Leisure
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Tea with Miss Poppy
Join Parkside Winery and Farm’s Sparkling Rosé ambassador, Miss Poppy, as she launches her new La Coquelicot Rosé sparkling to coincide with THAT big horse event on November 5. Enjoy a full glass of rosé bubbles plus a treat of five savoury and sweet goodies to match the bubbles, all prepared and home-cooked at Parkside.…
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The art of gardening at the Festival of Gardens
The bright banners are flying and the region is bursting with colour as we count down to the 17th biennial Castlemaine and District Festival of Gardens. For nine days during Melbourne Cup week, from Saturday November 2 until Sunday November 10, the festival will showcase stunning private gardens located in the Mount Alexander Shire. There’s…
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Mount Players present A Bunch of Amateurs
The Mount Players’ final production for the year opens Friday November 1 – A Bunch of Amateurs by Ian Hislop and Nick Newham. In a desperate plight to save their theatre from developers, a washed-up Hollywood star is flown in to play the title role in King Lear at ‘Stratford’ believing he will be appearing…
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Learn glass art
Hoppers Glass Studio and Gallery in Maldon is offering glassblowing workshops during the Melbourne Cup long weekend. Hoppers Glass is a privately owned studio, founded in 2017, with the aim is to promote all aspects of glass art, including lampworking (glass blowing), stained glass, kiln work (fuse, cast and slump), cold working, glass mosaics and…
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Market birthday party
The Castlemaine Farmers Market is putting on a special birthday party this Sunday November 3 and all are invited to attend! Established in November 2003, the market has ‘come of age’ and from a humble beginning of 25 stalls is now host to more than 70 stalls at the monthly market held the first Sunday…
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Atmospheric festival transforms town
Since its inception in 1974 the Maldon Folk Festival has grown from a small gathering where performers often played for free and, if lucky, received money from donations tossed into a blanket being passed around the crowd, to an event that attracts thousands of people to the historic gold mining town. The festival was established…
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Country carnival returns!
The Vaughan Springs Carnival is returning on Sunday November 10. This much-loved community celebration is held in the historic and picturesque Vaughan Springs Reserve along the banks of the Loddon River, situated on Djaara Country and within the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. The Springs are the perfect setting for this relaxed and fun picnic-style…
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A whimsical wonderland
Stepping through the ornate gates at Shades of Gray Studio and Gallery in Castlemaine, visitors are immediately transported to a whimsical wonderland full of unique, hand-crafted metal flowers. The beautiful greenery of the garden is adorned with more than 10,000 daisies, lilies and bell flowers in vibrant colours and hues, nestled among the plants and…
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Resonance String Orchestra in concert
Resonance String Orchestra’s 16th annual concert, Emotion, will take place in the Castlemaine Town Hall on Sunday November 17, featuring works by Respighi, Sibelius and Vivaldi, as well as film favourites and more. The concerts will include performances by acclaimed cellist Zoe Knighton (Resonance’s artistic patron), Resonance String Orchestra, the newly formed Apprenti Strings junior…
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Local artist to hold drawing workshop
Local artist Mark Dober is holding a Drawing Workshop at Buda Historic Home and Garden in Castlemaine on Sunday November 3. Dober is a plein-air painter, working in the landscape surrounds of Castlemaine. He was the judge of the 2024 Castlemaine Rotary Art Show and a finalist in this year’s Len Fox Art Prize at…
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Absurdist comedy
Castlemaine’s own Libby Angel and Helen Johnstone are excited to present Qubit, an intriguing science fiction comedy that explores the nexus between quantum computing and humanity. Set in a parallel universe where London’s Sloan Square has become a sprawling tech industrial park, Qubit takes audiences on a wild journey through the surreal world of artificial…

