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The White Hat Melbourne Newsletter

Archived Newsletter No.176 - 15 June 2006

Contents

Expos
Theatre
Festivals
Music
From the White Hat Inbox
Stuff for kids
Fun Runs
Seven Bridges of Melbourne – No.3 – The Sandridge Rail Bridge
Places to take visitors in Melbourne
Our previous quiz
The Eight Hour Day in Four Hours
Country Victoria
The White Hat Quiz

Expos

This week there are a number of expos at Jeff’s Shed. There is the Good Food and Wine Show. Details at Food & Wine in Victoria.
There is an expo based around commercialising your invention. There you will learn how to display your wares to best advantage and how to persuade someone to make a long term investment. Details at Australian Inventions.
There is also a wedding and bridal expo. There you will learn how to display your wares to best advantage and how to persuade someone to make a long term investment. Details at Fashion in Melbourne.

Theatre

Lunchtime Theatre continues at Horti Hall at less than $10 for a show and a meal. Circus Oz has a new season at Birrarung Marr, and Topol is doing his final, final, farewell series of Fiddler on the Roof at the maj. I wonder if he has a chat to the bust of Nellie Melba who sits on the façade of the maj as to the appropriate number of farewells. Details of all these at Theatre in Melbourne.

Festivals

This week is the Melbourne International Scarf Festival. I was going to wear my hand knitted footy scarf but the media keep telling me that the local game is of no consequence because it’s not international. I suppose that applies to my scarf too. This year’s festival focus is based around a portable audio device produced by Apple Computers which is heavily promoted by the ABC Details at Craft Festivals in Melbourne.

Music

Melbourne is full of interesting characters. Tony Fenelon was a successful medical technician, lecturer and inventor before he decided to throw all of that in and pursue his other passion of performing on organ and piano. While others were moving into areas like easy listening soul (which is only ‘easy listening’ if you have no particular interest in music) Tony moved into the seriously uncool area of popular classical and middle-of-the-road music and was soon recognised as world class in this area. If your tastes in music are seriously uncool, or if you just enjoy observing someone who is world class in what they do, head off to the Town Hall this Saturday.

While I have the attention of you tragics interested in this sort of music, there is another concert which may interest you. Mandy Patinkin is a seriously good performer of Broadway music and you can hear him at Hamer Hall on Wednesday.

There is plenty of classical music on offer this week which you can find at Classical Music in Melbourne or you can join other subscribers to our ‘Classical Music in Melbourne’ newsletter by sending an email to classical@whitehat.com.au

From the White Hat Inbox

When subscribing to this newsletter, the form on the web page gives the opportunity to specify particular areas of interest. Here is a selection of responses.

“I was a telegraph messenger in Melb. circa 1939/41 and walked or cycled its streets and lanes [even rode the cable trams]from end to end.
Kev”

“I’m 17, so plz no history!”
Jodie”

“particularly photogenic spots close to food and wine (not necessarily in that order)
Julie”

“events that dont cost a fortune to go to when you have 6 children between the ages of 18 and 1
Anna”

“cheap food. Anything strange and weird. punk, goth, indi, and alternative, music scene. Underground entertainment film, visual arts etc.
Steve”

As you can see from this fairly typical cross section of responses, it is probably impossible to please most of the people most of the time. However we have a fairly good track record of offending most of the people some of the time.

We also received this personal message.

“gi from na+ at inverlocg. sorry i gavn+ wri++en but didn+ gave a compu+er bu+ we now gave a lap+op. crys+al gas been doing some fu+ure readings at marke+s. 1 s+allgolder paid for gis reading wi+g +gis compu+er. wgen we go+ back +o +ge kombi we found +ga+ some keys didn+ work – +he number af+er 7 and the le++ers af+er g and s. we +ried +o +ake it back tge nex+ marke+ day bu+ +gere was no sign of tge guy or gis card +able so weve learned to ge+ around i+. a + is jus+ as good as tge le++er af+er s. driving a kombi is not qui+e the buzz we expec+ed. people kep+ +oo+ing us and we +gough+ +gey were being friendly but we found out i+s cos the kombi only does seven+y 5 and +ga+ seems +o annoy people. anyway were going to s+ay in inverlocg for a couple more marke+ days in case +ge compu+er guy comes back.
love na+”

Stuff for kids

We often get requests from parents for things to do with the kids. They tell us that when the kids get home they just flop on the couch, watch television, don’t help with housework and show no interest in getting out and doing anything. What seems to make it worse is that many of these kids are in their mid twenties.

If your kids are younger, there are tons of activities coming up over the school holidays – far too many to mention in this newsletter. If you would like more details go to Children's Activities in Melbourne.

In the meantime, here are a couple of suggestions. On Tuesday the City Library has story time suited to ankle-biters under 6. Also this weekend a ‘Winter Wonderland’ with ice skating and similar activities opens at the Docklands. You could also take the kids on a four hour walk (see below) but they have probably been told their right and know that this constitutes intolerable harassment.

Fun Runs

This weekend there is the annual Run to the G. There you will find managers bristling with the latest digital timing devices who always run to win, women in designer lycras and slightly hardened faces direct from the bridal expo, harriers, hustlers, professional athletes who know you have to get clear of the pack early, groups of friends trying out the running thing but deciding they are soo over it by 4K, old timers who slow down for a chat before accelerating off again, and those looking for every shortcut – legal or otherwise. Don’t you love these fun runs.

In one of the trailing packs you might notice a wheezing fellow in daggy sandshoes and a white hat and looking somewhat short on match practice. Don’t be deceived – inside I’m really Cathy Freeman. Details at Walking & Jogging in Melbourne.

Seven Bridges of Melbourne

Number 3 – The Sandridge Rail Bridge

(Be warned this is very long and also contains “history” so you probably should jump to the next section.)

This section of the newsletter can now be found at The White Hat Guide to 7 Bridges of Melbourne - No.3 Sandridge Rail Bridge.

Places to take visitors in Melbourne

We have received a number of requests about places to take visitors in Melbourne, so we decided to do a little series of suggestions in this newsletter.

Mount Dandenong

If you haven’t been to Mt Dandenong recently you might be pleasantly surprised. At the summit is a redeveloped complex branded as “SkyHigh”. Entry costs $4 per car and it can also be accessed by bus. At the summit are great views of Melbourne (depending on the weather) where you can really get a concept of where the city sits in relation to the bay and surrounding plains and hills. You can take your own BBQ &/or picnic or use the local café, bistro or fine dining. There you can enjoy a classy drop from the Mornington Peninsula while explaining to your visitors what it was like to dine in the kitchen of The Espy provided you didn’t slip on the greasy floors. A complex like this obviously requires heavy funding to remain viable, and this one has bypassed the obvious source of government funding and headed for the real money – weddings. While you are there drink a toast to those who are subsidizing your experience – Melbourne’s Greek and Italian fathers of the bride.

While on Mt Dandenong it is worth visiting the Australian Plant Garden at Karwarra near Montrose. While there observe the remarkable local sports ground. The oval features has unusual topography for a sports oval. A push past short cover is guaranteed to be 4, and kicking uphill must be equivalent to a kicking into a 5 goal wind.

Our previous quiz

Leanne was the first to provide the answers to the last quiz.

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 Eight Hour Day in four hours

This weekend you can experience the background of the Eight Hour Day in about four hours. You can do this on either Saturday or Sunday, but for those on a tight budget, Sunday gives access to the all-day $2.50 public transport ticket. A recommended starting point is the Melbourne Museum. If you are coming by car, try to find a nearby parking spot that gives you at least 4 hours parking, because Melbourne’s parking inspectors are yet to learn of the 8 hour day let alone not working at weekends. The museum is free for kids and has a nominal charge for adults. At the Museum you will find a display of banners which were proudly created for the Eight Hour Marches together with backgrounds to their significance.

You can the make your way to the Ian Potter Museum at Melbourne Uni. This is a moderate walk and if your group contains people between 8 and 18 they will complain and simply refuse to do it - they achieved the right not to walk further than 50 metres soemtime in the 1990s. In that case you can take the free tourist shuttle bus from outside the museum to close to the Potter Museum.

Meanwhile, those who were prepared to walk have probably stopped for a coffee and cake in Lygon Street. You may also have had a chance for a slight detour to admire the Burley-Griffens’ (yes the apostrophe is in the right place) Newman College buildings. At the Ian Potter Museum (near the intersection of Elgin and Swanston Streets) you will find an exhibition called Under the Burning Sun of the Colonies featuring various archival materials related to the Eight Hour Movement. Whilst walking through the foyer you will impress your companions by saying “Of course that stained glass is by Napier Waller”. After you have perused the exhibition, ask those on the desk to direct you to the law quad. At this stage you may find what degrees of distaste a fine arts graduate can impart to the single word “LAW” but you should end up with rough directions. It is worth trying to pass the Old Commerce Building which is one the most laughable examples of historical tokenism in Melbourne. The university was donated a historical Collins Street façade and so pasted it onto the front of a brick biscuit box. It somehow reminds of the fake degrees you can purchase on the internet (now PhDs are another matter. Dr White Hat has a certain ring. Does anyone know a good price out there?). Over to the law quadrangle. Forget about the arches – take a good look at the flagstones. They have been well trampled by generations of students anxious to see their exam results, possibly few of them knowing that it was these flagstones that were being laid by the stonemasons when they were able to negotiate the 48 hour week (or 8 hour day) and when they decided to march on Parliament House to celebrate.

It’s now time to head into town. You could follow the march of the 8 hours men or take a tram down Swanston Street. Get off at Victoria Street next to one of the ugliest buildings in Melbourne constructed from plain cement brick from behind which ramparts various academics make pronouncements about Melbourne architecture and design. The building is currently surrounded by scaffolding so it may be about to have a historic façade stuck on. We’ll wait and see. Meanwhile further down Swanston Street in the RMIT Gallery in Storey Hall you can visit an exhibition related to the Eight Hour Movement. A short half block away you will find another exhibition related to the 8 hour movement in the Keith Murdoch Gallery at the State Library.

After that it’s up Latrobe Street and left into Russell Street and past the Old Melbourne Gaol to the Eight Hours Monument on the corner of Victoria Street. Of course it has only stood there for a relatively short time and you will find that its three eights have been removed from the top. We are not sure whether they have gone for polishing or whether they are to be replaced by different digits. After all, if all, if you already have a 7 hour day and are pursuing a 6 hour day, then the 8-8-8 logo is not all that convenient.

Diagonally opposite is the imposing structure of Trades Hall – the building that grew out of the 8 hour movement. Head over there and use the Victoria Street entrance. This weekend you will find the Big Red Book Fair in full swing and you are almost certain to pick up a well-thumbed and annotated copy of Das Kapital from a previous owner who now owns several apartments in the Eureka Building and the Docklands and no longer has the bookshelf space for all those books. Before you leave the building, it is worth pondering the impressive plaque in the stairwell honouring the achievements of the Eight Hours Men.

On any weekend in Melbourne you can undertake a walk such as this and it will cost you next to nothing. All you need is a little curiosity – and maybe a newsletter.

Country Victoria

This week there is the Warburton Winter Film Festival and the Warrnambool Fun 4 Kids Festival. I’m sure there must be stuff happening in Wangaratta as well. I’m sure Tim Berners-Lee had Warburton, Warrnambool and Wangaratta on his mind when he created the WWW. Details at Events in Country Victoria.

The White Hat Quiz

How well do you know Melbourne?

Melbourne is a great mercantile city, and anyone walking through Melbourne without a rudimentary knowledge of business is missing two-thirds of the history that is sitting in front of them. So here is a little mercantile quiz.

1. The coat of arms of Melbourne displays 4 different industries. What are they? (Hint – you can find the coat of arms on various structures including corporation verandas and the pillars on Princes Bridge).
2. One of Australia’s most successful international companies is BHP. Its headquarters have been housed in 3 major buildings in Melbourne over time. Which buildings?
3. On a number of old warehouse buildings in central Melbourne you will find the words “bond” and “free”. What do they mean?
4. The 1850s created the conditions that led to the achievement of the 8 hour day. It also created the conditions where numbers of hard working people from humble backgrounds could set up businesses that have employed thousand over people over several generations and whose names are still recognised in Melbourne today. Name one.

No prizes – just glory and a warm inner glow.