Leisure
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Operas return to the Royal
Opera lovers from across the region have been working with Theatre Royal Castlemaine management to get New York Metropolitan Opera films back on the big screen. The 2022 season begins with Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos screening Saturday May 7 at 11am. The operas are set to return monthly, but will require a decent audience to make…
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Swap Meet draws thousands
After being in recess for two years due to the COVID pandemic, the annual drawcard Lancefield Swap Meet and Show ‘n Shine returned with a vengeance on Easter Sunday. Lancefield Park was a hive of activity from early morning, with hundreds of stallholders eagerly anticipating buyers looking for bargains, and the main oval packed with…
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Currie returns to Kyneton
After a successfully sold out season in 2018, Thomas Currie is returning to Kyneton with a brand new show, Basically Nocturnal. Basically Nocturnal is a night of witty stories and songs with adaptations of music from the 60s to now, as well as original material. Featuring songs from Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and more, a band of…
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Rocky Riders on a roll
When early last year Natayla Garden set up a Facebook page to see if any women wanted to join her and a friend on a beginners’ mountain bike ride, little did she imagine that she was starting something quite significant. After Natayla, her friend and 11 other women met at the local Bacos trails in…
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Hull to perform at The Bridge
Award-winning Castlemaine musician, writer and disability advocate, Eliza Hull, is set to perform at Castlemaine’s Bridge Hotel on Friday April 29. Fresh from a whirlwind trip to America last month where she performed as part of the Sounds Australia Showcase at the renowned South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Hull is excited to hit…
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Grill a master gardener
Join the Mount Macedon Horticultural Society for a day of pure indulgence in which three master gardeners get together and exchange notes, theories and practical tips with the audience. Stephen Ryan, Simon Rickard and Michael McCoy will present ‘Dreaming Gardens’ on April 20. Expect some healthy debate and inspiration while these three experts battle out…
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Nordic pole walking expands
Local nordic pole walking classes have really hit their stride, proving so popular they’re now being offered in Castlemaine, Harcourt, Newstead and Maldon. Volunteers have recently had their qualifications updated by the Nordic Academy and as a result are enthusiastic to offer this opportunity in more locations across Mount Alexander Shire. Healthy Heart of Victoria…
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Open studios at Macedon
At this lovely time of the year, when Macedon is full of colour, the artists of Open Studios Macedon will be opening their doors to welcome members of the public over the weekend of April 23-24. Having had a successful year of the program in 2021, the nine participating artists look forward to once again…
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Autumn spectacular at Mica Grange
The spectacular gardens of Mica Grange, with their panoramic views across the Sutton Grange valley, opened this weekend for their Autumn Sculpture Exhibition and run until Sunday May 8. The exhibition will provide garden lovers with an abundance of creative ideas to enhance the beauty and enjoyment of their own gardens. The open garden will…
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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…
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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…
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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…