The White Hat Melbourne Newsletter

Archived Newsletter No.156 - 29 December 2005

Contents

Season’s greetings
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day
Free concert
Zoo twilights
Kids’ activities
Markets
From the White Hat Inbox
Country Victoria
Melbourne's Hidden Gems
The White Hat Quiz

Season's Greetings

We trust all our readers are having an enjoyable festive season and wish you for the all the best for the New Year.

New Year's Eve

The City Council have put a lot of planning into the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Firstly, there are two lots of fireworks. One at 9.15 and one at midnight. After the first lot, young families can head off home together with all the New Zealanders who hadn’t adjusted their watches.

Secondly they have recognised that it’s no longer cool to mix with other generations and so have set up the various entertainment areas as a sort of 7 ages of Melbournians.

The Alexandra Gardens has lots of children’s activities, films and rides. The entertainment is free but there are charges for the rides

At Birrarung Marr there are more films plus DJs and music suited to teenagers and Gen Y.

Fed Square has music and entertainment aimed at Gen X who are enjoying a whole new world of peripheral vision since discarding their little black glasses.

On the Arts Centre lawn there is ‘family entertainment’ – mainly disco music from what I can see.

At Southbank the baby boomers are ordering another bottle of Veuve Clicquot as they keep transforming themselves into SKINs (Spend your Kid’s Inheritance Now).

Finally, the Docklands is the place to be for all you aspirationals. Unfortunately the fellow who owned the ladder of opportunity got in a huff and went home and took his ladder with him. However you can still go along and do some dreaming. You may even get invited up to one of the parties on the balcony

All of these venues provide good views of the fireworks except perhaps the Arts Centre lawn.

It would appear that all tastes have been catered for except for those who prefer more classic entertainment or those who like to spend some time on NYE contemplating the year that has past and the one that is to come. If you wish to do that I suggest you put some timeless music on your MP3 player, find yourself a quiet spot and a glass of wine for your annual contemplation before emerging into the world of relentlessly here and now later in the night.

For details of all these together with the bands performing at go to our home page and choose 31 December from the drop down menu of events.

New Year's Day

On New Year’s Day you can pay your $90 and head off to the Music Bowl for Summerdayze where you can get to jump up and down in the one spot in the sun all day. Alternatively you can head off to the annual New Year’s Day races at Hanging Rock, put your $90 on a horse and watch it run up and down in the one spot while the rest of the field charges around the racetrack

Hanging Rock, along with Dunkeld, is one of the picturesque racetracks in Victoria, and the New Year’s Day and Australia Day races there have become firm favourites with certain Melbournians. If you don’t eat between now and NYD you might just fit into you Melbourne Cup frock.

Free concert

On Wednesday there is a free organ concert at the Melbourne Town Hall. Before the concert you can fascinate the people in the adjoining seats with your knowledge of the difference between a harmonium and an American organ.

Zoo entertainment

Twilight entertainment at the zoo commences next week and runs Fridays to Sundays throughout summer. Similarly there are African Rhythms at the Open Range Zoo in Werribee on Saturdays and Sundays. Take a picnic basket. If your family eats like animals no-one will notice.

Kids activities

As always there are plenty of things for kids to do over the school holidays Next week there are free sporting classes at Fawkner Park. If reports on overweight kids are to be believed it will probably look like a scene from South Park.

In the Fitzroy Gardens there is free fairy entertainment where you will find lots of young girls in their fairy costumes together with a few adults in fairy costume who are several feathers short of a full wand. Over in the Botanic Gardens there are regular performances of Wind in the Willows.

There is a festival of board games and similar pursuits called Mind Sports Australia at the Peninsula School in Mount Eliza. You had better warn the kids before they go that dad’s rules for Scrabble aren’t the internationally recognised ones. Details at Children's Events in Melbourne.

Markets

A relatively new night market has commenced in St Kilda next to Luna Park on selected Thursdays. It is not the same tired old grunge that characterises many St Kilda markets, and the atmosphere alone makes it worth a visit. You can have most of the goods on sale in any colour you like – as long as it’s purple. Details at St Kilda.

From the White Hat Inbox

“Hello A big big thank you as a new visitor to melbourne I find your site straightforward & very handy Its my key reference for my itinerary away. I cant wait for the wknd I have lined up fondest thanks..
Sonja”

We also received the following personal message.

“nathans arrived from qld & were having a gr8 time. he knows all sorts of useful stuff they don’t teach you at school like a ducks quack doesnt have an echo. youll really like him. big dinner with the gang this week then nye and off for a break at the beach. ive given up the bakers delight job cos the lights were too bright but ill get another one and pay you back soon for the fone.
love n.”

Country Victoria

There are two major rock festivals this weekend in country Victoria. There is the Falls Festival at Lorne and the Pyramid Rock Festival at Phillip Island. The Falls Festival is booked out so only go there if you think you’ll enjoy the sight of subscribers who skim read their newsletter turning up to buy tickets. Also at Phillip Island there is a Psychic and new age fair whose publicity is accompanied by a photograph of a young lady in white robes deep in meditation on the rocks next to the sea. We would warn our readers only to attempt this in the company of an observer who can warn you when the tide is coming in. Details of both the rock festival and the fair at Phillip Island.

The following weekend is the Lorne Pier to Pub Swim. They have tried it in the other direction but found that not many finished the course. Details at Great Ocean Road.

Melbourne's Hidden Gems

Hidden Beaches of Melbourne and Victoria

Most beaches in Victoria and Melbourne have been "discovered". However the are still some real gems that are only known by the more discerning. Here are some of our favorites.

Please note: This section of the newsletter has been removed as it forms part of a forthcoming publication or because it is forms part of our Questing activities. If you find yourself on a tour where the guide is White Hat Accredited they are likely to know the answer to many questions you may have in this area. All guides on White Hat Tours are White Hat Accredited.

The White Hat Quiz

How well do you know Melbourne?

First to last week's quiz.

Michael wrote:

“Good quiz, much easier for me than the others! I used to have a New Year's Resolution to go to a new bar every week, kept it up for many a year (funny, it stopped about the same time I got a girlfriend. Cause or effect, I'm not sure) Anyway: [here are my answers]"

Please note: This section of the newsletter has been removed as it forms part of a forthcoming publication or because it is forms part of our Questing activities. If you find yourself on a tour where the guide is White Hat Accredited they are likely to know the answer to many questions you may have in this area. All guides on White Hat Tours are White Hat Accredited.

Michael’s letterhead indicates that he manages large amounts of money for a major financial institution, so you can rest easy over the holidays knowing that your investments are in responsible hands.

Now to this week’s quiz

Some seaside questions.

1. At what beach did Prime Minister Harold Holt disappear?
2. Captain Collins made a failed attempt at a settlement in Port Phillip Bay in 1803. Where was this?
3. In 1835 a “strange white wild man” William Buckley wandered into the Batman party camp. Where was this camp?
4. What is the difference between a ‘back beach’ and a ‘front beach’?
5. Where was the ABC series Seachange shot?
6. Name two of the lakes from the complex of lakes and waterways around Lakes Entrance.