Leisure

  • Somewhere over the rainbow

    Somewhere over the rainbow

    Coming from Turkey to Melbourne to escape political unrest in 2015-16, Oz Demirhan could never have imagined that she would be able to start her own business. It all began while walking with little son Lennon during the first COVID lockdown and admiring rainbows decorating people’s windows. It inspired her to revive her old hobby…

  • Maldon’s dark side

    Maldon’s dark side

    Maldon will host the inaugural Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas this July. Plans for the new festival, part of the Maldon in Winter series, were launched this month and will celebrate the dark side of the goldfields with performances, tours, themed food experiences, conversations on dark topics and a range of strange and unforgettable…

  • The insurmountable becomes easy

    The insurmountable becomes easy

    After 10 successful and popular years teaching in Melbourne, Angela’s Kitchen Cooking School is bringing people to Guildford to experience the pleasures of Mediterranean-style cooking. Angela Nicolettou draws on her Greek Cypriot background (and her love of cooking and career as an educator) to guide people though the know-how of preparing what to some is…

  • Afternoon jazz with the Melbourne Octet

    Afternoon jazz with the Melbourne Octet

    The Woodend Winter Arts Festival presents the Melbourne Octet in concert in Woodend on April 3. Much of the repertoire in this program was written in a period of history that saw recovery from a war and a devastating pandemic followed by the rule of several dictators across the world, mass unemployment, discrimination against and…

  • Art book fair this weekend

    Art book fair this weekend

    To complement the 2022 Melbourne Art Book Fair, Castlemaine Art Museum is hosting a two-day regional art book fair inside the beautiful 1931 art deco building this weekend, March 26 and 27. The two-day National Gallery of Victoria satellite event will from run 12-4pm each day and will see CAM host stalls showcasing work by…

  • Proud as pooch!

    Proud as pooch!

    Plenty of Macedon Ranges’ proud pooch owners turned out to the annual All Breeds Dog Conformation Show on Saturday at the Calabria Club/Bulla Dog Exhibition Centre in Bulla. Hosted by the Toy Poodle Society of Victoria Inc., it is most unusual for a single-breed club to take on the big task of running an All…

  • Maldon Classic returns

    Maldon Classic returns

    The highly anticipated Maldon Classic returns to historic Maldon this weekend, March 5 and 6, and will celebrate classic steel bicycles in all their forms. Many avid local collectors have worked hard to pull this special event together as a fundraiser for the Maldon Hospital and the community and visitors are invited to get along…

  • Simply spectacular

    Simply spectacular

    Plants that grow well in our climate, thrive in the shade and give a garden masses of gorgeous colour are just about what every local gardener would put on their ‘must have’ wish list. But you can get such plants away from being just a wish and into the garden with a magnificent display of…

  • Bike workshops now in Castlemaine and Newstead

    Bike workshops now in Castlemaine and Newstead

    For the fourth year in a row the On Your Bike! school holiday program, supporting teens and tweens to ride safely to school, will be hosted by CycleSafe Mount Alexander. This year the group has extended the workshop to cover two towns – Castlemaine and Newstead. Newstead’s newly sign-posted tracks by the ‘Walks and Wheels’…

  • Are you the next Castlemaine Idyll?

    Are you the next Castlemaine Idyll?

    Castlemaine Idyll returns to Lot 19 in March to once again give aspiring stars their moment in the spotlight to shine. And performer registration is now open! After a triumphant return last year due to the pandemic, Idyll is celebrating with musical treats to the theme ‘Chutzpah’. The man behind the event Mark Anstey said…

  • A day of jazz

    A day of jazz

    Castlemaine Jazz Festival organisers are planning to hold a mini event this Saturday – ‘A Day of Jazz’. The pop-up event will take place at The Village Square performing space in Frederick Street, Castlemaine, and will feature some of the artists who were to appear at this year’s jazz festival. Artists to hit the stage…

  • Truck tradition rolls on

    Truck tradition rolls on

    The Rotary Club of Castlemaine is once again celebrating the incredible contribution of the trucking industry after another challenging year. Castlemaine Truck Show director Kerry Anderson said while the club couldn’t hold its traditional event on Sunday November 28 it would hold a modified COVIDsafe event including its popular annual Truck Procession through the main…