This week in the Macedon Ranges (April 7-13)

Welcome to Your Macedon Ranges for Monday, April 7, to Sunday, April 13.

🎶 The program for this year’s Woodend Winter Arts Festival (June 6-9) has been announced. Tickets are now on sale.

🍕 The school holidays have arrived! Click here for a guide to children’s activities.

🌱 When it comes to growing great pumpkins, Duncan Cocking finds that Mother Nature often knows best. Discover more in this month’s gardening article – just below the event guide.

🎂 It’s four years this week since the first edition of Your Macedon Ranges. Thank you so much for supporting and sharing the newsletter. Your coffees and kind words mean a lot.

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💛 This newsletter has been nominated for a Telstra Macedon Ranges Community Choice Award! Please will you vote for me? You’ll find Your Macedon Ranges in the “Professional, Retail and Service” category.

Here are the events and activities happening in the Macedon Ranges this week:

Click the links for more info 👇

Monday, April 7

Music The Simba Sessions: Music, storytelling and poetry. Featuring Tim Woods, Cate Taylor, and Steph Bernabe. St Andrew’s Uniting Church, Ebden St, Kyneton. 7pm-10.30pm. General $20, Concession $15.

Tuesday, April 8

Entertainment Circus Latino: Clowns, aerial acts, hand balancing, jugglers, and fire and hoops. Performers from South America and Australia. Gisborne Steam Park, 10 Webb Cr, New Gisborne. 3pm-4.40pm. $20-$50.

Wednesday, April 9

Film The Drover’s Wife: A lonely bushwoman struggles to raise her children and run the family farm while her husband is away. Romsey Library, Main St, Romsey. 10.30am-12.30pm. Free.

Game Canasta Club: Join a friendly group to play the card game Canasta. Beginners welcome. Macedon & Mount Macedon Community House, 47 Victoria St, Macedon. 2pm-5pm.

Singing Woodend Warblers: Community choir. Norma Richardson Hall, Buckland St, Woodend. 7pm. $12 (first session free).

Quiz Trivia Night: General knowledge quiz. The Victoria Hotel, High St, Woodend. 7pm. Free.

Thursday, April 10

Friday, April 11

Painting Art in the Garden: Watercolour masterclass with local artist Elizabeth Barnett. Enjoy a private tour of the gardens at Duneira, plus morning tea. Duneira, 1 Officer Ln, Mount Macedon. 9.30am-12.30pm. $250.

Environment Memorial Cross Group Hike: Join Parks Victoria volunteers on an 8km moderate-level walk. Learn about plants and animals as well as the history of the Macedon Regional Park. McGregor’s Picnic Ground, Cameron Dr, Mount Macedon. 9.30am-1pm. Free.

Music & Food April Sunsets: Music from Macedon Ranges singers Tasha Luke, Rexine Perry and Lucy Watson. With special guests Erin Haberecht and Kate Kennedy and pianist Dan Rigby. The Victoria Hotel, High St, Woodend. 6.30pm-10pm. $25.

Music Ash Grunwald: Blues musician whose career has included six Australian top-50 albums, and five ARIA and four AIR Award nominations. Kyneton Town Hall, Mollison St, Kyneton. 7.30pm-10pm. Full $55, Concession/Senior/Student $45. Child $25.

Saturday, April 12

Exercise Parkruns: 5km fun runs/walks in Gisborne (Dixon Field), Lancefield (Lancefield Park) and Woodend (Campaspe Dr). All abilities welcome. 8am. Free.

Market Kyneton Farmers’ & Makers’ Market: St Paul’s Park, Piper St, Kyneton. 8.30am-1pm.

Market Kyneton Community Market: Bric-a-brac, art, clothes, plants, food and local produce. Ebden St & Yaldwyn St West, Kyneton. 8.30am-1pm.

Food & Crafts CWA Creative Arts Exhibition: Everything from bakes and preserves to stitching, knitting and photography will be on display. Made by members of the CWA Central Highlands Group. Lancefield Mechanics Institute, The Crescent, Lancefield. 10am-4pm. Entry $5, Child (under 16) free.

Garden Camelot Open Garden: First public opening in the estate’s 139 years. The gardens were originally designed by William Sangster, Melbourne’s leading designer of the time. Camelot, 847 Mount Macedon Road, Mount Macedon. 10am-4pm. Group (4 adults) $60, Adult $20, Child (under 12) free.

Garden Duneira Open Garden: Enjoy the visual splendour of the historic hill-station garden. Duneira, 1 Officer Ln, Mount Macedon. 10am-4pm. Adult $17, Child (under 16) free.

Garden Viewfield Open Garden: Majestic trees with brilliant autumn colour, stunning views, a fruit forest, a children’s fairy garden, perennial gardens and a sparkling stream through shady fern glades. Viewfield, 651 Mount Macedon Rd, Mount Macedon. 10am-4pm. Adult $15, Child free.

Cooking Organic Tofu Workshop: Learn how to make organic tofu from scratch and how to make tofu meals. Malmsbury Town Hall, Mollison St, Malmsbury. 10.30am-1.30pm. $195.

Food Hot Cross Buns Cooking Class: Learn how to make delicious hot cross buns. Participants will leave with the recipe, six of your own buns, a jar of Piper St Food Co’s secret spice mix and a pastry scraper. Piper St Food Co, 89a Piper St, Kyneton 11am-1pm. $165.

Poetry Chamber Poets: Poets share their work in a supportive environment. Featuring poets from haiku group The Fringe Myrtles. Music from Black Forest Smoke. All welcome to participate or listen. Woodend RSL, Anslow St, Woodend. 1pm-4pm. $10 (cash only).

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Sunday, April 13

Motoring Lancefield Car & Collectables Swap Meet: Cars and motorbikes on display. Stalls plus food and drink. Lancefield Park, Chauncey St, Lancefield. 7am-3pm. $6.

Market Daylesford Sunday Market: Daylesford Railway Station, Raglan St, Daylesford. 8am-3pm.

Market Romsey Market: Bric-a-brac, woodwork, jewellery, candles, handmade goods, and food vans. Run by Lancefield Romsey Lions Club. Romsey Skate Park, Cnr Main St & White Ave, Romsey. 9am-1pm.

Food RedBeard Bakery Bread Workshop: Learn how to make your own sourdough starter culture and how to knead, shape, proof and bake classic sourdough loaves. RedBeard Bakery, Wolff Ln, Trentham. 9.30am-4pm. $330.

Garden Duneira Open Garden: Enjoy the visual splendour of the historic hill-station garden. Duneira, 1 Officer Ln, Mount Macedon. 10am-4pm. Adult $17, Child (under 16) free.

Music Music Amongst the Barrels: Featuring Brett Franke. Wombat Forest Vineyard, 189 Springhill Rd, Denver. From 1pm.

Music Nature’s Inspiration – Michael Johnson: A concert of music for the harp featuring Michael Johnson, resident harpist at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Dromkeen, 1012 Kilmore Rd, Riddells Creek. 3pm-4pm. $35.

Singing Rainbow Voices Community Choir: LGBTQIA+ and allies choir. For anyone aged 13 and over. Kyneton Community House Good Food Hub, 35 High St, Kyneton. 4pm-6pm.

Music Calvary: The story of the Cross of Calvary will be interwoven throughout a musical performance. Featuring Lisa Ring. Plus children’s activities, including a mobile animal farm. John Aitken Reserve, Aitken St, Gisborne. 4.30pm-7pm. Free.

Exhibitions

Kyneton The Old Auction House: Exhibitions: Cathy Mackay and Larissa Taylor, Cozy Comfort (group). Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm.

Kyneton Art on Piper: Exhibitions: Autumn Delight, Tru Dowling and Sharon Greenaway. Every day 10am-4pm. Meet the artists and 7th birthday celebration Sun (April 13) 2pm-5pm.

Kyneton Stockroom: Exhibitions: Hayley Arjona, Laetitia Olivier-Gargano, Matt Butterworth. Thu-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Exhibitions open Sat (April 12) 4pm-6pm.

Kyneton Cusack & Cusack: Fri-Sun 10am-3pm.

Kyneton Kyneton Museum: Exhibition: Good Sports, Leisure and Recreation in the Macedon Ranges. Fri-Sun. 11am-4pm.

Mount Macedon The Gallery: Exhibition: The Gallery Mt Macedon Art Prize. Fri-Tues 10am-4pm.

Newham Hanging Rock Winery: Exhibition: Art in the Vines (sculptures). Every day 10am-5pm.

Riddells Creek Dromkeen: Exhibition: The Wonder of Nature (group). Tues-Sun 10am-4pm.

Trentham Trentham District Story: Outdoor display telling the story of Trentham from its earliest Indigenous inhabitants to the present day. Open every day in the grounds of the Old Police Station, 3-5 Camp St, Trentham.

Trentham Little Gallery: Thu-Mon 10am-4pm.

Woodend The Back Shed Gallery: 33 Urquhart St, Woodend. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm.

Have a great week!

Richard

P.S. I’ve tried my best to ensure accuracy, but please follow the links above to confirm details before attending events.

🧒 The school holidays are here! Click here for a guide to children’s activities. If you find the guide useful, please share the web link with friends.

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Nature shows the way to perfect pumpkins

GARDENING

Horticulturalist Duncan Cocking, who runs Kyneton-based Leaf, Root & Fruit, enjoys the gifts from unplanned plants.

Despite their inconvenient habit of growing in the “wrong” spot, self-sown “compost” pumpkins do best for me, and this year was no exception. Rampant vines took off at the base of each of my avocado trees.

(Yes, you can grow avocados in Kyneton!)

The seeds must have germinated from some worm castings I spread in winter. The vines loved the extra water that was meant for the avocados and quickly climbed through the canopy of the young trees and into the shade cloth structures I’d set up to create a microclimate.

Those structures prevent the chickens from foraging directly under the trees, which helped the pumpkins to establish. Interestingly, the chickens have hardly touched the pumpkin vines as they’ve rambled through the chicken run in their quest for world domination.

I love that about gardening. You can have the best plans and execution this side of the black stump – the finest irrigation systems, all the determination in the world – but in the end Mother Nature just laughs at you and does it her own way.

Happy gardening!

Duncan

🥦 For more gardening tips see my latest planting guide and garden update.

In the news

🛣️ WOODEND: The Shire Council has slammed plans for a Calder Freeway service centre at Woodend and will join petitioners to fight it.

🎨 KYNETON: The old Kyneton Primary School site remains fenced off one year after it was due to have been redeveloped as a gallery and events space. Macedon Ranges mayor Dominic Bonanno said: “The people of Kyneton have really been let down.”

🚗 GISBORNE: A host of improvements are planned for the streetscape and pedestrian infrastructure at a main roundabout in Gisborne. Residents can provide feedback until April 20.

🎖️ MACEDON RANGES: A free park-and-ride service will be provided at this year’s Anzac Day Dawn Service at Mt Macedon. Shuttle buses will operate from Tony Clarke Recreation Reserve in Macedon. Free buses will also run from six towns.

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