Leisure
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Orb spider inspires Bird
Angela CrawfordWatching the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II gave Castlemaine author Carmel Bird the inspiration for a short story in her latest collection of works. “I watched the funeral on television and I saw that on the bunch of flowers on her coffin there was a little green spider,” Bird told the Express. “It was…
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Writers festival returns
The Bendigo Writers Festival returns with an impressive lineup on the first weekend of May to celebrate its 13th year. A diverse lineup of writers at this year’s event will include Tom Ballard (I, Millenial), Madelaine Lucas (Thirst for Salt), Melina Marchetta (Looking For Alibrandi), Pip Williams (The Bookbinder of Jericho), Peter Doherty (Empire, War,…
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Discover the program
The 2023 Castlemaine Documentary Festival is fast approaching, scheduled for June 16 – 18. The full 2023 program will be launched tomorrow at 7.30pm at the Theatre Royal Castlemaine and celebrated with a screening of the gorgeous Australian film, Because We Have Each Other. This film by award-winning director Sari Braithwaite, who will be in…
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Songs of pride
This year’s Castlemaine Pride Festival is jam-packed with musical offerings to make your heart sing. Castlemaine Pride Choir – the festival’s very own choir-in-residence – will be headlining the picnic stage in the Botanic Gardens on April 29. Formed in 2021 as a musical and social group for LGBTQIA locals, the choir has become a…
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Horse show set to return
The Castlemaine and District Agricultural Society’s Clydesdale Foal Filly and Mare Show will return to Castlemaine’s Camp Reserve on Sunday April 16. This will be combined with its Miniature Horse Pony and Shetlands Feature Show. Castlemaine and District Agricultural Society secretary Deb Hamilton said the society would celebrate its 169th anniversary this year and was…
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Essays on Earth
The Castlemaine State Festival continues this week. Last Saturday, video installation Essays on Earth was unveiled at The Goods Shed. The multichannel video installation, which slowly unravels around the internal walls of The Goods Shed like a Japanese scroll, is built around Paul Kane’s sonorous reading of his epic poem on the themes of earth,…
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Art under the microscope
Lisa DennisAs part of the Castlemaine Fringe Festival’s ‘Art Window Trail’, passionate local backyard composter Mikaela Beckley has created an art installation that celebrates microbes and the Yes in My Backyard community compost initiative. The artwork on ‘The Hub’ Building in Barker Street incorporates paper mache, recyclable materials and a video presentation and celebrates the…
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Exciting new events for WWAF
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival returns this June, bringing with it a four-day program of world-class performances, thought-provoking discussions and exciting new events. Taking place over the King’s Birthday long weekend (June 9-12), the program will feature some of Australia’s leading classical musicians, alongside some of the country’s greatest literary minds. An exciting new addition…
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Jazz Jam celebrates 10 years
Lisa DennisLocal musicians will gather to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Castlemaine Jazz Jam this Sunday. The jam is held on the first Sunday of the month at the Maurocco Bar in the Midland Hotel, opposite the Castlemaine Railway Station. The event began in May 2013 at the former Commercial ‘Comma’ Hotel Castlemaine. When that…
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Depicting a small world
The inaugural sculpture competition ‘It’s a Small World’, the brainchild of Jen Diver, has taken flight with 47 artists on display at the Newstead Arts Hub. Entrants have used a huge variety of mediums in their unique and skilful interpretations of the theme. It’s difficult to abstain from touching the carefully crafted works created from…
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Fringe film premiere tonight
The Castlemaine Documentary Festival is teaming up with the Castlemaine Fringe Festival and the Theatre Royal tonight to present the premiere screening of Walking The Fish. Celebrating 30 years of the Castlemaine Fringe Festival, this film by Michael Harkin commemorates how it all began. This premiere will also be accompanied by a stand-out selection of…
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Industrial bar opens at New Gisborne
A new sensory experience awaits at Mountain Distilling’s industrial bar and tasting room at New Gisborne. The trendy industrial bar opened in January to showcase Mountain Distilling’s multi-award winning spirits. “Previously, the factory/distillery was only for production, but we have been testing the waters for a couple of months doing cocktails and tastings at the…