Welcome to Your Macedon Ranges for Monday, January 29, to Sunday, February 4.
🏊♀️ This week, local history returns to the newsletter. Sue Worthington looks back at Trentham’s original outdoor swimming pool. Those were the days when health and safety wasn’t what it is now! Find out more, and see photos of the pool from both then and now, below the event guide.
Here are the events and activities happening in the Macedon Ranges this week:
Click the links for more info 👇
Wednesday, January 31
Game Canasta Club: Join a friendly group to play the card game Canasta. Beginners welcome. Macedon & Mount Macedon Community House, 47 Victoria St, Macedon. 2.15pm. $3.
Singing Woodend Warblers: Community choir. Norma Richardson Hall, Buckland St, Woodend. 7.30pm. $12.
Thursday, February 1
Quiz Trivia Night: General knowledge quiz. Gisborne Golf Club, Daly St. 7pm. Free.
Friday, February 2
Nature Hanging Rock Night Walk: Experience Hanging Rock after dark on a ranger-guided walk. See gliders, wallabies, native birds, bats, possums, koalas and many other animals. Hanging Rock Reserve, South Rock Rd, Woodend. 7pm-10pm. Family $75, Adult $30, Child $15.
Saturday, February 3
Exercise Parkruns: 5km fun runs/walks in Gisborne (Dixon Field), Lancefield (Lancefield Park) and Woodend (Campaspe Dr). All abilities welcome. 8am. Free.
Market Woodend Farmers’ Market: Cnr High St & Forest St. 9am-1pm.
Community Woodend Repair Cafe: Enjoy a cuppa while your broken household items are being mended. The Undercroft, Woodend Neighbourhood House, Forest St (enter via the community garden near the skate park). 9am-1pm. Free.
Drink Gin-blending Masterclass: Learn about distillation and how recipes are created. Animus Distillery, 89a Piper St, Kyneton. 10am-2pm. $185.
Gardening Tuberous Begonia and Fuchsia Show: Hundreds of nursery-grown tuberous begonias. White House Nursery, 691 Ashbourne Rd, Ashbourne. 10am-4pm.
Community Lyonville Woodchop: Axemen will compete for almost $8,000 in prizemoney, including a $1,300 first prize in the 325mm standing block category. Food, bar and refreshments, spinning wheel and raffle. Lyonville Hall, Cnr Bremner Ave & Gleeson St, Lyonville. 10.30am-4pm. Adult $5, Child free.
Music & Drink Songs and Cider: Live music with Jarrod Shaw. DV Cider, 39 Darraweit Valley Rd, Darraweit Guim. 12pm-9pm (music 5pm-8pm).
Art Queerthentic Celebration: Celebration of regional pride. Music by local trio The Femmes and the Rainbow Voices community choir. Plus the winners of the Queerthentic regional LGBTQIA+ art prizes will be announced. The Old Auction House, 52-56 Mollison St, Kyneton. 1pm-4pm. Free.
Community Pink Stumps Day High Tea: Lancefield Cricket Club fundraiser for the McGrath Foundation. Complimentary drink on arrival. Maximum 10 people per table. Lancefield Oval, Chauncey St. 2pm-6pm. $25.
Beer Brewery Tour: See how beer is brewed. Holgate Brewhouse, High St, Woodend. 3pm-4pm. $25.
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Sunday, February 4
Market Daylesford Sunday Market: Daylesford Railway Station, Raglan St. 8am-3pm.
Market Gisborne Olde Time Market: Aitken St/Hamilton St. 9am-2pm.
Gardening Tuberous Begonia and Fuchsia Show: Hundreds of nursery-grown tuberous begonias. White House Nursery, 691 Ashbourne Rd, Ashbourne. 10am-4pm.
Beer Brewery Tour: See how beer is brewed. Holgate Brewhouse, High St, Woodend. 3pm-4pm. $25.
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.
Exhibitions
Kyneton The Old Auction House: Exhibition: Queerthentic Art Prize. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm.
Kyneton Art on Piper: Exhibition: Summer Vibes (window). Every day 10am-4pm.
Kyneton Stockroom: Exhibitions: Greg Wood, Yuria Okamura, Laura Veleff. Thu-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Opens on Sat (Feb 3) 6pm.
Kyneton Cusack & Cusack: Fri-Sun 10am-3pm.
Kyneton Stitch in Time: Historical folk art and craft materials. Fri-Sun 11am-4pm.
Kyneton Kyneton Ridge Artspace: Exhibition: Jaime Emily Powell. Sat & Sun 11am-5pm. Artist drinks on Sat (Feb 3) 2pm-4pm.
Mount Macedon The Gallery: Fri-Tues 10am-4pm.
Newham Art in the Vines: Sculptures by 26 acclaimed artists. Every day 10am-5pm.
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: Fri-Mon 10am-4pm.
Woodend The Back Shed Gallery: 33 Urquhart St, Woodend. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm.
Coming up
Garden Open Garden at Stone Hill: Designed by Michael McCoy, the stunning perennial and gravel gardens at Stone Hill have attracted attention worldwide. Stone Hill, 97 Boundary Rd, Woodend North. 10am-4pm. Adult $15, Child free. February 17.
Music Country Sunday: An afternoon of country music with Tristan J. Ross and The Texas Longhorns featuring the Davidson Brothers. Romsey Park, Park Ln, Romsey. From 12pm. $40. February 25.
Community Lancefield/Macedon Ranges Relay for Life: First held in 2003, the annual walk/run has raised more than $1 million for Cancer Council Victoria. Lancefield Park, Chauncey St. 11am-9pm. March 2.
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.
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Leap of faith
THEN & NOW
With thanks to Trentham & District Historical Society.
On the Trent Creek Reserve is the site of Trentham’s original public swimming pool. Opened in the 1920s, it was filled from Chinaman’s Spring, a natural spring on the south side of High St, which fed the nearby market garden of the late 19th century.
The pool was constructed by Charlie Pretty. It had a rough concrete base from which every swimmer expected to lose “a yard of skin”. Despite this, it was extremely popular for at least 30 years, with its own swimming club and carnivals.
The pool’s depth was 8ft (2.4m) at one end and 1ft (30cm) at the other, with hardwood-board sides that became swollen when wet. Two galvanised iron change sheds were sited at each end of the pool. There was also a timber diving board, which needed frequent replacement as it became cracked and dangerous.
Pool maintenance became increasingly difficult, especially in dry seasons as the water receded and stagnated. The perpetually unhygienic state of the water eventually led to the pool’s closure by the late 1950s.
The old swimming pool can be found in Bath St (where there’s an historical marker) and is included in Trentham’s town walk, The Wombat Trail.
✍️ Sue Worthington, curator of Trentham & District Historical Society.
📘 Trentham Tales: Stories From Yesteryear, a new book featuring 21 stories from Trentham’s curious, colourful, often dramatic and always entertaining recent past, is available for $12.50 (plus postage) from Trentham & District Historical Society.
In the news
📺 MACEDON RANGES: Felix Cameron, from the Macedon Ranges, has captivated audiences as the fearless and curious teenager Eli Bell in the hit Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe.
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