Leisure
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CAM’s first blockbuster
In a blockbuster first for Castlemaine, an exhibition spanning the 50-year career of the well-known and much-loved artist ‘Sir’ Leslie Thornton will open at Castlemaine Art Museum this Saturday. The exhibition, which fittingly coincides with the launch of Castlemaine’s 2025 Fringe Festival, features paintings, drawings and sculptures that celebrate the artist’s whimsical and playful Australian-centric…
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Fringe fiesta!
The 2025 Castlemaine Fringe Festival gets under way this Saturday with a free ‘Opening Night Street Party Spectacular’. The event will kick off at 4pm with youth presentations in Mechanics Lane, and then continue until late with three stages in the Castlemaine Town Hall precinct featuring 150+ performers, dance acts, live art painting, projections, DJs…
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Firecracker poems to feature
PoetiCas’s monthly poetry gatherings in Castlemaine have become a cherished part of the community since 2015. For Castlemaine Fringe, local identities will bring us their chosen poems for an afternoon of ‘Firecracker Poems’ at the Northern Arts Hotel this Saturday March 22. Who met Seamus Heaney in Ireland – and will she read one of…
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Poets and storytellers on show
WORDSPOKEN is a local tradition in the making. The event series, which will return from a summer hiatus as part of the Castlemaine Fringe program, showcases local poets, musicians and storytellers in the shell of the old Melbourne tram at Lot19. WORDSPOKEN draws on this thread, providing a space for experimental and experiential artistic expression,…
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It’s better to read blind
Two bouts of sensory deprivation led Jahne Hope-Williams to pursue a life of spiritual practice. Jahne was born in England and spent the first years of her life living behind a Harrods’ department store. It was a troubled start to life; she was blind. The doctors could do nothing and on a whim, after advice…
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Find the perfect gift
Castlemaine Artists Market is lighting up the centre of town on Sunday March 23. Fossick through more than 50 stalls of fabulous, handmade artwork, and find the perfect gift for someone special. Enjoy delicious food and drink as well as live music on the grass. This month Castlemaine Artists Market welcomes back Ced le Meledo,…
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St Patrick’s day is here!
Guinness, bagpipes and Irish dance will be part of St Patrick’s Day celebrations to be held on March 16 at Trentham East. The Sunday event kicks off at 11am at Sacred Heart Church, where attendees will hear stories from local Irish residents before setting off on an annual march, led by bagpipes, to the Pig…
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Afternoon tea in an autumn garden
On Saturday March 22, Coliban Springs will open its tranquil five-acre garden oasis to aid The Sisterhood Project, a charity making lifesaving skills accessible to everyone. The organisation’s founder Grace Larson lives locally in Mia Mia and was the 2024 Victorian winner of the Agrifutures Rural Woman of the Year award and runner up for…
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Big turnout expected for Taradale Festival
Now in its 16th year, the Taradale Mineral Springs Festival is set to return this Sunday March 9. Awarded Mount Alexander Shire Community Event of the Year in 2024, the long-running festival is a major feature on the Central Victorian calendar for the Labour Day long weekend. The Mineral Springs Festival Committee is planning to…
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Harcourt Applefest is on the move
Since its inception in 1991, the Harcourt Applefest has gone from strength to strength and is now bursting at the seams! Consequently, this year’s festival organisers have decided to relocate the iconic festival and art show from its original home at James Park and the Harcourt Heritage Centre to the Harcourt Recreation Reserve. Kicking off…
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The circus is coming to town
Circus Latino is a dynamic and exciting show that aims to thrill and captivate audiences of all ages. Featuring talented performers from South America and Australia, this show includes daring aerial acts, tricks performed with fire, hoops and a hilarious clown. Audience members may even become part of the show if they are confident to…
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A diamond jubilee artist
Artist Kevin Smith has been painting for 60 years. His studio, located in the hills of Little Hampton, displays his enduring output with hundreds of paintings laying about. “Some of these canvases are from the 1980s and I just paint over them,” he says. The 76-year-old reflects on his life while listening to jazz play…