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The White Hat Melbourne NewsletterArchived Newsletter No.186 - 31 August 2006Contents
Welcome to Spring Food Last Week’s Quiz Open House Reader Feedback Great Stuff From the White Hat Inbox Kids & Family Events Opera in the Country The White Hat Quiz +----------------------------------------------------+ WELCOME TO SPRING Welcome to spring where a young man’s fancy turns to Thai Kick Boxing at Northcote Town Hall – it helps control the hormones. For details go to our home page and choose this weekend from the drop down menu of events in Melbourne. For those who can only vaguely remember what a young man’s fancy turns to, you can have your memory jolted by attending the Countdown Spectacular at Rod Laver Arena. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Music/Pop.asp There was a time in Australia when the first day of spring was widely celebrated as Wattle Day and for many this was a day of national pride. We gave some details in a newsletter about three years ago so I’m sure you all remember that. If, however, you need your memory jolted just go to our website and near the top right of any page you should find a search box. Type in “wattle day” and that should throw up the old newsletter entry. Up in Hurstbridge there is still a Wattle Festival this weekend witch numbers of family entertainments including a steam train shuttle between Hurstbridge and Eltham. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Festivals/Community.asp This weekend at Fed Square there is a Hat Extravaganza. The publicity says “Buy hats in a friendly, safe environment” so if you are cautious of unsafe millinery establishments here is your opportunity. Hats will be available in white and more questionable colours. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Theatres/BMWEdge.asp +----------------------------------------------------+ FOOD This weekend there is a Hot & Spicy Festival at Wahgunyah. The Asian Food Festival continues throughout September in Chinatown while the Slow Food Festival continues all next week culminating in a slow food weekend at the Abbotsford Convent (next to the Collingwood Children’s’ Farm). This weekend there is special ‘Cooking for the Kids’ event (it’s really for adults but raising funds for kids) in the Yarra Valley featuring a number of guest celebrity chefs. Details of all these at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Other/FoodWine.asp +----------------------------------------------------+ LAST WEEK’S QUIZ We had numbers of responses to last week’s Quiz. One of the first came from Yvonne. “1. An inner suburban abattoir has been redeveloped as a medium density housing estate. What is the name of this area? Kensington Banks (Doug adds “Be careful here. If you're thinking of Lynch's Bridge, that was Newmarket saleyards. Melb abattoirs was below that, and is, I think, a housing estate, but I don't know the name.”) 2. What is the name of Melbourne’s tallest apartment building? Eureka Tower (an easy question when you work there!) 3. In what estate do Kath & Kim live? Fountain Lakes 4. Name an estate purpose designed around a golf course. Sanctuary Lakes 5. What is the correct Melbourne pronunciation of North Melbourne and Footscray? Norta Mel-born and Foot-a-scray 6. Melbourne has numbers of suburbs which have been given dubious marketing names. Although surrounded by scrubby paddocks they will probably be called xxxx Meadows. What is your nomination for the most inappropriately named suburb or development. Deer Park (deer? park? Where?)” We had a number of suggestions suburbs with dubious names including: “Woodland Waters - Mernda (check out the size of a. the woodland and b. the water!!!!)” - Julie “Sunshine. Only good when telling people overseas that you're from Australia and live in a place called Sunshine. Limited success within Australia, but don't even try it on in this state.” - Warren “Hillside - there are no hills here. Or anywhere near here. It's on the flattest flat bit of Melbourne you could hope to find. And it's next to Taylors Hill which is not in the least bit hilly either. Taylors Hill is also not far from Taylors Lakes which doesn't have lakes so much as a couple of mosquito infested ponds.” - Kerri “Williamstown Junction – an overpriced, cluttered little estate built smack in the middle of Newport. Williamstown proper is several kilometres and another postcode away.” – Bronwyn & Ian “While Sunshine would surely be a candidate for the most poorly named suburb, I would suggest Bayswater is the clear winner. Essendon Airport being located in Airport West which is actually south of the Tullamarine Airport also presents its fair share of quandries.” – Steve “40+ years ago BROADMEADOWS held the promise of endless paddocks (oops, meadows) of thistles, to be replaced by the 'ring-road' & the constant crackle of high voltage powerlines overhead, just under the flight path into Essendon airport. Oh, the serenity! That was when it WAS meadows.” – Gail However the most number of votes for the most inappropriately named suburbs came for Sunshine, so maybe it is worth recounting how it got its name. If you go to: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Australia/Inventions/Development.asp You will find information about how the residents of Braybrook Junction lobbied to have the name of their suburb changed to Sunshine in recognition of H.V.McKay’s Sunshine Harvester Factory which provided most of the employment in the area and had ‘put them on the map’. But why did H.V.McKay call his invention the ‘Sunshine Harvester’? McKay was a devout Methodist and one day was particularly inspired by a sermon on the subject of sunshine and decided to call his invention the ‘Sunshine Harvester’. That is why if you visit Sunshine Station you will still find the local residents standing in quiet reverie contemplating last Sunday’s sermon. +----------------------------------------------------+ OPEN HOUSE This weekend a number of Melbourne’s major arts institutions (The Arts Centre, ACMI, The Ian Potter Centre - NGV Australia, NGV International, Immigration Museum, Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and the State Library) are holding ‘Open House’. From what we can tell normal entry charges apply and, for the most part, it features the current standard displays so a better label might be something like ‘spotlight on’ rather than ‘open house’. However I’m sure there will be a number of additional attractions and activities available. Details at: http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/openhouse/ +----------------------------------------------------+ READER FEEDBACK “Dear, Mr hat i would have thought there would be an apology for the lack of a newsletter last week. Here i was, sitting at my desk awaiting for something interesting to happen last Friday awaiting with baited breath the arrival of the weekly newsletter, and i remained disappointed. Regards Sue” Sue. First I should point out that the correct spelling of ‘baited breath’ is ‘bated breath’ because it derives from abated (suspended) breath. Secondly we would not normally bother to print feedback from someone who hasn’t enough energy to use the shift key to create a capital ‘I’ and furthermore uses the anachronistic double space after punctuation marks. (I learned this technique of response from watching politicians. If someone asks for an apology, first create a smokescreen about something that has nothing to do with the issue, then attack the questioner. At the end of the process everyone has forgotten that an apology has been asked for.) “I have been getting these emails for four or five years now and they are a great enjoyment to see as I am living in Istanbul these days. I am still coming back to Melbourne nearly every year and there is not much I don’t know about the history of the old Melb especially buildings people and so on. Keep Up the GOOD Work Geoff Istanbul” Thanks for that Geoff. We know we have quite a number of regular readers scatterd throughout the world. If you are a regular overseas reader why not drop us an email so that we can get an idea of how far along the road White Hat has progressed towards its ultimate goal of world domination. If you are a local you might like to investigate why Geoff can live in a city for so long and still not be able to spell it. Surely it’s Instanbul (with 2 n’s) or is it? Tell the boss you’re doing research. +----------------------------------------------------+ GREAT STUFF Ever since tourism authorities recognised the potential embedded in the naming of ‘The Great Ocean Road’, others have been trying to emulate it. There is the ‘Great Alpine Road’ (which really is worth driving if you love the Australian bush), ‘The Great Victorian Bike Ride’ and an increasing number of ‘great’ events. This weekend is the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Festival at Ouyen. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/Mildura.asp The following weekend there is ‘The Great Australian Bushwalk’ with a series of free guided bushwalks. In Victoria there are walks in both city and country at Yarra Bend Park, Brisbane Ranges, Lysterfield Park, Organ Pipes National Park and Warrandyte. Although participation is free, registration is required. Details and registration at: http://www.greataustralianbushwalk.org.au/walks/vic_walks.htm Here at White Hat we eschew hyperbole and marketing hype. However we are contemplating changing the name of this newsletter to ‘The Great White Hat Newsletter’. +----------------------------------------------------+ FROM THE WHITE HAT INBOX We had this personal message: “hi from nat at leongatha. crystal & i have decided we are going to travel around victoria and really get to know the place, but were told there is a big weekend coming up in leongatha so were going to stay for another week. crystal reckons this will be a good time for her to sell the lamp she has spent so much time decorating. luv nat.” Nat is probably referring to the Leongatha 50th Daffodil and Flower Festival with open gardens and festivities. There is also a Daffodil and Arts Festival in Kyneton. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Festivals/Garden.asp +----------------------------------------------------+ KIDS & FAMILY EVENTS This Saturday is a Children’s Moon Festival at the Springvale Tow Hall. Also on Saturday is Children’s Story Time at the City Library for under 5s. On Sunday at Gasworks Parks in port Melbourne is the ‘Once Upon A Story Festival’. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Lifestyle/Children.asp +----------------------------------------------------+ OPERA IN THE COUNTRY Opera Australia’s touring troupe is presenting a production of Carmen in Mildura. They sometime adapt the production to local conditions, so don’t be surprised if Don Jose arranges to met Carmen at a sinister Italian food store called Lillas Pastas run by Stefano di Piero where he is so impressed with the quality of ingredients used he inspired to sing the ‘Flour Song’. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/Mildura.asp +----------------------------------------------------+ THE WHITE HAT QUIZ How well do you know Melbourne? Street names. 1. Melbourne has what is probably the shortest highway in Australia. What is its name? 2. Between Box Hill and Doncaster runs a street called Tram Road which has no tramlines? How did it get its name? 3. What street in the Melbourne CBD is named after an explorer? (This may be more difficult than it appears.) 4. Thoroughfares usually have labels such as highways, roads, streets, avenues etc. What Melbourne thoroughfare contains two of the above labels? 5. In Port Melbourne you will find Williamstown Road. If you follow this you don’t get to Williamstown but to a dead end at the river Why? 6. What is your candidate for the most inappropriately named street in Melbourne? Send your answers to quiz@whitehat.com.au No prizes – just glory and a warm inner glow.
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