Police are pleading with motorists to take extra care on the roads during the high-risk Christmas period as Operation Roadwise commences.

The statewide road policing operation, which kicked off on Friday, comes as the number of lives lost this year surges to 279, surpassing the 241 total for all of last year.

It’s the highest number of lives for the period in 15 years.

This year’s operation is running for an extra six days to cover the busy New Year period with police providing highly visible enforcement on major arterial roads and highways.

Alcohol and drug testing will be a focus, with police intelligence showing there is an increase in the number of drivers recording low-range drink driving readings (0.05 – 0.069 BAC) in December.

Detections are around 4 per cent higher than the typical monthly average.

Police say the increase in low-range drink driving detections is likely due to drivers miscalculating their alcohol intake, suggesting many are prepared to risk having a few drinks at end-of-year social functions before getting behind the wheel.

Last year, police detected 511 drink driving offences from 201,091 preliminary breath tests and a further 375 drug driving offences from 5122 roadside drug tests.

With Operation Roadwise extended to 18 days this year, police are anticipating thousands more motorists will undergo roadside alcohol and drug testing.

Motorists are being urged to separate drinking and driving by planning ahead, arranging a designated driver or arranging alternative transport.

Operation Roadwise will also see police ramp up enforcement around coastal areas and popular holiday hotspots across regional Victoria.

With Boxing Day one of the busiest days for travel across the state, police are urging those hitting the roads to be patient, avoid distractions and take regular breaks to prevent fatigue.

A number of roads around Melbourne will be impacted by construction works throughout December and January, and police will be on the lookout for motorists who do not travel at reduced speed limits.

To avoid a costly Christmas, police are pleading with motorists to obey the road rules with some of the common penalties including:

• Speeding by more than 10m/h but less than 15km/h – $385 and three demerit points;

• Failing to wear a seatbelt – $385 and three demerit points;

• Failing to obey traffic light – $481 and three demerit points;

• Using mobile phone or device while driving – $577 and four demerit points; BS

• Drive or be in charge of a motor vehicle with blood alcohol limit between 0.05 and 0.069 (fully licenced and/or over 26 years of age) – $577 and three-month licence suspension or six-month licence suspension if under 26-years of age.

Operation Roadwise commences at 12:01am on Friday 15 December 2023 and concludes at 23:59pm on Monday 1 January 2024.

For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads during the festive period visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir: “We’re urging everyone to make road safety a priority during the festive period – the last place you want to end up this Christmas is in a hospital, or worse, as a result of road trauma.

“December is particularly high-risk on our roads – we tend to see an increase in social functions and events that increases the likelihood of impaired driving, as well as increased traffic as people head away to regional areas.

“That’s why this year we’ve extended Operation Roadwise to run until 1 January to ensure we have maximum police presence over this busy period.

“We will be focusing heavily on impaired drivers, so expect to be tested, and be prepared to face the consequences if you’re caught over the limit.

“For those who choose to ignore the road rules – you’ll be up for a costly Christmas. The penalties are significant, and we make no apologies for enforcing the rules – it could save someone’s life.

“It’s been a horror year on our roads and we will be doing all we can to stop this needless loss of life.”

Major Collision Investigation Unit (MCIU) detectives have charged a Mount Macedon man following the fatal collision in Daylesford last month that claimed the lives of five people.

Detectives on Monday morning (December 11) charged the 66-year-old man with five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life.

Emergency services were called to reports a BMW SUV mounted the kerb and struck a number of patrons on the front lawn area of a licensed premises on Vincent Street just after 6pm on 5 November.

A 38-year-old Tarneit man and his 11-year-old son both died at the scene.

The man’s wife, a 36-year-old woman, and a second six-year-old son were injured and taken to hospital, and have since been released.

A 30-year-old Point Cook man and his partner, a 44-year-old Point Cook woman died at the scene, the woman’s nine-year-old daughter was taken to hospital but later died.

A 43-year-old Kyneton woman, a 38-year-old Cockatoo man and an 11-month-old baby boy were taken to hospital, and have all since been discharged.

The Ballarat Animal Shelter has 80+ animals available for adoption and has begun urging residents in the wider region to consider giving one of them a good new permanent home this Christmas.

The Shelter would like to see as many of these cats and dogs spend Christmas in their new family home as possible.

Pets are for life, so it is important that you have thoroughly reviewed the responsibilities of pet ownership, before adopting a cat or dog for Christmas, or indeed any time of year. 

To see the many wonderful furry companions available for adoption at Ballarat now, visit PetRescue on line.

If you are not able to adopt a pet this festive season, you can contribute to the Ballarat Animal Shelter’s Christmas Donation Drive and help bring some cheer to a cat or dog’s holiday season.

Donations can be made at the Ballarat Animal Shelter (Gillingham Place, off Gillies Street, Alfredton) between 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday and from 8:00am to 12:00pm on Saturdays.  

A special donation drop-off point has been established at the Ballarat Town Hall between 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday, and between 10:00am – 4:00pm Saturday and Sundays.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Ballarat.

Christmas decorations have adorned the CBD for several weeks now and the city is in full festive season mode after officially launching its ‘Christmas in Ballarat’ program detailing a bumper month of festivities and attractions.

The 2023 decorations arrangement is somewhat different from previous years due to the Bridge Mall redevelopment project, with the beloved giant bauble this year located in Queen Victoria Square, in the centre median of Sturt Street out the front of Town Hall.

The festive spirit remains as strong as ever this year, with the Christmas Art Trail, dazzling decorations, live music, interactive family activities and Christmas workshops all returning, making every trip to the CBD an experience to remember.  

The Christmas Art Trail takes people on a walking tour of the festive area of Ballarat central, featuring works of street artist Ulla Taylor. Locals and visitors can follow the story, enjoy the giant artworks, and answer a question at each location.

Maps are available at the Ballarat Visitor Information Centre at Town Hall. If participants complete the walking trail, answer a series of questions and return the map to the Visitor Information Centre they will go into the draw to win one of three Christmas hampers, featuring local produce and wares from Ballarat businesses to the value of $500, $300 and $200.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the entire Christmas in Ballarat program was something to behold.

“We’re famous in Ballarat for the stunning decorations in Sturt Street, which are sensational for all ages,” he said.

“I encourage everybody to make their way into the CBD this Christmas and support local businesses when doing your Christmas shopping.

“Importantly, the Bridge Mall is still very much open for business, so a quick stroll down Sturt Street should cover all of your Christmas needs.

“There is so much to see and do as part of the entire Christmas in Ballarat program that people might not even know about, so I encourage them to go online and check out what’s on offer.”

The full Christmas program and everything to do with the festive season in Ballarat can be downloaded at the Christmas in Ballarat website.

Christmas in Ballarat highlights not to be missed

• The Christmas Art Trail, starting at the Ballarat Visitor Information Centre at Town Hall. Maps available 8.30am-5pm weekdays and 10am-4pm weekends. 
   
• Santa’s Magical Post Office, Albert Street, next to Parent Place. Where children (or adults) can post a letter to Santa and if done so correctly, they might even get a response. 
   
• The giant walk-through bauble in Queen Victoria Square, opposite Town Hall, 200s block of Sturt Street. Open 24 hours but even more spectacular at night. 
   
• The giant Christmas tree and floral reindeer, 300s block of Sturt Street. 
   
• Refurbished Waterloo Stars decorations near Grenville Street, at the entrance Bridge Mall. 

Victorians are once again detangling Christmas lights to brighten up their homes for the festive season, but the holiday cheer comes with a warning from Victorian fire services, cautioning lights need to be checked before use.

The combination of damaged lights, tinsel, paper and Christmas trees can present a fire risk for families. 

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said people should check their Christmas lights are in good working order before they decorate their trees and homes.

“Christmas lights are a favourite past-time for many families, but wear and tear can mean wires can fray, bulbs get damaged, and they aren’t in good working order for the tree or your home,” he said. 

“Turn your lights off before you go to sleep or leave the house to ensure they don’t overheat and consider using battery operated or solar lights that don’t require electricity.” 

Fire Rescue Commissioner Gavin Freeman AFSM said it was also important that people took care of any Christmas decorations containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

“This year, we expect that many families will be decking the halls with items containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries,” Commissioner Freeman said.

“All we want for Christmas is for people to use these products safely, as we have seen a rise in fires caused by rechargeable batteries of late.

“Only buy products from reputable suppliers, use the charging cords supplied with the device and only charge items outdoors or in rooms with a smoke alarm.”

 Christmas fire safety tips 

• When buying Christmas lights, make sure they have the Regulatory Compliance Mark tick of approval. 
• Consider using battery-operated LED or solar lights which don’t require electricity. 
• Inspect your Christmas lights for any sign of damage or wear and tear. Make sure there’s no exposed wiring and that there are no missing globes. 
• Don’t overload power boards; use no more than three sets of lights per power board, even if there are four or more outlets on it, and avoid using double adaptors. 
• Place your tree as far as possible from any heat source, curtains or furnishings. 
• For further information on lithium-ion battery safety, visit https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/battery-safety

As the first day of summer approaches, CFA with RSPCA Victoria, is reminding Victorians to consider their pets and livestock in their bushfire survival plan.

While families should always put their own safety ahead of their pets in an emergency, it is important to have bedding, food, and water ready to go for them should a fire cause concern.    

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said during high-risk bushfire days, be sure to keep your bushfire relocation kit for pets within easy reach so you are ready to leave early.

“It can take longer than you think to move your pets, so make sure you can transport them efficiently and have towels and woollen blankets on hand to protect them,” CO Heffernan said.

“Families should consider ahead of time whether their leave-early destination can accommodate pets, otherwise to have an alternative in mind.

“We also recommend microchipping your pets so they can be easily identifiable, with your phone number on their collar.

“On all hot days, especially on Extreme or Catastrophic fire risk days, it is also important that you try to keep your pets as cool as possible.”

CO Heffernan reminds Victorians a separate plan is needed for horses and livestock as late evacuation will put you both at risk.

“It is safest for horses and livestock to be in a large well-grazed and fenced area on your property away from roads where they can move freely with a supply of water.” CO Heffernan said.

“Your plan should identify evacuation routes and which animals you intend to leave behind. You need to act quickly, as moving stock after a fire has started is dangerous.”

RSPCA Victoria’s Head of Prevention Rebecca Cook said planning for potential emergency evacuation and knowing what you need for your pets is vital.

“Planning for emergencies is such a crucial part of life in Victoria particularly during the summer months,” Ms Cook said.

“You should store photos on your phone and email of important documents like registration, microchip numbers, vaccination certificates, medication directions, and your local vet.

“We also recommend you identify pet shelters, establish an emergency guardian, and share your evacuation plan with someone you trust who can evacuate your pets if you’re not home.”

Following the release of the Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer this week, Victorians can expect to see increased fire risk in eastern, western and central Victoria this summer and should review their Bushfire Survival Plan for their families and their pets.

For more information and tips on how to keep your pets and livestock safe during high bushfire risk days, visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/pets.

Your Pet Bushfire Relocation Kit should include:

• Food and water
• A bowl for each pet
• A second collar and lead
• A carrier for cats and smaller pets
• Bedding and a woollen blanket
• A pet first-aid kit – seek your vet’s advice
• A favourite toy
• Any medications, along with a written list of what they are
• Your pet’s medical history, including proof of vaccination
• Your vet’s contact details.

Tips for keeping pets cool

• Have fresh, cold water available at all times
• Ensure your pet has shade at all times or bring them inside into a cool room
• Wipe your pet down with a cool, damp towel or leave wet towels out for them to lie on
• Wet your dog with cool water several times throughout the day
• Consider buying a wading pool for your dog
• For cats, rub damp hands over their coat or along their tummy
• Place ice blocks in your pet’s water bowl
• Place ice in a pillow case and place it near your pets
• Consider having your dog clipped if their coat is long and thick
• Never leave your pets in a vehicle on a hot day.

With major mobile network operators Telstra, Optus, and TPG Telecom phasing out their 3G networks over the coming year, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association is urging all Australians to prepare by upgrading affected devices to ensure they have connection to faster 4G and 5G mobile services.

Older 3G devices and some older 4G phones may be impacted from December 15 onwards as each of Australia’s three mobile network operators begins to close down their 3G network.

This closure may affect a range of devices, including baby monitors, medical alarms, EFTPOS machines, and some VoLTE-compatible devices.

Some users may also require a new SIM card when upgrading their device.

How refreshing the mere sight and sound of water can be – whether it be a lake or stream, or even a small garden pond – the calming effect is always there.

Like the pond featured here, an ornamental pool can add an attractive focal point to your garden and at the same time give you a chance to grow totally different plants…aquatics.

No matter how grandiose or simple the design, or what material you build it from, a pool full of water, fringed with plants and, if you wish, stocked with colourful fish will add beauty and joy to any garden.
Unless you have the space and desire to build a massive concrete or brick structure, your task is quick and simple.

Dig out a hole the size and depth in the shape you desire and line it with a large sheet of heavy-duty black polythene plastic. This can be filled with water to gauge the effect.

Once you have decided on a satisfactory size and shape, you can line the pool with a permanent material, or better still, go to your nearest outlet and buy one of the many different sized and shape-moulded fibreglass ponds. The larger ones are deep enough for fish and your aquatic plant life.

Make sure to situate your pond under or near overhanging trees, especially sheltered from afternoon sun. If you build your pool as part of a rockery, a very pleasing effect can be achieved by using a small electrical pump to circulate the water up to the top of the rocks to cascade and back into the pond. (A solar-powered pump requires no electrical connection).

No matter how well managed your pond may be, it should be emptied for regular cleaning. The best way of arranging this is to slope the bottom slightly to one corner and fit a plughole. Drainage can be made possible by running a gravel-filled trench down and away from the pool.

There are many forms of plant life to inhabit your pond including the ever-present water lily. These include cyperus (papyrus) or umbrella grass, various forms of iris, nymphaea (blue lotus) and azolla, the tiniest of the aquatics.

Azolla floats about on the surface of the pool, existing on nutrients it extracts from the water. It divides continuously and in suitable conditions will cover still water so closely that they have actually been used to prevent the development of mosquitoes.

The presence of plant life in and around the pond, such as ferns etc, not only enhances the setting but shades the water and narrows down the opportunity of plundering birds etc. It also helps in attracting such delightful little creatures as frogs.

The easiest and possibly best way to grow plants in ponds is to pot them into large clay pots or wicker baskets. The soil should be a fibrous loam, such as well rotted compost which has been mixed equally with well-dried cow manure – in the proportions of one part manure to six parts loam.

If you are not able to obtain cow manure do not use other animal’s because they may heat up too much and cause root rot. Instead, use a handful of blood and bone to a bucketful of soil.

Pack the soil firmly around the roots of the plants and cover the top with a 1-2cm layer of wet compost that is firmed down well.

It’s quite common for the air in the pots to make them bob around on the surface instead of settling in place, giving cause for you to indulge in an aquatic wrestling match as you hold them down until the bubbles of air subside. A most entertaining event for all but the participant.

Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Hey! Tychus here. I am a personality-packed little 14 year old apricot silky terrier mix.

Am I cute or what? I love to potter around outside and I am very cuddly with people.

I would love to find a home where my new person/people are home a lot of the time as I don’t like being left on my own too often.

I have some basic training and I walk well on a lead. I require ongoing medication for a dental condition that I have but that’s no biggie.

I probably should mention that I’m not cat friendly. You can come and meet me at the Mount Alexander Animal Welfare shelter in Castlemaine. Phone: 54725277. Microchip no.
9820000123146863 Adoption fee $50.

with Clive Hartley

Once people know I’m a wine educator and have published books and articles on wine I dread their next question, which invariably comes. What’s your favourite wine? My stock answer is “what today…or yesterday?

I enjoy practically every style and the diversity of wine out there means you can never get bored or stuck on the same thing.

However, increasingly when given a choice of wine, say in a restaurant or in a friend’s cellar I do gravitate towards chardonnay for white wines. I’ll caveat that statement as my choice will change if I’m food and wine matching. But chardonnay has the potential to offer more complexity and flavour than many other varieties.

It is also the grape variety that best shows off the expertise of a winemaker. The time spent in a barrel and its contact with the dead yeast cells from fermentation (lees) can produce yeast, vanilla and cedar notes. The amount of times a winemaker stirs those lees can also build complexity in a wine.

Whether the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and its exposure to air are other weapons in the arsenal.

Traditional Australian chardonnays were full bodied displaying heaps of butter, toast, oak with peach, apricot flavours and soft acidity. This has been toned back, and sometimes too far, with wines stripped back to citrus-focused, light-bodied acidic driven wines with some struck match sulphur notes to offer complexity.

Macedon Ranges is an excellent region for chardonnay and we have gifted winemakers to bring out the best in the fruit. Curly Flat, Hanging Rock, Granite Hills and Passing Clouds all come highly recommended. Throughout Australia’s 60+ regions you can find excellent chardonnays at all price points and styles.

For instance, in the Pyrenees region I tasted a modern styled well-made wine from Dalwhinnie – their Mesa Chardonnay 2022 and if you want that traditional Australian chardonnay, try the Mount Avoca 2021 Chardonnay.

Price points vary and range upwards from around $35, but if you want to halve that and still get a well-made wine, then try Larry Cherubino’s Folklore Chardonnay 2022 at $15. It is a blend of Pemberton, Porongurup and Margaret River fruit from WA, fermented in old French oak and matured for 10 months.

It is slightly on the light side with plenty of acidity but enough to sustain the palate length. We did go through a time when ABC was the war cry (Anything But Chardonnay)…but not now.

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. Want to learn more about wine? Try his Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) now available for purchase from Paradise Books, Daylesford, Stoneman’s Bookroom, Castlemaine or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

By Donna Kelly

I thought Heather Mutimer’s story on Madame Xenia Borovansky, the niece of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, and who moved to Daylesford, was fascinating. It’s on page 13 (this edition of TL if you want a read).

You never know who has been/is here, in this region. I often wonder about the former life of the Glenlyon Primary School. I used to be able to imagine the kids running around outside, sitting in two classes by the two blackboards, things slowly changing all the way to gaining pen licences.

Now, of course, it’s more of a house, and it takes some imagination to think about kids in the kitchen and living area – but their footprints are still there. Some would be long gone, others still living in the region with their schoolday memories.

Hopefully they were halcyon days, and not too terrible with a mean teacher wielding a strap. And if they were I hope they went on to bigger and brighter things.

It’s not all about schooling, as we all know. I know lots of people who wish they had been encouraged to take up a trade rather than stay at school for that piece of paper.

Although, by the age I am now, which I need not divulge, many are keen to get off the tools with sore knees and backs and joints that need little groans to get moving in the morning. Still better than the alternative.

I also really liked Eve Lamb’s story on The Daylesford Foundation. This is a fantastic group of people who just get in there and get things done. They don’t ask for publicity, they don’t ask for recognition. The only reason we managed to finally get a story on them is because they want more young people to know about their scholarships.

So if you know someone who needs a hand, a young person who could do with a leg up, then get in touch with them. They are good people and they know how to make a difference.

I also loved chatting to signwriter Robbie Holbery for the story on page 5. We talked for about 40 minutes about this and that. Yes, he’s a great signwriter but was also with the Carlton Football Club, had the Hawthorn Football Club asking for him to recreate a shop window for its museum and was a regular runner in the Stawell Gift.

He keeps to beautiful copperplate and does everything by hand. Doesn’t even use anything to steady his hands as he works on the glass windows of shops from Melbourne to Daylesford and anywhere in between.

And he takes the time to chat to passers-by, loves a compliment and is very complimentary about everyone he meets. In that 40 minutes he never had a negative word to say about anyone or anything.

And who but a wonderful person would spend Covid, not cleaning out their pantry, or lamenting the state of the world, but writing wonderful copperplate letters of hope to complete strangers from old phone directories and posting them off without a return address? What a great guy.

Finally, I received some very nice notes about the last edition of The Local. It was a tough one to write, with the accident still very much vivid in everyone’s minds, and from what people said, we did well. We wrote with compassion and sincerity and love. And that’s what we try to do each edition. Well, less of the love perhaps, but certainly the sincerity.

We really do try to “Connect the Community” and I think we did that in the last edition. I hope you are getting ready for the silly season. Sometimes we need a bit of silliness. Just sayin’…

What’s going on with sizes? The other day I did my usual pre-summer shop for a set of jandals, or as they are inappropriately called thongs, ready for the summer.

I mean who calls a bit of footwear the same handle as a pair of undies that don’t even cover your backside? But back to my hunt for a “pair that air”, jandals that is, it seems my modest size 10 hoof which I thought wasn’t too oafish for my 187cm loft has grown to a size 12 to 13.

How on earth at the ripe old age of 56 have my tootsies become footsies in two summers since I last dropped a large investment on my loafers? This whole question of sizing seems to be rife and doesn’t make sense, after all it’s not as if I pay more for a 13 than a 10, so why decrease the scale?

So, just when I was coming to grips with my new sasquatch status, I slipped into the Mill Markets to grab a retro-style cool summer shirt, the type that doesn’t need ironing and will keep up with my robust knockabout lifestyle (or sufficiently disguise the bump on the front of me).

(The offerings at The Amazing Mill Markets are simply “amazing” and I encourage everyone to get down there for your Christmas shopping. ) But back to my shopping adventure, in the world of chain stores, being a larger gentleman who has been in an okay paddock on occasion, I sit around the XXL through to XXXL in the shirt department.

On trialling an old fashioned 70’s – 80’s era shirt at the Mill Markets, it turns out a XL shirt is like a tent on me and I am more fitted by simply a large label size. This aligns with my fat and size shaming theory. It seems all the chain stores are in on the joke. I know I have thickened a little with the rigours of age, but these guys have doubled down on my self-loathing, the buggers.

It doesn’t make sense that we are consuming more protein, getting bigger as a race and they are decreasing the sizes and material going into our ensembles. In the 1960’s, dinner plates were roughly 9 inches in diameter; in the 1980’s they grew to around 10 inches, by the year 2000, the average dinner plate was 11 inches in diameter, and now, it’s not unusual to find dishes that are 12 inches or larger. You young people can work that out in centimetres.

So we are filling our plates up, upsizing our serves, involved in less involuntary exercise – as in the invention of the TV remote – and feeling disappointed in our appearances because of the media hype.

And to add insult to digestive injury the chain stores are sneaking around swapping a size 10 for a size 12 and having a belly laugh as we try to nostalgically squeeze into something that should fit. I think a revolution is called for.

I say swap the tags, take back ownership of our sizing charts and protest on the streets. All these years hiding my shirt tags and looking fearfully as I slipped towards the “Big Joe” section in Big W and it seems it’s not so much me but them mucking with the labels.

It’s them, not me, size rant over…

Planning is well advanced for Daylesford’s ChillOut ’24 with a “cornucopia of queer talent” in store for the annual March long weekend attraction.

Five major key events have been launched with a considerable number of umbrella events also locked in, along with the 2024 theme – Boots and Bling.

Friday night, March 8, is opening night at the town hall and it’s shaping as one colossal dance party.

“Friday night we have 100% Dance at the town hall so we can get some more life into the main street,” says festival programmer Jacqui Walter.

“That’s with the 100% Kylie Tribute Show and we have Kween Kong and her dancers, and we also have the amazing soulful voice of Shauna Jensen. She’s coming down from Sydney with lots of great dance hits.

“It’s basically designed to have people up and dancing from start to finish with DJ Du Jour closing the night out. It should be fantastic.

“Saturday night we have Funk Soul Sista at the Town Hall. That is a queer women event. Queer women and their chosen family and friends are welcome, celebrating queer women’s music and that’s emceed by the amazing singing sensation Denise Hanlon from Sydney.”

Bluehouse will also be making a rare appearance with their drummer, Julia Day, and Sydney’s Bek Jensen will have festival-goers up and dancing with her funk soul band while the services of DJ Eddie have been secured to close out the night.

It’s a case of being spoilt for choice, with ChillOut’s inimitable Bush Dance also poised to return on the Saturday night at Victoria Park where it will be co-hosted by Sexy Galexy and Nate Byrne from the ABC, with some potentially startling appearances by Spankie Jackzon, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under in 2022.

“We’ll also have Brenda Bressed singing with country band The Cartwheels and we’ll have The String Band back. It will be a massive night,” Jacqui says.

Sunday, March 10 features the festival’s iconic street parade down Daylesford’s main drag and Carnivale at Victoria Park.

“It’s anticipated that special guest Courtney Act will be popping up at any one of the events over the weekend,” says Jacquie.

Jacquie also says Courtney will be shouldering co-hosting duties at Carnivale, a day of community, laughter, and joy co-hosted by Nate Byrne, and Narelda Jacobs.

Carnival will also feature Kween Kong, Katie Underwood, Sexy Galexy, DJ Du Jour, DJ Eddie, Shauna Jensen, The Lost Girls, Bek Jensen duo, Dolly Diamond and more, with a closing performance by Courtney Act.

“There’s a whole lot of umbrella events being launched at the moment as we speak, and our usual suspects like the tennis tournament, the social walking, there’s an art experience, wine tours and we’ll have our shuttle bus working as well,” Jacqui says.

“It’s just a feast. We’ve got all the great local drag queens coming up from Melbourne and Ballarat. We’ve got the Youth Muster, which is a free event, happening on Saturday at Vic Park, drag story telling…

“And Lavandaze of course, out at Lavandula on Sunday into Sunday night. That’ll be a big afternoon and it’s incredibly popular too. It’s a beautiful setting.

“There are more announcements to come. We’re still a good two months off yet. We’re working on some more exciting events. We’re looking to celebrate a real cornucopia of queer talent.”

Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Michelle Donnelly

with Eve Lamb

Today we’re tackling a short sharp little gem of a walk known as The Cork Oaks Track.

Traversing the northern east-west flank of Mount Beckworth Scenic Reserve just out of Clunes this under-acknowledged little beauty is noteworthy for several reasons, the most obvious being its namesake – the cork oaks (Quercus suber). More on them when we reach them…

As mentioned, this is a short walk, only 6.5 kms the round trip, but don’t be fooled. By the time you’re finished with it you’ll feel like you’ve had a decent little workout as it does pack a couple of pulse-raising small punches of elevation.

The first challenge is getting to the starting point. We enter the Mount Beckworth Scenic Reserve at its north-eastern end, by vehicle, having driven from Clunes and taken the Maryborough Road, followed by Cemetery, Golf Course, Pickford’s and Kierces roads to reach The Dam located within in the Reserve.

There’s one or two points where extra careful driving may be called for, particularly depending on recent rainfall activity and the degree of gravel road maintenance that’s occurred since.

The Dam. This is our starting point, on the north eastern flank of Mount Beckworth. It’s a top little picnicking spot with tall native water grasses making a sweet habitat for various birds. Above us a black kite shoots the breeze and from here we first start out on the Dam Track skirting around the northern edge of The Dam itself before we encounter the first short sharp little climb.

By this stage we’ve already enjoyed plenty of native flora, eucalypts full of blossom and the drowsy afternoon drone of working bees, and some native casuarina as we climb the Beckworth lower flank with its rocky granite ridgelines.

The Oval. We reach The Oval. It’s a small flat grassy plateau offering excellent views back to the east over the volcanic plains with their ‘mammeloid’ hills rollicking away to far shimmering horizons. At this time of year, late spring, The Oval itself is a tangle of native, and some not-so-native grasses interlaced with intricate indigenous wildflowers.

From here there’s a very gentle climb, gaining great views to the west, across agricultural land and the distant Waubra wind farm towers. Leaving The Oval, we join the Yellow Box Track for a short while, and the trail weaves through splendid examples of the namesake yellow box gums and some remarkable
rocky outcrops and large boulders festooned with rugged lichens. The track is pretty well signposted and soon we find the turnoff to the Cork Oaks clearly marked ahead.

Snakes We’ve reached mid-walk, the sun’s beating down, late afternoon and, camera in hand, I’m admiring yellow native paper daisies in full brilliance and magnificent swirls of bark on old growth gums, when I almost step on a brown snake.

Fortunately it’s about as happy to see me as I am it and when I see it, all of a school ruler’s length from my boot. It’s already sliding away from me about as fast as its belly muscles can carry it. At this point, my trusty walking companion for this expedition – Paddy H – declares a lunchbreak.

Refuelled, we head on toward the Cork Oaks through an undulating and visually interesting section of trail. The woodland all around is dry but with all of those rocky boulder features and views, it’s also imposing with a grandeur all its own, not to mention generous wafts of that classic hot Aussie bushland scent that you can only get by doing exactly this.

Lucky. Having almost stepped on a highly venomous brown snake I’m pretty vigilant at this point in our trek and we count ourselves lucky to have had such a peaceable warning encounter as the track now descends toward a dry watercourse; dry yet, in late November, still green enough along its immediate riparian zone to suggest the sort of small life forms that attract plenty of hungry reptiles.

The Cork Oaks After crossing the dry creek bed there’s only a few hundred metres left to walk before we finally reach the Cork Oaks. They’re nothing if not a surprise packet out here on the western flank of the Mount Beckworth Scenic Reserve.

Prior to doing this walk I’ve done a bit of research and discovered that these 40 odd mature exotic trees were planted here back in 1965 as a then Forests Commission Victoria trial. The goal was to determine the viability of growing cork oaks (Quercus suber) for domestic commercial uses and came about following some fairly intense lobbying by a persistent and well-connected captain of industry of the day.

My research also informs that cork oaks occur naturally around the western Mediterranean and that cork from cork oaks has been used since ancient times as bottle stoppers, footwear, insulation and floats for fishing.

Since the 17th century the production and export of cork had been an important industry in Portugal and Spain, the bark first harvested when the trees were about 25 years old and thereafter at nine to 12 year intervals.

Unfortunately, it appears nothing much beyond an interesting diversion for the more horticulturally-minded boffins in the Forests Commission ever really came of the trial. Beyond the living legacy that endures of course.

Today the western edge Mount Beckworth cork oaks are one of the very few traces remaining of a handful of early cork oak trials conducted by the Forests Commission Victoria last century. This little remnant trial plot features some truly beautiful trees with their corrugated trunks and wizened leaves offering welcome shade in a frequently parched land.

We arrive and fling down our backpacks for a while to lie back in the oaks’ silvery shadows and appreciate these imposing specimens and their novel place in history, along with a well earned coffee or two.

Time slips away easily here, but don’t leave it too long to start heading back if you’ve taken on this walk toward dusk as the return leg may seem longer than you’d think, particularly the last descent from The Oval back to The Dam which can be super slippery, particularly when it’s really dry.

This is a top shelf little walk for its views and unique points of interest. If you’re sampling it in the warm part of the year, just watch out for the snakes.

Images: Eve Lamb

WHO’S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY HOUSE was the title of an ABC television series which researched the fascinating history of a selection of Australian homes and the people who once inhabited them.

With our district’s long and colourful history, we have our fair share of interesting stories attached to local houses and the people who once occupied them. Some of these stories go back to the gold rush era or even earlier. Others to more recent times.

An example of a house with an interesting story from more recent times is No. 46 West Street, Daylesford. This simple Californian bungalow style house sits on a large block with a spectacular view to Wombat Hill. It is currently a holiday rental named ‘Churchills’.

In 1973 the property was purchased by a woman named Xenia Borovansky. It is her story which adds such a colourful layer to the history of this Daylesford house. Who was Xenia Borovansky? Those with some knowledge of the history of the Australian Ballet may be familiar with the name Borovansky.

Xenia Borovansky was born Xenia Nikolayena Smirnova in 1903 in Russia and was the niece of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (pictured below). Xenia was taught ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre and after her family migrated to Germany she joined Anna Pavlova’s troupe. It was there she met Czech-born dancer Edouard Borovansky whom she would later marry and thus become known as Madame Borovansky.

In 1938 the couple travelled to Australia with the Royal Covent Garden Russian Ballet. At the end of the tour and with the outbreak of WWII imminent, they decided to stay.

Together they established a ballet school in Melbourne which they named ‘The Melbourne Academy of Russian Ballet’. The academy grew and in 1940 they established the ‘Borovansky Australian Ballet Company’.

With its various reincarnations the Borovansky Australian Ballet Company became the precursor to
Australia’s National Ballet Company – ‘The Australian Ballet’ which formed in 1962.

Edouard choreographed a number of works for the Borovansky Australian Ballet Company, often with Australian themes. One was titled Terra Australis, which is credited by some to be the first all-Australian ballet, and the first with an Aboriginal theme. It premiered in Melbourne in May 1946 and was focused on Australia’s colonisation by white settlers.

‘Boro’ as Edouard was called by those who knew him, was a colourful extrovert renowned for being a strict disciplinarian and somewhat of a womaniser. He would become known as the ‘Father of Australian Ballet’.

Xenia, a far more reserved personality, became the head teacher of the Borovansky Ballet. She also choreographed some works and designed costumes. It is said it was because of her height that she never became a great ballerina, so turned to teaching instead.

Australia’s first ballet dancer of Indigenous heritage Noel Tovey AM was a pupil of Xenia’s. She provided him with free lessons and in his book titled Little Black Bastard he writes: “When I look back at all the teachers I had in my career, I would have to say that when it came to teaching style there was no other better than Madame Boro”.

The late Barry Kitcher, an ex-Borovansky Company dancer who was interviewed by ballet historian Michelle Potter, spoke of his impressions of Xenia Borovansky in a National Library oral history interview.

“She was very tall, extremely tall – she towered over Boro – and she wore high heel shoes as well. She was so regal and elegant and when she walked into a room it was like a star. She had rather bulbous eyes. You really stopped and looked at Madame Boro as she came in…she was a very impressive lady. Her carriage and her stature were outstanding.”

In an article which appeared in The Argus newspaper on June 25, 1955 we are told: “…Russet-haired Madame Borovansky, an artist from her fingertips to her dancing toes, is a serious withdrawn personality, content with her pupils, her home and piano studies…she still takes lessons. But there is a lighter side. Last night she was a witch in Carnival Fantasy at Chevron to help the Red Cross…”

Edouard and Xenia became well-known identities in Melbourne and lived in a grand old mansion ‘Strathnaver’ in Hawthorn. Edouard died suddenly whilst on tour in December 1959. After Edouard’s death Xenia continued teaching and running her Melbourne ballet school.

Xenia would have been around 70 years old when she purchased 46 West Street. Why she decided to buy this particular Daylesford property and at this stage of her life is unclear.

Daylesford in the 1970s was a quieter and very different place than it is today. It became the home of many creative and bohemian-type figures who fell in love with its beauty, tranquillity and affordable real estate.

Perhaps this also attracted Madame Borovansky to Daylesford in her retirement. Daylesford may have also been a place that held nostalgic memories of holidays spent with ‘Boro’ and friends. The drawcard
for this particular property was very likely that magnificent view to Wombat Hill along with the spacious grounds.

After Xenia Borovansky died in 1985 her house in Daylesford was put up for sale. An article appeared in the Daylesford Advocate and was headed; ‘Borovansky’s House Under the Hammer’. The article tells us that “… Many of Madame Borovansky’s former pupils shared time with her in what became an ideal retreat…”

Some of these former pupils may have included famous dancers who became the nucleus of our national ballet company – names such as Garth Welch and Marilyn Jones.

When visiting a local woman in her West Street home some years back, she told me as we were chatting, that there was a connection to Anna Pavlova and a house nearby. I was intrigued, although I
wondered how true this was. A few years ago when I came across The Advocate article, I carried out some further research and I found it was indeed true.

It is not hard to conjure up an image of an ageing but still graceful and elegant Madame Borovansky relaxing on the front porch at 46 West Street. As she gazes across to that beautiful vista of Wombat Hill perhaps she is reminiscing about days long ago when she danced with her aunt – the great Anna Pavlova.

Xenia Borovansky died on the 25th November 1985 at the age of 82 and is buried with her husband Edouard in the Box Hill Cemetery. Their gravestone reads: DOYENS OF THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL OF BALLET IN AUSTRALIA. FOUNDERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET.

So who’s been sleeping in your house? Words: Heather Mutimer | Images: National Library of Australia