Tourism

Serena Kirby. This December marks 40 years since the first Denmark Arts Market was held at Berridge Park. What started with just a handful of stallholders and a few locals casually playing music on the grass has grown into a regional drawcard that brings thousands of people to town on market days.

The Koala Art Trail Design competition is to encourage creative designs for decorated fibreglass sculptures that will become a feature of a Koala Art Trail. This will be a project proposed by the Tourism Department of the Narrandera Shire Council to increase engagement of visitors and locals within the various tourism and retail businesses. The aim is to create an art trail of 800mm high, decorated fibreglass Koala Sculptures in and around Narrandera.

As part of the UN’s Decade on Nutrition, Western Murray Land Improvement Group (WMLIG) with Forestry Corporation, hosted a field trip to the Pollack Wetlands, food and fibre displays and a barbecue for 40 community members. The visit to the Pollack Swamp Wetlands allowed the community to see first-hand the amazing transformation and rehabilitation of the area from recent watering events, whilst learning about its natural resources.

Emma Pritchard. The streets of Ulmarra were filled with seasonal festivities, joviality and plenty of community spirit over the weekend when the riverside village hosted a special Christmas evening ... President of the Ulmarra Village Inc Steve Pickering, who also owns the Coldstream Gallery in Ulmarra, said local business owners were thrilled to be involved with the event and he estimated upwards of 500 people attended throughout the evening.

It was an exciting day for Moulamein as officials and locals celebrated the opening of the Moulamein Heritage Village. Situated on the corner of Cedar Avenue and Paterson Street, the former vacant land is now home to some of the district’s historical gems. Locals pursued a vision to construct the historical village for visitors and locals to enjoy with the added benefit of doubling as a venue space for events, weddings and music concerts.

The Museum of the Riverina is showcasing the link between artists and regenerative farmers in a new exhibition at the Museum’s Historic Council Chambers site. Earth Canvas touring exhibition explores the creative experiences of both regenerative farmers and artists, their respective engagement with the land, and their vision for a healthier world.

A towering moving sculpture, light shows and late night trading in the heart of Castlemaine, lead Mount Alexander Shire Council’s invitation to residents to step out and celebrate the year’s end ... From Wednesday 8 December until Tuesday 4 January Taradale artist, Alex Sanson’s towering kinetic sculpture Spherophyte, will fold and unfold in hypnotic motion in Victory Park, Castlemaine.

Sheryl Lowe. “So, you can imagine our dismay upon receiving a letter from Mr. Munivenkata Krishna Sunkappa Reddappa advising us that the rail trail has been funded and contracts let, asking us if we had any concerns. Surely it was a bit late in coming after years of design, funding applications and tenders and contracts finalised. Any concerns the affected ratepayers may have had should have been addressed long before now.”

Mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and his wife Nicola have expanded their lifestyle portfolio, with the Margaret River’s Cape Lodge Hotel the latest acquisition for their investment firm Tattarang.

Abalone season starts this Saturday for licensed recreational fishers in the West Coast zone extending from Moore River to the Busselton jetty ... Due to an increase in sea surface temperatures in recent years, the sustainable recreational catch target range of 25 tonnes to 29 tonnes has been set for the 2021-22 season.

Rockliffe Winery’s summer events, six in all, have been cancelled, a move which both the Shire of Denmark and winery owner Steve Hall call disappointing ... Via an email he received ... from the Shire, Mr Hall was informed that 30 days was necessary for an event application to be lodged because he did not have an event-approved venue ... Mr Hall has been running events at the winery for 18 years ...

The new dog-friendly loop trail of the Harewood State Forest on Scotsdale Road, Denmark is finished ... The project was awarded to Monkey Rock MTB Co, a new trail building company in Denmark. Monkey Rock has specialised in building mountain bike trails and this was their first walk trail project.

Perched on the Banks of the Cygnet River, the Kangaroo Island Racing Club is a proud country racing club, with one of the largest membership bases of any country racing club in South Australia.

Country racing always has a story to tell, but none like King Islands. Situated in the middle of the Western Entrance to Bass Strait. The King Island Racing Club Incorporated should logistically not have survived over 125 years of racing.

This years event will be a little different! We will be hosting a range of new entertainment including, jumping castles, water slides, petting zoo, mechanical bull and so much more! Join us on Friday the 17 of December from 5:00 pm for the festivities!

Emma Pritchard. Grafton has officially welcomed the newest members of its royal family ... two beautiful ladies and two gorgeous young girls, proudly walked up to the stage in Market Square after their names were read out to formally assume their new roles and begin another chapter in the long and proud history of the Jacaranda Festival.

The federal government has released draft legislation on the reinsurance pool for cyclones and related flood damage which could bring down costs for Cape York residents ...Member for Leichardt Warren Entsch said it was anticipated more than 500,000 residential, strata and small business property insurance policies in northern Australia were expected to be eligible to be covered by the reinsurance pool.

After a year of lockdowns the Moooving Art herd have broken loose to explore the region and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre needs your help rounding them up! Wandering away from their usual sites, the cheeky cattle have left behind a list of clues to solve before they return home. The treasure hunt consists of several cow locations around the region including Shepparton, Mooroopna, Merrigum, Murchison, Tatura and Dookie.

The Regional Venue Collective is a co-operative approach to venue management between three venues, the Byron Theatre, The Regent in Murwillumbah and Star Court Theatre in Lismore in the adjoining LGAs of Lismore Shire, Tweed Shire and Byron Shire. The venues have come together to host nominated shows and tours and to incubate the creation of original works to tour the region and further afield.

Sheryl Lowe. Father Woods Park statues will be the focus of discussions between Wattle Range Council and the Penola Catholic Community in coming weeks ... Cr Price successfully moved for Council to approach the Catholic Church leaders at Penola to see if they would support the relocation of the statues to Penola due to the safety concerns at the current site.

Workers from the EPIC (Employment Preparation and Inclusion in the Community) program have been assisting in the restoration of Porcupine Village since July this year. The group, which rotates its participants through the village twice a week, initially began by clearing out the historic buildings, and are now focused on doing a number of other jobs around the place, including yard work.