  We’re about to re-announce the line-up very shortly as the program is almost finalised (again!).  Our partnerships with the many venues that have come on board over the years will mean that we again provide top-class music in the largest theatres, park spaces and wineries, as well as pubs, clubs, cafes and street parties.

More ticketed events than in previous years, but still plenty of accessible and free entry events on offer as per usual.  Whether it’s Aussie blues icons like Geoff Achison and Dave Hole, or more mainstream recognisable names like Colin Hay and Goanna, local school bands showing their wears, and everything in between.

The streets of Bendigo will again be filled with the sounds of music of all kinds, from all over Australia (with a small number of international artists thrown in for good measure).

Where do we find out more details?

Our website is the best source of all news, ticketing links and other gig news relating to BB&RMF events.  I urge people to please follow our social media pages and sign up to our website as a subscriber, for email updates.

THE DETAILS

What: Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival
When: November 3 – 6
Where: Various locations around Bendigo
More info: Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival

We wish to acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Mega event series brings live music to the regions

Words by Gwen Luscombe
Images Supplied

Not that we need an excuse to take a road trip, but this summer the Victorian Government has kicked off a mega lineup of musicians with a gig series you’ll want to travel for.

While the city will see artists like Billy Joel and Dupa Lipa filling the inner-city venues, regions such as Hanging Rock will be hosting other notable artists like Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Iconic Aussie band Crowded House will set up a stage on the banks of the Murray River in Wodonga supported by Boy & Bear, Angus & Julia Stone and Zambian rapper Sampa The Great.

All up, more than 150 artists will appear at more than 90 events spread out across Victoria when Always Live kicks off in November. 

The state-wide celebration is the brainchild of the late music mogul Michael Gudinski, whose son Matt Gudinski has stepped into the role of chairman for Always Live.

“Always Live was a dream my late father had to reassure our state’s live music roots and I am proud to be part of the team making it a reality,” he said in a recent statement.

“It’s exciting to see the program for Always Live bought to life, a new major event which reaffirms Victoria as the music state of Australia and Melbourne as one of the leading music cities of the world.”

The concept aims to create a permanent home for contemporary live music amid both regional Victoria and Melbourne’s live events calendar.

The full program will feature not only concerts but regional festivals, pub gigs, industry workshops and more beginning from late November well into mid-December this year. Shows have so far been confirmed in Melbourne as well as regional areas Geelong, Queenscliff, Echuca, Macedon Ranges and the Goldfields.

In addition to the live show, a 10-episode Always Live podcast series has kicked off hosted by musician Alex Lahey in a further celebration of Melbourne’s iconic live music scene.

The podcast will feature the people, the venues, the artists and music moments that have shaped the state’s cultural story. The podcast can be found on most podcasting platforms. 

Here’s our program highlights taking some of Victoria’s regional areas:

Macedon Ranges

Nick Cave will be joined by The Bad Seeds Warren Ellis for two nights only (25 and 26th of November) at the incredible Hanging Rock for a spectacular performance that shouldn’t be missed.

Details here.

High Country

Alpine Valley Vibes will hit the High Country region on November 12th featuring Jessica Mauboy at Pioneer Park in Bright. The one-day community festival event will also have a line-up of incredible rising stars and local talent in the Alpine Valley. 

Take a look here.

Queenscliff

Featuring Australian rapper and artist Baker Boy, former lead singer of The Preachers Isabella Manfredi, alt-indie rockers Middle Kids and Melbourne’s RVG, the Queenscliff Music Festival’s three-day event typically attracts more than 10,000 music lovers of all ages annually.

Event spaces along Queenscliff’s iconic streetscape will be pumping out sounds as well as performances across three main festival stages as part of the Festival ‘First Plays’ program.

More here.

Wodonga

On November 13th, classic Aussie band Crowded House will be joined by Angus & Julia Stone and Boy & Bear at Gateway Lakes. Near Echuca on December 4th, X Factor winner and Australia’s Eurovision representative Isaiah Firebrace will perform in the Murray region as part of Hometown, a concert series that sees celebrated First Peoples performer’s journey back to their hometowns for special one-off shows alongside rising local talent. 

Get tickets here.

Horsham

Also as part of Hometown, award-winning Wergaia/Wemba Wemba singer-songwriter, Alice Skye will return to her hometown for a one-off special show on December 10th at Sawyer Park Sound Shell supported by local talent.

Learn more.

Bendigo and Carisbrook

The inaugural Almost Summer Music Festival will bring a diverse range of incredible talent to the goldfields region in early December with pop disco, dance, edgy hip hop and more.  

With seventeen bands and four DJs over three days, it’ll include some of Bendigo’s best local talent mixed with established Australian acts.

Held at the Capital Theatre Loading Dock & Engine Room, some performers will include The Aplegate, Bananagun, Black Cab, Carissa Nyalu, Cool Sounds, Gabriella Cohen, Geoffrey O’Connor, Greatest Hits, Flora, Freeds, Kardajala Kirridarra, Nadia Phillips, Phoebe Go, Pookie, Sunfruits, Suzi and DJs Joey Lightbulb, DJ Friday & Triple J’s MC Pip Rasmussin.

Also expect a pop-up indie record store from Bendigo Vinyl and local favourites Boomtown Wines, East Bendigo Brewery and tasty local eats to keep festivalgoers fuelled.

Find out more here.

Carisbrook will host the three-day Chopped Festival bringing together hundreds of cars and motorbikes with more than 25 rock bands including Aussie pub rockers Amyl and the Sniffers.

Churchill Island

The family-friendly Ocean Sounds one-day festival will see Tash Sultana at Phillip Island for a sunset concert with Pierce Brothers, Kim Churchill, Kee’ahn, Little Green and Mark Howard. Expect picnic rugs, local wines with gourmet food, incredible music and a great day out at what is likely to be Tash Sultana’s only Victorian gig this year. 

Details here.

Stay up to day with performance announcements, links to getting your show and event tickets, gig news and more by visiting the Always Live site here. 

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Always Live
WHERE: Statewide
WHEN: Late November to mid-December
MORE INFO: Always Live

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Pride is coming to Regional Victoria with a landmark new festival

Words by Tehya Nicholas
Main Image by Nikki Russian Photography
Others supplied

This summer, people all across Victoria will have the chance to celebrate LGBTIQ+ pride, thanks to a $6.8 million investment from the Government.

Aptly titled Victoria’s Pride, the statewide festival will kick off its inaugural celebration this summer with a two-month long stint in regional cities and towns across the state, as well as in metropolitan Melbourne. And you better gird your loins because the festivities have been tipped by organisers to rival Sydney’s famed Mardi Gras in size, vibe, goodwill… and colourful feathers.

The Andrews Labor Government, who announced the venture on August 12, has committed to at least four years of Victoria’s Pride to be held annually from December to February. The festival builds on the success of Melbourne Pride which was held over the summer of 2021-22 to mark more than 40 years since the decriminalisation of sex between men in Victoria. A massive crowd of 67,500 people are estimated to have attended last years’ events, with almost 30,000 people participating in 22 regional activities last summer, with events including a pop-up festival in Bendigo, art exhibitions, theatre shows and a movie screening. This can only mean that Victoria’s Pride will be one helluva festival.

The new festival will celebrate and support lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) Victorians, and, crucially, be accessible to our regional and rural rainbow communities.

“Victoria’s Pride will be a welcoming and inclusive celebration of LGBTIQ communities across the state – a chance for all Victorians to show visible love and support and for our community to celebrate who we are,” Equality Minister Harriet Shing said.

In a bid to capture and celebrate queer voices and stories in Victoria’s regional areas, a statewide funding program — the Regional Activation Program — has also been announced. Proposals for LGBTIQ+ arts and cultural projects, including (but not limited to) commissions/artworks, theatre performances, documented community stories, and historical collections or exhibition, are wanted to ensure statewide representation, shared regional experiences, and overall engagement with this important event.

Non-for-profit organisations and individuals with dreams of showcasing their work can apply for up to $15,000 in funding, with a limited number of major projects above $15K also up for consideration. Applicants are also encouraged to consider accessibility in order to facilitate true multi-generational and intersectional inclusion.

Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities Todd Fernando said the revamped event will give the opportunity for people in regional and rural communities to both show their support and feel represented.

“It’s fantastic to see that right across Victoria we will continue to have opportunities for people to showcase their support for our diverse LGBTIQ+ communities. Whether you are a member of our fabulous rainbow communities or an ally, I encourage you to attend Victoria’s Pride events this summer,” he said.

After two-months of festivities throughout the state, Victoria’s Pride will culminate in one epic street party on Sunday 12 February 2023 in Melbourne’s iconic Gertrude and Smith Street precinct. More details about the day are still to come, but our guess is that it’s going to be one to remember.

“The final day will be the shining jewel to wind up the whole of those celebrations on a statewide basis,” Karen Bryant, Midsumma chief executive said. “We’ll bring the whole state together.”

The new festival is presented in partnership with Victoria’s leading LGBTIQ+ arts and cultural organisation Midsumma, whose annual festival will return next year from Sunday 22 January to Sunday 12 February.

To apply for a Victoria’s Pride regional grant or to find out more, please visit the Midsumma Festival website. Applications are open from now until Monday 26 September at 5pm.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Victoria’s Pride
WHERE: Statewide
WHEN: December 2022 – February 2023
MORE INFO: Victoria’s Pride

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Historic apothecary Dow’s Pharmacy open to the public this month

Words by Tehya Nichols
Images supplied

Discover the gentle thrills of colourful glass vials, antiquated tins of talcum powder, and countless tiny wooden drawers at Dow’s Pharmacy.

Many museums present a snippet of history. Whether through a piece of art hanging on a white wall or a strange wax recreation behind glass. But to step inside history is a rare occasion. Dow’s Pharmacy, located in Chiltern, Victoria, provides such an opportunity and as of August 26th, the public are welcome to wander through this living museum for a weekend of exclusive open days.

A small, antiquated mud-brick shop on a quiet country street, Dow’s Pharmacy doesn’t reveal much to the passerby. But to step inside is to feel the gentle thrills of being somewhere you shouldn’t logically be; that being a nineteenth century apothecary. Built in 1859 and purchased by Hilda and Roy Dow in 1930, the pharmacy dolled prescriptions to the public until the late 1960s. When the Dow’s left, they decided—with incredible foresight—to leave everything as it was. What stands now is an untouched collection of over 4,000 historic artefacts to view, from original period fittings, stock and equipment, to instruments used to prepare medicines prior to the advent of modern dispensing.

This makes Dow’s Pharmacy one of Australia’s only remaining authentic historic shops. And something of a time capsule from a bygone era of medicine. Its rich history also includes a brush with political fame; one of the early pharmacists at Dow’s was David McEwen, father of the Australian prime minister, John McEwen.

These days, the pharmacy remains shuttered throughout the winter months and on public holidays, but as a part of the annual Chiltern Antique Fair, Dow’s will open it’s century-old doors (expect a squeak or two) to the public on Friday 26 until Sunday 28 August. The short festival celebrates the history of Chiltern, a Gold Rush town with dozens of intact historic building. Worth visiting is Lake View House—a perfect example of early brick building and the childhood home of author Henry Handel Richardson—and The Federal Standard Printing Works, another living museum of still-functioning printing presses from a century ago.

Just a few hours from the CBD, a day at Chiltern—and in particular Dow’s Pharmacy—feels a whole world away.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Dow’s Pharmacy
WHERE: 42 Conness Street, Chiltern, Victoria
WHEN: Friday 26 August (3pm to 6pm) | Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 August (10am to 3pm)
MORE INFO: Dow’s Pharmacy – National Trust Victoria

 

We wish to acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Vegecareian Festival is back, along with a new immersive lightscape

Words by Tehya Nicholas
Images Supplied

If it’s universal compassion you’re after, a day trip to Vegecareian Festival might be an excellent place to start.

In 2013, the Western world’s largest stupa — aptly titled the Great Stupa, standing tall just a short drive outside of Bendigo — began hosting an annual spring festival dedicated to the love of animals and plants. They called it Vegecareian Festival (emphasis on the care) and fast became one of the state’s most popular multicultural family-friendly events before it was shuttered by the pandemic. The one-day extravaganza returns this October 1st, marking a new period of exciting events brightening the Great Supa calendar.

Vegecareian teaches a lot more than just the joys of eating vegetables. The day is infused with the stupa’s central principle of compassion; market stalls of locally made produce are available to purchase, cooking demonstrations feature dishes from around the globe for some free education, and family activities are dotted throughout the day. In an outstanding act of 21st Century altruism, a Buddhist monk will be present to bless your pet if you’re up for bringing them along. Dogs, cats, chickens, and donkeys have been known to receive a blessing in the past.  Even if vegetarianism isn’t your thing, soaking up the goodwill in the air does something nice to your insides.

Marketing and Events Manager at Great Stupa Matthew Griffin told us recently visitor numbers can be expected to grow to between 1000 and 2000 people on the day, plus animal companions. “We wanted to bring people together for education about animal care, introduce people to a vegetarian lifestyle, and give them an opportunity to learn how to cook vegetarian food,” he explains. This free, multifaceted festival is an awesome expression of compassion (a rare and valuable practice in today’s fast-paced world) and marks an exciting opportunity to mingle with the local community.

Once your belly is full with uniformly excellent food and you’re ready for more pleasantries at Great Stupa, head back once a month for their brand new lightscape experience, Enlighten. Vermillion red, cobalt blue, canary yellow, and more vibrant lights have been designed to shimmer off the canvas white of the stupa and flow across their garden, Peace Park. The immersive show presents an exclusive opportunity to view the stupa after dark while live performers roam throughout the evening for your entertainment. Their first event is slated for August 13th, and will be held throughout the year on multiple nights and on special occasions. Tickets are available via their website.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Vegecareian Festival
WHERE: Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, 25 Sandhurst Town Road, Myers Flat (Bendigo) VIC 3556
WHEN: Saturday October 1st, 10am-3pm
MORE INFO: Great Stupa of Universal Compassion

We wish to acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Top winter festivals to warm the senses this season

Words by Della Vreeland
Images Supplied

It’s no secret that we’re quite the winter champions here in Victoria. We don’t just mean in terms of leading the way when it comes to the season’s execution (does any other ((mainland)) state do it better?). But also in terms of advocating for the cooler months. God knows the winter gets a bad rap sometimes, but we’re here to tell the rest of Australia it is actually quite magical if you just give it a chance.

Since we’re so experienced at navigating the winter landscape, it comes as no surprise that our winter festivals and events are especially alluring. So when your visiting friends and relatives feel like harping on about how cold it is in Victoria, perhaps just take them along to one of these festivals and simply observe as the warmth penetrates their entire being. (Maybe also ask them to chuck on a few layers and a Kathmandu. For good measure.)

Borealis on the Lake: July 15 – September 4

BOREALIS On the LakeIt’s toured the world, and now it’s coming to Daylesford to light up the night sky as well as our own eyes. Created by internationally-renowned Switzerland–based artist Dan Archer, Borealis on the Lake is set to be a captivating display which transports us to the Arctic Circle. Taking place at the iconic Lake Daylesford, the installation combines technology and art to create unique auroras with colour, movement, music, density of light beams and changing weather conditions to give infinite variations.  So rug up, pull up your picnic chair and hot choccie, and get set for a surreal northern experience down under.

Find out more here.

Nillumbik Open Cellars: June 18 – 19

Nillumbik Open CellarsCelebrating 21 years, Nillumbik Open Cellars is a winter showcase of the finest wineries of the region and a celebration of https://www.nillumbikwineyarravalley.com.au/events-the thriving culture of the Nillumbik community. The festival will feature 10 family-owned wineries each with their own individual style and will also serve up an array of local fare, art and live music. Vino-lovers will have a chance to sample traditionally-produced wines at wineries not always open to the public as they relish in the surrounding charm and history that the region’s backdrop provides.

More here.

White Night Shepparton: June 25

White Night SheppartonPlay all night. ‘Tis the White Night Shepparton motto. And while you might earn yourself a few extra degrees in Shepparton, we still recommend you rug up as you explore the town into the early hours of the morn. Heading to Shepp for the first time ever, hosting White Night is quite a coup for our friends up north. Enriched with a celebration of art and culture to showcase Shepparton’s history, the program will feature a plethora of enlightening experiences that pay respect to the past and present, and it’s set to be quite the delight.

Find out more.

Ballarat Winter Festival: June 25 – July 17

Ballarat Winter FestivalThis month-long festival has become a must-do on the annual winter calendar. A family-friendly festival with a whole multitude of events scattered across the city, punters can experience everything from ice-skating in the heart of the CBD to fire jousts at Kryal Castle, a design market to the spectacular Sovereign Hill Winter Wonderlights. This year’s festival will also welcome the highly-anticipated Skywhales balloon sculptures. Created by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini, the monuments will fly over Ballarat on July 9 accompanied by music written by Canberra musician Jess Green.

Take a look at the program here.

GLOW: June 25 – July 17

Bendigo After DarkTaking place as part of Bendigo’s Ignite winter festival, GLOW is a sensory after-dark experience taking place in the city’s Rosalind Park. Produced by local audio-visual specialist Power AV, the showcase celebrates Bendigo through a vibrant display of light, colour and sound with 11 immersive installations and light projections to entertain the entire family.  GLOW is only one facet of the Ignite program, which is packed to the brim with food, fun and frivolities for all ages.

Details here.

Island Whale Festival: July 1 – July 3

Island Whale FestivalAn annual festival that celebrates the whale migration, this three-day extravaganza features a range of activities and educational endeavours spread across the famous Phillip Island. Locals and visitors alike will be able to engage with a range of entertaining activities including a whale discovery trail, dolphin and whale cruises, presentations, and a whole lot of arts and crafts sessions – deepening their appreciation of the wildlife and natural habitats of Phillip Island and the Bass Coast region.

Take a look here.

Yarra Valley Fireside: July 9 – July 24

Yarra Valley FireseideThis 16-day festival is perfectly-suited for those yearning to warm up their bellies this winter season. A delight for all the senses, Yarra Valley Fireside has a firm focus on showcasing the region’s outstanding culinary experiences – celebrating the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the finest locally-produced food and drink. With the festival set against the mesmerising landscape and moody skies of the Yarra Valley, you’ll find yourself cosying up by warming fires as you savour the crisp nights and ever-so-palatable dining experiences.

View the program here.

East Gippsland Winter Festival: June 17 – July 10

East Gippsland Winter FestivalThis winter festival is the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of the season as you embrace all that makes the cooler months so magical. Featuring a wealth of art, fine food and drink, and live music, you’ll find yourself welcomed by friendly locals and creative communities as you discover a whole series of pop-up events, lavish winter feasts, art installations, lantern parades, tours, workshops and much more.  Details here.

Take a look at our Regional Events & Festivals calendar to plan your weekends.

 

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Three top chefs to headline Heritage Harvest Weekend

Words by Teyha Nicholas
Images supplied

Ballarat’s favourite tourist spot Sovereign Hill will come alive this Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May with three top chefs headlining a weekend of food, fun and family.

Heritage Harvest Weekend, now in its delightful Autumn Series, is a celebration of all things old-school, with a real focus on local, fresh produce and cooking techniques. The event will span two days and sees a range of family-friendly tutorials, games and workshops sure to make you forget about your iPhone and pine for a horse and cart.

Top chefs Jo Barrett (Future Food System), Jung Eun Chae (CHAE) and Derek Boath (Underbar) will be welcomed to the Victorian Theatre for six special workshops, guided and facilitated by the former chief restaurant critic for The Age, Gemima Cody. Punters are encouraged to come along and learn about the important arts of preserving, pickling, distilling, curing, drying and fermenting – as well as why local, fresh and seasonal produce are the heroes of these chef’s tables.

Saturday’s sessions belong to Jo Barrett and Jung Eun Chae and will take guests through two very different, yet very intriguing demonstrations. Barrett, an accomplished chef whose days are split between Oakridge Winery and the part art installation, part environmental activist manifesto Future Food System, delights in creating delicious food with a tiny carbon footprint. Her session focuses on unveiling the flavours in proteins of the future; think crickets and alternate meats, as well as the many oft-forgotten foods right under our noses like tiger nuts and grass.

Jung Eun Chae, the legendary Korean chef behind the eponymous six-seat restaurant CHAE, will be guiding folks through the ancient fermenting techniques behind soy sauce, sake and kimchi. In a fast-paced world, her slow cooking produces food that has rarely tasted so good, so best to pay attention to this one.

Sunday sees Ballarat’s own star chef Derek Boath of the well-known yet mysterious Underbar, take to the stage for a classical French style cooking class with a native Australian spin. A chef with the courage in his conviction, he’ll be walking visitors through dishes like wattle seed and lemon myrtle pot de crème sure to wow any guest.

Aside from the food extravaganza, there are plenty of other events across the weekend for all to enjoy. From bowling to candle-making, mine tours to backyard beekeeping, Heritage Harvest Weekend is not to be missed. Tickets on sale via their website.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Heritage Harvest Weekend | Autumn Series
WHERE: Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
WHEN: Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 May
TICKETS: Admission – $39 for an adult | $20 for a child | $99 for a family
MORE INFO: Heritage Harvest Weekend

We wish to acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Casey Cornucopia – a treasure trove of activities and events this winter

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

The City of Casey, in Melbourne’s south-east, intends to make winter 2022 a time for celebration not hibernation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of their Winter Arts Festival. With a robust festival program featuring local artists across a plethora of disciplines, including visual arts, music, theatre and dance, the highlight has to be the Casey Cornucopia, based at the flagship Bunjil Place.

Bunjil Place swiftly cemented itself as a popular gathering place and civic space since opening in 2017. It is these third spaces, outside of work and home (even if those are the same place), where community truly happens and that’s something that has been too rare in recent years. An entertainment precinct, gallery, theatre, library and more, it is the outdoor plaza where the gem of this festival will be based.

It doesn’t take an architecture devotee to see the symbolism of Bunjil (also Bundjil) the wedge-tailed eagle creator found in First Nation stories, in the plaza’s design. A soaring timber roof sweeps gracefully down, like an eagle’s wings sheltering and protecting those who gather below.

Start the winter school holidays off with a bang with The Cornucopia Launch Party on Friday 24th June 6.30-8.30pm. Tickets are $15 a head which includes a welcome drink and snacks. Be the first to get an exclusive look at the drawcard attraction, The Cornucopia Garden.

The Cornucopia Garden will be open daily between 10am – 10pm until Sunday 17th July. This interactive experience is brought to you by the powerhouse global creative studio, Bombas & Parr. With a multi-disciplinary approach to projects, the art group specialises in food & drink-based experiences working with worldwide brands and cultural institutions, and now the City of Casey.

It was a coup the events team had been working towards for some time. Emma Bentley, Bunjil Place Plaza Team Leader explains more. ’They work in London but also right around the world, creating these really interesting installations and immersive experiences through food. This is the first time they’ve presented an installation in Australia. We really liked their work and so put a brief to them.’

‘They did some research into the Casey region and found there was a rich history of producing and they really wanted to localise it while giving it a Bombas & Parr spin. From there, we narrowed it down to an apple, celery and the chocolate lily – so we’re representing fruits, vegetables and also the Indigenous side. We’ve been working with the Bunurong Land Council to ensure it was okay for us to use the chocolate lily.’

The chocolate lily is an indigenous plant with blue-violet flowers which smell remarkably like chocolate. Historically, the tuber formed part of the diet for local Indigenous people. The region has been an abundant source of food, long before European settlement.

Casey Cornucopia plans to present this food history in ways you’ve not seen before, let alone could ever imagine. If last year’s Winter Arts Festival is anything to go by, be prepared to be wowed. In 2021, a giant 7m diameter replica of the Earth’s Moon by UK artist Luke Jerram was the centrepiece of the very successful Museum of the Moon installation that attracted 30,000 visitors over a 10-day period.

We’re creating these amazing large-scale sculptures that tap into all your senses, even incorporating the world’s first edible fog. So, as you’re walking through the sculptures, this flavoured mist will be billowing forth from the sculptures.

Anyone interested in taking a peek behind the scenes of such an over-the-top creative installation should join The Cornucopia Tour which will run Saturday 25th June – Sunday 10th July and Saturday 16th July – Sunday 17th July at various times of the day. Bookings are required for this guided tour and there’ll even be some Cornucopia-themed snacks to keep you going.

And if that wasn’t enough, you can always visit The Cornucopia Food Hub which is open Saturday 25th June – Sunday 17th July. Free to enter, the hub will showcase local farmers, growers and artisan producers and will feature demonstrations, workshops and talks. More events and activities are being added in the run-up to the festival’s launch so keep an eye on the Bunjil Place website for all the latest news.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Casey Cornucopia
WHERE: Bunjil Place, 2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren
WHEN: Friday 24th June with events running until Sunday 17th July
MORE INFO: Casey Cornucopia

We wish to acknowledge the Bunurong people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.