OZACT will present Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Hepburn Sound Shell on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17 from 4pm.

A pastoral comedy full of Shakespeare’s classic hidden identities, As You Like It is a perfect show to see in the great outdoors.

Trees and shrubbery provide the perfect cover for characters to hide and watch the mischief and deceit unfold in this play that is generally acknowledged as Shakespeare’s funniest comedy. 

Exiled by the wretched Duke Frederick, Rosalind and Celia are cast out into the forest. There they find challenges, adventure, and love, as city meets country.

As You Like It showcases one of Shakespeare’s greatest character ensembles. There’s an uninhibited Fool, a spunky no-nonsense country girl, a thoroughly depressed Lord, a liberated exiled Duke, and many, many more. All with the shared goal of finding their place in the world.

Tickets and information are available through www.ozact.com, admin@ozact.com or facebook.com/ozact

Mysterious Landscapes will be held at the Newstead Arts Hub over the weekends of March 2 & 3, 9 &10 & 11, 16 & 17 and 23 & 24 with the opening today, Sunday March 3.

This new exhibition features the work of three local artists and explores the mystic, the uncanny and the dark corners of the world.

Established artists Kaye Dixon, Margund Sallowsky and Jane Wells each create unique perspectives in their explorations inspired by their love of nature, mythology, and the inner worlds.

Today’s opening takes place from 2.30pm while there will also be an opprtunity to visit the Mysterious Landscapes exhibition on Sunday 17 March at 11am for a demonstration of the cyanotype process.

The upcoming demonstration will be free to attend and organisers say all are welcome to get along to gain insights into this creative printing process that uses a mixture of iron compounds, which when exposed to UV light and washed in water, oxidise to create Prussian Blue images.

The Bullarto Hall will host the Festival of Small Halls on Saturday, March 16.

The festival is an opportunity to catch performances by Icelandic act Svavar Knútur, a gruff and gentle local of the eastern fjords.

The festival that celebrates the signifcant place that halls occupy in the life of regional and rural communities, will also feature some great live music by Aussie musos, The Maes (above).

Right now the festival committee is also calling for expressions of interest from potential support acts with those interested in performing as part of the festival invited to contact the committee via email bullartohall@gmail.com.

I just wanted to throw a few numbers around.

4 website stories per day.

7 days per week.

10 locals employed.

11 years old this September.

108-page magazine.

300th issue.

17,000 unique website visitors per month.

And to all the corporate idiots who shouted from the rooftops “print is dead” as we started our fledgling magazine in 2013 with a rag-tag gang of volunteers – you just weren’t paying attention!

Numbers rant over…

Western Region Crime Squad detectives are investigating a commercial burglary at a business in Ocean Grove where multiple antique firearms were stolen in recent weeks.

It is believed offender/s have smashed front windowpanes of the Grubb Road business sometime between midnight and 6am on Monday 19 January.

The offenders have managed to reach through the windows and steal some old antique firearms, bayonets, and swords.

Included in the items stolen were six firearms, dating back to the eighteenth to early nineteenth century.

This week investigators have released images (above and below) of the antique weapons stolen during the incident on the hope someone may recognise them.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto the Crime Stoppers website.

By Donna Kelly

So, we just hit the 300th edition of The Local. That’s a pretty big milestone for a little local paper. Well, not so little. This edition is 104 pages. Massive.

It created a little bit of consternation at the office. You see, our printer can only do 80 pages – something to do with staples. So as we reached 72 pages of real estate, The Local side of things was looking a bit sad. Just 8 pages for all the news, well no news, just adverts.

I was reaching for a chardonnay when I realised there was a solution. Two publications. And insert House.Land.Home.Premium into The Local. Problem solved.

And that is how we are at 104 pages. Seventy-two of real estate and 32 of local news. No wonder I am tired.

So what do you write about in a column for such a noteworthy event? Hmmm.

I have decided to go rogue and talk about three of some of the most fun times in my career. All which happened while working on the Centralian Advocate in Alice Springs. A corker of a paper where, when I arrived, was told by the editor to park any “Mexican ideas”, which I think meant any progressive thoughts about indigenous issues. I kid you not. Anyway, racism aside, here are my three top fun times.

First, when we first arrived, (and of course Kyle came along) I was sent to the Camel Cup. Yep, annual event, good fun. But being youngish, and having no money, we looked at the beer prices and decided just one would have to do. But then we found the Media Tent. Free booze! (Remember, these are the good old/bad old days.)

So we got stuck in and then went to check out the races. And watched as a jockey fell off his camel and dropped a little pouch of something. Being kind, and street smart, Kyle collected it up and returned it to the jockey who then asked if we would like to partake of a little gunja. Why not? Of course, like Bill, we never inhaled.

Anyway, after a bit we wandered off, me still holding a glass of chardy, to try and find the way to the highway but eventually came across some Aboriginal people who kindly told us we were heading the wrong way into the bush and pointed us back to the road where we hitchhiked a lift in the back of a ute.

The driver dropped us at the Todd River and Kyle jumped out first, gesturing for me to follow. I leapt into his arms, a tad lighter at that stage of life, and he caught me, before we went hurtling down into the dry river bed.

Well trained, I jumped up, fullish glass still in hand and off we stumbled home to Caterpillar Court. Fun times.

Alice Springs was also Ground Zero for all the nutters in Australia. They headed for the local newspaper office to talk about their adventures and trips – on bikes, on pogo sticks, on unicycles (Sam is not a nutter), and even on ponies.

Luckily we had a young cadet, Crispin, and it was his job to take on all the people who thought they were the only ones to ever make the trek across the centre of Australia.

One day we had a couple come in who said they had spent the night on a space ship before their arrival into Alice. “Great,” I said. “Just one moment.” And I ducked out the back calling out “Crispy, one for you.” Only seasoned journos know how nice it is to duck shove a nut job.

Final story. A very nice female journo was talking to a contact who we all knew she fancied. She chatted and flirted over the phone as she sort of interviewed him and then finished the call – with – drum roll please: “All I need from you now is a headjob.” I kid you not. She looked like a deer in headlights, dropped the phone down and fell to the floor.

Being the deputy editor, I said she had to call back immediately and ask for a head shot. She refused. The story never ran. Just sayin’…

Ballarat’s Bridge Mall redevelopment is revitalising the historic retail precinct in the centre of Ballarat.

The significant project has led to new investment in the Bridge Mall, with the redevelopment of Norwich Plaza under way and businesses planning to open in the mall.

Once completed, the redevelopment will showcase a range of design features including an illuminated portal to the Yarrowee River.  

The Yarrowee River flows underneath the mall, stretching from the Big W car park to Alfred Walk at Norwich Plaza, across the centre of the mall and under Coliseum Walk.

The 1871-built brick and steel Yarrowee River bridge that has been enclosed underground as part of the mall and uncovered as part of the works, is heavily corroded – significantly more than anticipated.

To ensure pedestrian and motorists’ safety, as well as a certified load rating for the bridge to meet modern standards, the structure is expected to be replaced. A new bridge design is being explored, with the project team seeking to achieve a timely and cost-effective outcome.

Given the historic nature of the area, the 153-year-old bridge is one of a number of latent conditions (existing structural issues) that the construction team has encountered that require rectification.

While many of the issues were anticipated, the extent of rectification works required has been more significant than expected and could not have been reasonably anticipated during the design phase.

The Bridge Mall sits above a surrounding floodplain on top of a highly contaminated alluvial mining landscape. This area has been subject to significant change over the years, resulting in challenging ground conditions.    

The swampy sub-grade has proven particularly challenging from a construction perspective, resulting in the need to remove more contaminated soil from the sub-grade than expected. Additional reinforcement has been required to provide a solid foundation for the construction of the new space and carriageway.

Works undertaken since the project began in July include:

• Demolition of the centre of the mall, including removal of three fixed canopies, street furniture and pavers, and removal of remnant sections of tram track dating back to 1905 in accordance with heritage approvals
• Named pavers removed, stored safely and ready to be laid in the new streetscape
• Bulk excavation from the Peel Street end of the mall right through to Grenville Street, including removal of a significant amount of contaminated soil
• North and south stormwater pipe installation
• Coordination with Central Highlands Water as they replace water mains through parts of the construction zone
• Night works to remove and dispose of asbestos-containing telecommunication pits, and installation of new communications pits
• Installation of services, traffic signal pits and electrical conduits for smart street lighting
• Installation of smart poles, which will light the space and highlight historic facades. These will also be equipped with power supplies and CCTV
• Installation of tree pits to support the growth of the new landscaped gardens
• Reinforcement and stabilisation of the material beneath the carriageway (known as the sub-grade)
• Concreting to forge the base of the road alignment and planned central event space
• Concreting of footpaths in preparation for paving works
• Removal and cutting of bluestone salvaged from the former La Trobe Street saleyards
• Opening up the portal to the Yarrowee River
• Demolition and excavation of Time Lane
• Commencement of kerbing works.

The Mount Players’ first production for the year opened on February 23 and is being directed by Lancefield local, George Benca.

This is George’s debut role with The Mount Players and he is very excited to bring to life this dark
comedy, Wild by Mike Bartlett.

George is an accomplished actor and director with over 30 years’ experience in the Victorian community theatre scene.

First appearing with Powderkeg Players in the 1980s, he has since appeared on stage with several theatre companies including Williamstown, Adelphi, Encore, Malvern, STAG, Peridot and Eltham.

In recent years he has directed plays at Eltham, Essendon and STAG (Strathmore) theatre companies. Interestingly, it is also the first time all three actors are treading the boards at the Mountview Theatre.

Wild runs until March 10, so there is still time to check out the website for full details and tickets at www.themountplayers.com or call 5426 1892.

The second production for 2024 is Looped, a comedy by Matthew Lombardo and now in rehearsal. It will open on May 10 – read about it on the website.

All in all the theatre is buzzing so we look forward to welcoming you into The Mountview Theatre to enjoy a great show, complimentary sherry on arrival, tea/coffee and biscuits at interval and a well-stocked bar. See you at the theatre.

By Karen Hunt

My first impression of Rogue Traders band members Natalie Bassingthwaighte and James Ash is just how grounded and real they both are.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of their first album, which has sold over a million records globally. Through it all they have remained the best of friends while navigating relationships, parenthood, fame and life.

So having the band headline at this year’s ChillOut Festival’s Carnival celebrations at Victoria Park in March is a fantastic coup for the event organisers and participants. And the duo is excited to be a part of it all.

While admitting they didn’t know a lot about the festival, after a rundown of its history and significance, they both felt ‘grateful’ for being part of such an event.

“I have goosebumps hearing about it,” was Natalie’s reaction.

“The history and the stories. It’s a weekend that is so inclusive; so full of joy that we are truly excited.

“In this world we all want a sense of community, without being judged and permission to be ourselves. Being part of ChillOut is being part of something that connects us, allow us to be ourselves and we all should be able to express ourselves exactly how we choose to.”

James knows just how much pressure there is for us all to conform.

“There’s a great deal of pressure for conformity and it’s a matter of finding your people, those who you feel safe with and connect with, and I think the queer community teaches us all that everyone is diverse and an individual,” he said.

It’s lovely listening to the two chat during the interview, which feels more like a catch-up than an interview. And it is obvious the two share a unique bond. They agreed their friendship goes far beyond the band – their kids have grown up together as they have shared life’s ups and downs.

Festival programming committee member Jacqui Walter said the committee was excited for this year’s line-up of entertainment and believes having Rogue Traders perform is testament to ChillOut’s reputation as Australia’s longest-running queer festival.

“We are super excited to have Rogue Traders at ChillOut as they are so prominent on the Australian music landscape. We can’t wait to welcome Nat and James live to the ChillOut experience – the feeling of connection and love. That’s what it’s all about,” she said.

Jacqui is also looking forward to performing with her band Lost Girls, who are all still enjoying performing into their late 50’s and early 60’s.

“I can’t wait to play ahead of Nat and James and the entire audience to show that age is no barrier,” she said.

Natalie, now 48 and touring while raising teenagers and navigating life, said ageism was a thing in the music world but she sees a shift happening.

“It’s like we give ourselves permission to let loose and don’t have the pressures we had when we were younger. And I think it helps when the likes of Kylie Minogue are creating amazing music…it sends a message that we can simply be who we want to be and be true to ourselves.”

For James and Natalie both agree playing at LGBTIQA+ events are where they have the most fun.

“The events are safe and we are fortunate to be asked to play at such events,” James said.

For Natalie, queer events have greater meaning in her life now ‘for obvious reasons’ and said she feels grateful to be part of ‘heartfelt celebrations’.

So, after a lengthy conversation (the pair were so generous with their time) about life, parenthood, and sharing reviews on streaming shows, the pair were getting ready for rehearsals and their next gig. And genuinely looking forward to being part of the 26th ChillOut Festival. Visit www.chilloutfestival.com.au.

Words: Narelle Groenhout | Image: Contributed

The Hepburn Shire Council has engaged Talis Consultants to carry out a condition assessment of the Shire’s 620 kms of sealed roads, 835 kms of unsealed road and 95 kms of kerb and channel.

The council says it conducts such assessments every four to five years and the information gathered during the survey will be used by the council to identify opportunities for improvements.

The information gathered will also be used to model road use, determine trends, establish the valuation of roads and help to inform plans for road and asset renewal.

Locals and visiting motorists may observe camera-equipped, transporter-style inspection vehicles travelling on local roads, the council has foreshadowed.

It also says that data collection occurs at normal driving speeds so there will be no disruption to road users.

With Eve Lamb

Sarah Koschak’s fascination with pottery began as a small child and never really left. For several decades, though, it was a passion that lay dormant as, in adulthood Koschak travelled the world, working as a photographer in some amazing places. These days the childhood fascination is made manifest as this talented local devotes herself to creating objects of beauty and functionality at her studio/gallery at Newstead.

Eve: Hi Sarah. Can you tell us a bit about your ceramics journey?

Sarah: I’ve had a connection with pottery since I was seven years old. I remember being at a craft fair and watching a potter throw pots on an old kick wheel. I was mesmerised. I can remember everything really clearly about that day. It’s just one of those pivotal moments that switches on a light.

I took classes in my early 20s, but as I was traveling and working as a photographer, it was hard to find the space and time to devote to pottery. It was only in my mid 40’s that I decided to dive in and learn the craft. In 2015 I began learning with potter Phil Elson in Castlemaine.

Eve: Sarah, I know that your prior working life as a photographer, working alongside your partner, nature sound recordist Andrew Skeoch, took you into some remarkable parts of the world. Do you think those experiences have now influenced your work as a ceramicist at all?

Sarah: I haven’t set out for it to do so consciously. I don’t think I aim to do that. We’d do these long field trips in Australia or around the world. Andrew would go off sound recording and I’d spend my time photographing. Photographing was more like a meditation. You just have to open up to where you are so you can really see.

Obviously nature was a big part of it because we were doing nature sound recordings in jungles, forests, ancient historical sites. I’m a fairly quiet, meditative person and my approach just follows through. Now I love creating beautiful shapes and glazes.

Eve: Yes, the glazes you achieve are very beautiful. Sophisticated colours. What are you aiming for with your glazes?

Sarah: I think elegance and timelessness are both in there. I’m not aiming for something that’s popping with bright colour or is in-your-face.  I make all my own glazes, and the work is fired in the shed attached to my studio. I have a two burner gas kiln.

Eve: Are there any particular ceramicists whose work you admire?

Sarah: I think the Japanese and Korean work. I really resonate with a lot of their glazes. A lot of the glazes I choose come from those traditions. But I try not to copy.  

Eve: I know you work using porcelain clay but do you also use any other types of clay as well?

Sarah: I only (wheel) throw in porcelain as my clay, but I do use other clay that I brush on to get another effects. Working with porcelain … it’s a bit of a diva!

Eve: Are you introducing anything new or making any changes to the way you work at the moment?

Sarah: I’m trying to work with bigger pieces.

Eve: This is a great little studio that you have here in Newstead. How long have you been here now?

Sarah: Coming up ten years here this year.

Eve: Are you currently preparing for any special events or exhibitions at the moment?

Sarah: Yes. I will be part of the Newstead Open Studios Art trail event that is taking place over two consecutive weekends in March. March 9, 10 and 11 and over the next weekend, March 16 and 17 as well. I love it. I love working consistently towards a big event like this. The shelves will be just heaving with work. I might have 500 people come through the studio over the weekend. It’s a really nice social time for me because I usually spend most of my time here working away on my own.

Eve: What do you find most rewarding about your work and creative practice Sarah?

Sarah: The most rewarding is to have a form in mind that I want to make and then being able to execute it. It’s just very satisfying.  I think there is timelessness in certain forms that just endure and I love the fact that people will buy my work and it will get handed down. It takes a long time for a ball of clay to end up as a bowl or a cup. There’s a lot of heart and soul that goes into making ceramics.

It may have been a comparatively mild summer fire season out Hepburn-Daylesford way so far … but it’s not over yet.

That’s the informed opinion of long-serving local volunteer CFA firey Barry Yanner, captain of the Hepburn Fire Brigade.

Barry for one certainly isn’t relaxing just yet. He reckons things are looking pretty dry out Hepburn way and surrounds and says February and March are not times to become complacent.

“February and March are always our worst months,” he said, chatting presciently to The Local about a week before the major fire incident broke out in the wider Beaufort area last Thursday.

“The forest (in the Hepburn area) has dried out now and the grass is drying out. On Mount Franklin it’s as dry as a chip.”

Admittedly this season to date has been fairly low key, but the local brigade that will celebrate its 80th anniversary later this year, has been called upon on multiple occasions nevertheless.

These have included two recent callouts to lightening strike events earlier this month, and a concerning number of callouts also to assist at the scene of motor vehicle accidents.

“We’re not a rescue brigade like Daylesford is, but we do attend motor vehicle accidents and do assist with things like traffic control and first aid if required,” Barry says.

“The thing I’m noticing is that we’re getting called out to a lot more motor vehicle accidents these days. We’ve been to six already just in the first month for 2024, and out of those six, three of them were reasonably serious and one was a fatal (at Denver).

“There’s just so much traffic on the roads these days and the state of the roads doesn’t help.”

Across at Daylesford,  brigade captain there, Glenn Webster also believes current road conditions are a factor in the recent uptick in motor vehicle accidents that the local brigades have attended. He also says having a rescue unit adds a lot of pressure, and a lot of training takes place. 

“Last month the brigade turned out to six serious car accidents, far more than usual,” he said. 

“We have had a particularly busy year due to potholes in the road that have caused some driver distraction.” 

Members from both the Hepburn and Daylesford brigades recently met with CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan to highlight the importance of road crash rescue brigades and the vital work they do in the community.The CFA has 21 road crash rescue brigades state-wide, Daylesford among them.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of road crashes and fatalities in Victoria,” CO Heffernan said. 

He said he wanted to meet up with the two local brigades to share his gratitude for the hard work and dedication they perform for the community.  

“I also wanted to recognise the horrific accident that happened in the town (on November 5) that touched so many in the community,” he said. 

“The members have been doing it tough. It’s an opportunity for me to come along and say thank you on behalf of the community and also listen to them and continue to support them in their recovery.” 

As the Hepburn Brigade now looks forward to celebrating its 80th year of serving the community later this year, Barry says members of the public are always welcome to simply roll up to any of the brigade’s regular training sessions that take place on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12 noon.

“Anyone can join in with our training sessions every Sunday and we meet here (at the Hepburn Fire Station),” he says.

“This time of year we’re mainly focused on suppression of bushfire and grassfires. In winter we focus more on structure fires.”

The Hepburn brigade has about 30 members who range in age from 16 to 78. The eldest is Barry’s uncle, Mick Yanner who’s been with the brigade for an impressive 65 years, while the youngest is Daylesford Secondary College year 11 student Linkin Hughes, 16, who’s hoping to eventually become a career firey.

“I joined the CFA as a volunteer at Glenlyon in 2019 when I was 11,” says Linkin who has recently qualified to turnout on the tanker to incidents.

“It’s probably the community commitment,” Linkin says when asked what it is that keeps him motivated to be a volunteer CFA firey.

“I like the hands-on tasks,” he adds. “You learn a lot from it, including from the online challenges.”Acquiring first aid skills including CPR training is part of the training, along with learning how to use appliances like the new tanker that the brigade received last year.

For the eldest member of the brigade, Mick, having notched up 65 years of CFA service for his community is a source of pride, as is seeing three generations of the Yanner family be part of the brigade.

Today, Mick’s grandsons Mitchell, 17, Brayden, 19 and Kyle, 21 are also volunteer members of the local brigade, as is their father Neville (Mick’s son).

Looking back over his own considerable time with the CFA, Mick – who’s received life membership and a 60 year service medal for his decades of dedication – chuckles as he recalls some of the changes he’s witnessed over those 60-plus years.

Today both of the Hepburn brigade’s tankers are equipped with defibrillators. But it wasn’t always the way.

“Years ago the trucks didn’t even have a first aid kit,” Mick says. “You were lucky to find a bandaid.”

Reflecting on the big changes that have occurred since those early days, Barry says something special is being planned to celebrate the big 80th anniversary that ticks over on December 9 this year.

“We’re going to do something. It’s quite a milestone,” he says.

In the meantime he’s encouraging anyone interested in joining up as a volunteer member to get along to one of the brigade’s regular training days.

February 26, 2024 is the date of the 300th edition of The Local – in print and online – celebrated with a massive 104 pages of news, features, columns and real estate.

The first edition of the news magazine hit the stands on September 2, 2013. It was just 20 A4 pages, printed locally, with a distribution of only 500 copies.

The Local now covers the length and breadth of Hepburn Shire and beyond, keeping to its commitment of Connecting the Community.

Editor Donna Kelly said The Local was all about exactly what was stated on her email signature. Local journalism – it’s about connecting the community, sharing stories and telling the truth. On a good day -sometimes all at once.

“We started The Local because people told us there was a need for local news by local people – not news by those who lived in Ballarat, or even Sydney, and thought they knew what locals wanted,” she said.

“So we found a local printer and an InDesign program at a dodgy market stall – and off we went. No
business plan, no forward thinking.

“In fact we were going to publish monthly but we pretty quickly realised that people wanted the read and so the second edition was produced just two weeks later.”

Donna said the idea was to bring mostly good news “because we all turn on the television or radio in the morning and it’s all bad news”.

“We didn’t want to chase ambulances or spend days in courtrooms, or even hours in council chambers
working as minute takers.

“We talked to locals about what mattered to them, about good news, inspiring stories, all the great festivals we have and all the amazing people who live here in this fantastic community.

“And that worked. People wanted to read about that and then advertisers wanted to be in the paper because people were reading it. A win-win for everyone.

“We certainly don’t believe print is dead – we are online at tlnews.com.au but all of our printed editions
find their way out of our baskets – even taken home by people for their neighbours or to send to a friend or family member who has moved from the area so they can still keep in touch. That’s local. That’s relevant.”

General manager Kyle Barnes said he had been told many times, while working for another media outlet, that he should start something for the locals.

“Donna is a journo by trade and former editor and all that, and while I was a bit sceptical about starting up a publication we just bit the bullet and got it happening.

“Business cards and all that guff came later, we just jumped in at the deep end and gave it our best shot, and here we are at the 300th edition.

“I used to worry that we would run out of stories but Donna assured me that would never happen and it never has.”

Kyle said he wanted to thank The Local crew for their hard work and dedication.

“As any small business owner knows it’s all about who has got your back, and our crew has been just amazing. During Covid they went above and beyond and we could not have done this without them.

“And thanks also go to our advertisers. I hope everyone supports them because they are the reason you have a free read each fortnight.

“Our other motto is Love your Locals.”

Countless eyes from art galleries and museums around Australia will turn towards Ballarat this year after the city secured hosting rights for a major conference.

The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) will hold its annual conference in Ballarat for the first time in September.

Up to 700 people are expected to attend the conference held by Australia’s peak body for the museums and galleries sector.

It is expected the event will contribute more than $1.15 million to the Ballarat economy, with local accommodation and hospitality businesses to benefit greatly.

The AMaGA received a $20,000 grant via the City of Ballarat’s Tourism Events Grant Program to assist with this event.  

Most recently, the event was held in Newcastle in 2023 and Perth in 2022.

Final locations for the conference are yet to be finalised, but are expected to include the Civic Hall, The Goods Shed, Mining Exchange, The Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Ballaarat Mechanic Institute.

Eureka Centre Manager Anthony Camm is chairing the conference’s Programming Committee, which is responsible for developing content related to this year’s theme of (un)Common Ground.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said securing the event was further proof of Ballarat’s position as the leading cultural destination in regional Australia.

“We are thrilled to be able to host such a magnificent event and look forward to welcoming people from throughout Australia to our great city,” he said.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Ballarat’s cultural sector in Ballarat. This conference will shine a light on our city’s many brilliant museums and art galleries, including the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Eureka Centre and of course Sovereign Hill, as well as our creative community, unique heritage and dynamic street life.

“To be able to secure a major business event like this shows we are a true events destination and further cements Ballarat’s reputation as a hive of cultural activity.”

AMaGA National Director Katie Russell said Ballarat would be a brilliant city to host the conference.

“We’re absolutely delighted Ballarat is the site for our 2024 national conference and awards ceremony,” she said.

“A regional venue enables conference delegates from across Australia to immerse themselves in rich stories of place – plus experience cultural offerings and heritage sites unique to Ballarat. We can’t wait to meet you in September.”

The conference will run from 17-20 September, 2024.

There are so many festivals and exhibitions to choose from as the Labour Day long weekend rolls into the Central Highlands.

First up, ChillOut. The long-running LGBTIQA+ festival is huge and happening right over the weekend, from March 7 to 11.

There are too many events to list here but the Grand Parade along Vincent Street on Sunday is always a hit (feel free to cheer on The Local) and then head to Victoria Park to relax for the afternoon. Check out pages 14 and 15 (This edition of The Local, online and hard copy) for loads more ideas.

If art is more your thing, head to Newstead and surrounds for the Newstead Open Studios Art Trail happening over the long weekend and also March 16 and 17.

There are plenty of talented artists who are opening their studio doors so people can take a peek inside to see how they work and create their amazing pieces.

Head to page 7 to read about ceramicist Sarah Koschak, whose fascination with pottery began as a small child and never really left.

And Newstead Hub is hosting Mysterious Landscapes over the weekends of March 2 & 3, 9 & 10 & 11, 16 & 17 and 23 & 24 with the opening on Sunday, March 3 at 2.30pm.

Another great event is the Clunes Historic Vehicle Show, happening at the Clunes Showground on Sunday, March 10. There are trucks, cars, tractors, engines and caravans on display – maybe make a weekend of it and take up the offer of camping.

Women are also celebrated in March with International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8. The Cosmopolitan Hotel is holding an inaugural charity lunch that day with proceeds to Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health.

And the International Women’s Day Heather Mutimer Honour Roll event will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall on Thursday, March 7.

And that’s all just for starters. Read the rest of The Local for more great events, festivals and exhibitions happening throughout March. Oh, Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival is coming up. Check out the back page. Words: Donna Kelly