Victoria’s Events November 2011
MELBOURNE
Melbourne Cup Carnival, Flemington, 29 October – 5 November
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is a week long celebration of racing, food, wine, fashion and entertainment. See Flemington come alive as it becomes the corporate, social and sporting epicentre of Australia. The event not only captures the imagination of Melburnians but attracts visitors nation and worldwide who come to witness the thrill and excitement of ‘the race that stops the nation’.
For more information: visit www.melbournecup.com
Media contact: Emily Morris 03 8378 0616
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Sail Melbourne, Sandringham Yacht Club, 6 – 12 November
Get swept up in the action this spring as Melbourne’s Port Phillip bay comes alive with its very own marine carnival. There’s something for everyone with an array of captivating entertainment, gorgeous fashion and fun activities for all the family while the world’s best sailors battle it out. With the 2012 Olympics fast approaching, there is everything to play for at this year’s Sail Melbourne.
For more information: visit www.sailmelbourne.com.au
Media contact: Kate Allen 03 9597 0066
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Melbourne Museum,
Extended season until 4 December
Part of the 2011 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces season, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is a dazzling exploration of Ancient Egypt and those who ruled it.Over 7 million visitors have seen this exhibition over the past five years in London andNew York. Don’t miss the exhibition in its final weeks in Melbourne before returning to Cairo.
For more information: visit www.kingtutmelbourne.com.au
Media contact: Michael Matrenza 03 8660 4816
The President’s Cup 2011, Royal Melbourne Golf Club, 15 – 20 November
Returning to Melbourne for the first time since 1998, the President’s Cup is one of the most eagerly awaited and highly watched events on the golfing calendar. Every two years, top players from the United States and an international team clash on a global stage in four days of team go head to head.
For more information: visit www.royalmelbourne.com.au/guests/presidentsCup/index.mhtml
Media contact: 03 9094 0700
Suzuki Night Market, Queen Victoria Market, 16 November – 29 February 2012
The popular Suzuki Night Market reopens for the summer months (as of 16 November).Wander the night market and indulge in the variety of local and international cuisine from over 35 stalls includes cuisine from India, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Spain, Holland and the Middle East. Fully licensed bars provide a range of Victorian and regional wines by the glass or bottle. Two stages provide live entertainment and there are local and regional products to sample and buy.
For more information: visit www.qvm.com.au
Media contact: 03 9320 5822
Spring Racing Carnival, Melbourne and Victoria, throughout October, until 20 November
The Spring Racing Carnival is Australia’s premier annual sporting and social event, combining elite racing with an amazing cultural experience incorporating fashion, fun and excitement. The two month extravaganza commences in September and takes in more than 80 race meetings across the state of Victoria.
For more information: visit www.springracingcarnival.com.au
Media contact: Shaun Kelly 03 9258 4252
Love Never Dies, Regent Theatre, throughout November
Melbourne hosts the Australian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical masterpiece, Love Never Dies, following its West End opening season. Seen by over 100 million people worldwide, Webber's Phantom of the Opera is widely regarded as the most successful show in entertainment history. The dramatic love story continues in Love Never Dies.
For more information: visit www.loveneverdies.com.au
Media contact: Suzie Howie .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Margaret and David: 25 Years Talking Movies, ACMI, until 4 December
See the world premiere of Margaret and David: 25 Years Talking Movies, an exhibition celebrating the 25 year on-screen partnership of Australia's most loved and respected film critics, Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton. The ACMI curated exhibition will feature iconic reviews, interviews and discussions and highlight the duo's ongoing advocacy of the Australian film industry
For more information: visit www.acmi.net.au
Media contact: Frances Mariani 03 8663 2475
Tjukurrtjanu: Origins of Western Art, The Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia, throughout November - 12 February
This superb exhibition features more than 200 of the first paintings produced at Papunya in 1971 – 72 by the founding artists of the Western Desert art movement. Works by celebrated artists including Uta Uta Tjangala, Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi and Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula display the mastery of colour and style that characterises the work of the founding Papunya Tula painters.
Media contact: Sue Coffey 03 8620 2346
For more information: visit www.ngv.vic.gov.au
Perception Deception, Scienceworks, until 12 Feb 2012
Perception Deception contains interactive exhibits that will challenge your ability to interpret information from your senses. Explore illusions; investigate perceptual tricks used by your brain to edit the information it receives and create your ‘reality’. Some of the themes include: audio-language perception, visual perception and social perception.
For more information: visit museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks
Media contact: Lynnette Foo 03 8341 7726
REGIONAL VICTORIA
Melbourne Cup Day at Seville Hill, Yarra Valley, 1 November
Escape the crowds at Flemington and enjoy a lazy lunch among the vines at Seville Hill. Enjoy a glass of bubbly on arrival and relax in beautiful surroundings under the elm trees. The day runs from 11am to 4pm and features a two-course lunch and the chance to view the Melbourne Cup on the big screen. Gather a group of friends and head to the Yarra Valley for a memorable day while you cheer on your horse in the 'race that stops a nation'.
For more information: visit www.sevillehill.com.au
Media contact: 03 5964 3284
NMIT Kyneton Cup, Daylesford & the Macedon Ranges, 2 November
Recognised as a highlight of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival, the NMIT Kyneton Cup presents all the excitement and colour of country racing with first-rate thoroughbred racing, fashions on the field and all-day entertainment including live music, punters club and on-course competitions. The Kyneton Cup, held annually on the day after Melbourne Cup, is a public holiday in the region and attracts locals and visitors alike.
For more information: visit www.kyneton.countryracing.com.au
Media contact: 03 5422 1866
Beechworth Celtic Festival, High Country, 4 – 6 November
Join in the celebration of Beechworth’s Celtic heritage. Music, myth and mayhem abound throughout Beechworth during the weekend festival of street workshops, concerts, dance displays, music and a parade. The festival also brings together bands and artists from around Australia in a series of concerts and workshops.
For more information: visit www.beechworthcelticfestival.com.au
Media contact: 1300 366 321
Red Hill Community Market, Red Hill Recreation Reserve, Mornington Peninsula, 5 November
Red Hill is the 'grand dame' of Victoria's craft markets. There is something for everyone from old world to modern contemporary, a labyrinth of unique treasures worth discovering. Featuring over 300 talented stallholders, the market is a feast for the mind, body and soul, a fascinating eclectic mix of textures, materials and colours that make up the vast range of individually designed products.
For more information: www.craftmarkets.com.au/markets/red-hill.aspx
Royal Mail Hotel William Thompson Dunkeld Cup, Grampians, 12 November
Set at the foot of Mt Abrupt, the Dunkeld races celebrate the Spring Racing Carnival with a huge program of races and fun activities for the whole family. Enjoy regional food and wine, live music and performances throughout the day, while a giant slide, pacer karts and a jumping castle will keep the younger ones happy. Three big screens will show local and metropolitan races.
For more information: visit www.dunkeld.countryracing.com.au
Media contact: Karen Van Kempen 0400 557 625
Phillip Island Jazz Festival, Cowes, 18 November
Now in its seventh year, the theme for the 2011 Phillip Island Jazz Festival is ‘Red Hot Jazz’. Featuring music to suit all jazz enthusiasts, bands include: Syncopators, New Melbourne Jazz Band, Island Jazz, Balajo Jazz Manouche, A’Beckett St Jazz, Andrew Nolte & His Orchestra, Graeme Steel All Stars, Jolly Rollers and pianist Bruce Gourlay. Opening night kicks off with Wine, Dine and Dance, a ticketed event that commences 6.30pm.
For more information: visit www.phillipislandjazzfest.org.au
Media contact: Robin Blackman 0432 814 407
Halls Gap Film Festival, Classic Cinema, Halls Gap, Grampians, 18 – 20 November
For more than three decades, film buffs have made the pilgrimage to the Halls Gap Film Festival to view critically acclaimed films in a charming country cinema. The 2011 program will feature an impressive line-up of films including many of the big names from the Cannes Film Festival. There will be an official launch on the Friday night followed by two days of film magic. Single session tickets start from $15, with various weekend passes also available.
For more information: visit www.visithallsgap.com.au/filmfestival/
Media contact: 1800 065 599
La Dolce Vita, King Valley, High Country, 19 – 20 November
Celebrate the sweet life with an indulgent weekend of Mediterranean and new release wines, great food and warm King Valley hospitality at 12 local wineries. Weekend activities include sampling new release wines including Prosecco, Petit Manseng, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese and Tempranillo. There is also plenty of tempting food to be had, including authentic Mediterranean meals by the wine making families and special lunches by well known chefs.
For more information: visit www.visitwangaratta.com.au/pages/king-valley-events
Media contact: 03 5721 5711
Queenscliff Music Festival, various venues around Queenscliff, 25 – 27 November
The Queenscliff Music Festival is one of Australia’s greatest festival experiences. A family-friendly event, it is held in Queenscliff, just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne. The festival offers the best of original contemporary music in Australia as well as a selection of international artists. A few of this year’s headline acts are: The Bamboos; Eskimo Joe; Gypsy & The Cat; The Cruel Sea; The Herd; Vince Jones; Christine Anu; Richard Clapton; The Red Eyes; Nat Cole & The Kings and The Blackeyed Susans.
For more information: visit www.qmf.net.au
Media contact: Kathy Lane 03 9525 3111/0419 392 183
The RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride, the Murray and the Goldfields, 26 November – 4 December
The 2011 RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride, organised by Bicycle Victoria, is a nine-day bike riding and camping holiday through some of Victoria's most beautiful communities. It starts in Swan Hill then meanders along the Murray River to Kerang, Barham and Echuca. Enjoy the local attractions including the paddle steamers before the 590 kilometre ride continues through the Goldfields and Boort, Wedderburn, Maryborough to finish in Castlemaine.
For more information: visit www.greatvic.com.au
Media contact: John Myers 03 9818 6339/0409 215 120
Australian Modern Masterpieces, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Goldfields, until 27 November
The who’s who of Australia’s 20th century art world will be the focus of this exceptional exhibition. The 60 works have been handpicked from collections from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Newcastle Regional Art Gallery. Prominent artists such as Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Grace Cossington Smith, William Dobel, Donald Friend, Sidney Nolan and Margaret Preston will hang side by side in this showcase of contemporary Australian art.
For more information: visit www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au
Media contact: John Myers 03 9818 6339/0409 215 120
The Age Spring Harvest Picnic, Werribee Park, 27 November
Food and wine producers from all over Victoria gather in the grounds of Werribee Park to sample, showcase and sell their local products. Live music and dance, cooking demonstrations by well-known chefs and children’s activities make a great family day out. Bring a blanket and basket and create a picnic from the delicious array of goods on offer.
For more information: visit www.harvestpicnic.com.au
Media contact: Kirsty Hunt 0419 525 796.
Opera in the Otways, Cape Otway Lightstation, November 26
OPERA in the Otways fans have been promised stratospheric arias and uplifting overtures performed by big baritone Roger Lemke, Columbian tenor Carlos Barcenas, rich mezzo soprano Dimity Shepherd and expressive soprano Emily Burke when Victorian Opera plays at Cape Otway Lightstation. Victoria Opera's music director Richard Gill (Spicks & Specks) has handpicked works from seven exhilarating and timeless operas to be performed by a 12-piece orchestra with a backdrop of the Southern Ocean and the 1848 lighthouse.
The programme will feature more than 20 works from operas including Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte, Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s Rigoletto, with broadcaster and comedian Damian Callinan acting as MC.
Melbourne's Stiletto Sisters, who play a vibrant blend of Hungarian gypsy, tango and love songs from around the globe, will also perform on the main stage as well as roving performers throughout the event.
More information: www.otwaysopera.com.au or by contacting the Lightstation on Ph: 5237 9240 or email: info@otwaysopera.com.au. Images available at http://gallery.me.com/adi.gilbert#100016
Media contact: Paul Thompson on 03 5237 9240 or email: info@otwaysopera.com.au