Welcome to Your Macedon Ranges for Monday, May 12, to Sunday, May 18.
🎶 Taylor Sheridan, currently touring with Jimmy Barnes, will perform a one-off show in Kyneton this month. The singer-songwriter from the Macedon Ranges – whose album Troubadour topped ARIA’s Australian country albums chart for five weeks last year – will appear at Major Tom’s on May 23.
🍅 Which variety of tomato do you enjoy most? In this week’s gardening article, Duncan Cocking reveals his favourites from this summer’s crops – plus those he won’t be growing again. Find his selections below the event guide.
PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS NEWSLETTER
💛 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, May 12
Photography Macedon Ranges Photographic Society: Club meeting. Travel photography with Andrea Enever. Jubliee Hall, Smith St, Macedon. 7pm.
Wednesday, May 14
Film A Man Called Otto: A grump who’s given up on life finds friendship with a young family, turning his life around. Romsey Library, Main St, Romsey. 10.30am-12.45pm. Free.
Film Wicked – Part One: Elphaba and Galinda become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, but their friendship reaches a crossroads. Gisborne Library, Hamilton St, Gisborne. 1pm-3.45pm. 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).
Thursday, May 15
Talk & Tasting Wine – A Never Ending Story: David Ell, founder of Mount Gisborne Wines, will discuss how the Macedon Ranges wine industry developed. Plus a tasting of local wines. Duneira, 1 Officer Ln, Mount Macedon. 5pm-7pm. $50.
Friday, May 16
Music The Grigoryan Brothers – Amistad: Classical guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan will perform songs from their latest album and their previous recordings. Kyneton Town Hall, Mollison St, Kyneton. 7.30pm-9.25pm. Full $30, Concession $25, Student $20.
Saturday, May 17
Exercise Parkruns: 5km fun runs/walks in Gisborne (Dixon Field), Lancefield (Lancefield Park) and Woodend (Campaspe Dr). All abilities welcome. 8am. Free.
Community Riddells Creek Whole Town Garage Sale: Maps $5. Money raised from the event will help 1st Riddells Creek Scouts. Includes Indoor market and a car boot sale. Riddells Creek Scout Hall, 26 Sutherlands Rd, Riddells Creek. 8am-2pm.
Market Riddells Creek Farmers’ and Makers’ Markets: Memorial Dr, Riddells Creek. 9am-1pm.
Market Trentham Farmers’ Market: Town Square, High St, Trentham. 9am-1pm.
Market Glenlyon Village Market: Shire Hall, Barkly St, Glenlyon. 9am-1pm.
Writing Tell Your Story – Memoir Writing Intensive: Learn how to write about your life with award-winning writer and creative writing teacher Sonia Orchard. Mount Macedon Hotel, 694 Mount Macedon Rd, Mount Macedon. 10am-4pm. $210.
Gardening Designing Gardens that Belong: Join garden designer Sam Crawford for a workshop on creating gardens that feel natural, connected, and deeply rooted in their surroundings and your lifestyle. Riddells Creek Nursery, 675 Kilmore Rd, Riddells Creek. 10.30am-11.30am. $10.
Music Naturally Cool Big Band Open Rehearsal: Peek behind the curtain as the band prepares for a big concert. Sunbury Community Centre, 531 Elizabeth Dr, Sunbury. 2pm.
History Lancefield Town Walk: Find out about Lancefield’s history and how it grew from a village on Deep Creek to the present-day town. Lancefield Mechanics Institute, The Crescent, Lancefield. 2pm-4.30pm. $20.
Beer Brewery Tour: See how beer is brewed. Holgate Brewhouse, High St, Woodend. 3pm-4.30pm. $25.
Quiz Trivia Night: Fundraiser for Macedon Ranges Rural Australians for Refugees. Norma Richardson Hall, Buckland St, Woodend. 7pm-10.30pm. $25.
Never miss a thing in the Macedon Ranges
Get this newsletter every Sunday
“New to the newsletter and it’s brilliant. So much happening in our region I wouldn’t otherwise know about.”
“So much information … excellent resource for the community. WELL DONE. We’ve forwarded it on!”
Sunday, May 18
Market Daylesford Sunday Market: Daylesford Railway Station, Raglan St, Daylesford. 8am-3pm.
Market Malmsbury Farmers’ and Artists’ Market: Mollison St, Malmsbury. 9am-1pm.
Sport Try Orienteering – Macedon Regional Park: Choose from easy, moderate or hard course navigation challenges. Beginners welcome. Coaching and equipment available. Old Scout Camp car park, Middle Gully Rd, Macedon. 9.30am-1pm. Family $30, Adult $12, Child $6.
Community Steam and Vintage Machinery Rally: Steam and vintage machinery, classic cars, tractor-pull competition, children’s activities, petting zoo, and miniature train rides. Plus trade stalls and food and drink. Gisborne Steam Park, Webb Cr, New Gisborne. 9.30am-3pm. Adult $15, Child free.
Motoring Cavalcade of Transport: Veteran, vintage, classic and collector vehicles. Trentham Railway Station, Victoria St. From 10.30am. Gold coin donation.
Music The Gisborne Singers – Gloria: The choir will perform Purcell’s Come, Ye Sons of Art Away and Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major. Featuring soloists Merlyn Quaife and Kristen Leich and the Macedon Ranges Chamber Orchestra. Castlemaine Town Hall, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine. 2.30pm-4pm. Adult $55, Concession $45, Child (under 12) free, Group (10+) $40.
Beer Brewery Tour: See how beer is brewed. Holgate Brewhouse, High St, Woodend. 3pm-4.30pm. $25.
Beekeeping Woodend Bee-Friendly Society: Monthly meeting. Woodend Neighbourhood House, Forest St, Woodend. 3pm-4.30pm.
Music The Classical Collective in Concert: Favourite songs and melodies from the 16th century to the present. Performed by Giselle Baulch, Hugh Fullarton, and Juliarna Clark with Dave Gardner (clarinet) and James Clark (double bass). Church of the Resurrection, Honour Ave, Macedon. 3pm-4.30pm. Adult $45, Senior $40, Concession $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.
Exhibitions
Kyneton The Old Auction House: Exhibitions: Andrea Jewell, Queerthentic Art Prize. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm.
Kyneton Art on Piper: Exhibitions: Family Trees and Branches, Nadia Kliendanze. Wed-Mon 10am-4pm.
Kyneton Stockroom: Exhibitions: Hayley Arjona, Laetitia Olivier-Gargano, Matt Butterworth. Thu-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm.
Kyneton Cusack & Cusack: Fri-Sun 10am-3pm.
Kyneton Kyneton Museum: Exhibition: Good Sports, Leisure and Recreation in the Macedon Ranges. Fri-Sun. 11am-4pm.
Kyneton Kyneton Ridge Artspace: Exhibition: Suzi Donovan, Josephine Leder, Karima Baadilla, Richard Holt. Fri-Sun 11am-5pm.
Kyneton Trio Art Studio & Gallery: Exhibition: Words in Art (group). Sat-Mon 10am-4pm.
Mount Macedon The Gallery: Exhibition: Christine Turner. Fri-Tues 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 9am-5pm, Fri-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.
How am I doing?
Your Macedon Ranges is researched, written, and edited by me alone. Compiling it takes me 10+ hours each week. I love doing it, and the response has been incredible. I’m very grateful for your kind words.
If you find value in the newsletter, I’d so appreciate you subsidising my coffee habit … it helps with the collating and the writing!
Tomatoes: The hits and misses
GARDENING
Horticulturalist Duncan Cocking, who runs Kyneton-based Leaf, Root & Fruit, reveals his favourite varieties.
Every year, as the frosts put an end to my summer crops, usually in April or May, I reflect on the season just gone.
This year’s tomatoes were a mixed bag. I harvested my first ripe tomato on November 23, which is very early, and my quest to grow a tomato before Christmas without a greenhouse was also successful. The salad and slicing tomatoes grew well in the dry heat and fruited abundantly.
I’ve revised my list of favourites. At the top is Black Cherry. Several varieties masquerade as Black Cherry, but I’ve finally found the Black Cherry: super-sweet, resistant to splitting and highly productive. Next up is Wapsipinicon Peach, bigger than the cherry tomatoes but full of flavour and with a distinct furriness to the skin. Jaune Flamme has been a stalwart for years, producing masses of tasty fruit all summer. And after a second year of growing Earl of Edgecombe, I’m officially upgrading it to favourite slicing tomato status. The huge orange fruit don’t easily split and are full of flavour.
However, some other varieties are for the chop. Stupice is early, but its flavour is bland compared to the list above. Broad Ripple Currant is incredibly cold tolerant, ripening very early and continuing into autumn, but I just can’t be bothered to pick its tiny fruit. Tigerella was very productive but not as tasty as Jaune Flamme, and Dances with Smurfs failed on both counts.
Next year I’ll grow fewer tomato plants, sticking to my favourites and trialling one or two new varieties. That will make harvesting quicker and I’ll be able to focus on enjoying the tastiest of the tasty.
🍅 Click here to read more of my reflections on the summer growing season.
Happy gardening!
Duncan
🍑 For more gardening tips see my latest planting guide and garden update.
In the news
🏌️ GISBORNE: A ceremony has been held to mark the start of building work on Gisborne Golf Club’s new clubhouse. The previous clubhouse was destroyed in a fire caused by an electrical fault in April last year.
🏡 GISBORNE: Australia’s queen of craft Tonia Todman and her husband Michael Dowding are selling their “magical” Gisborne property following a large-scale renovation.
🚒 WOODEND: Woodend Fire Brigade has welcomed a new medium tanker and rehab unit vehicle. Captain Steve Ritchie said: “Our old tanker served us well for 25 years, but this new vehicle provides advanced capabilities and ensures safe transport to and from incident sites.”
Enjoyed this newsletter?
Get it emailed to you every Sunday – and never miss a thing.
“I am so happy to be able to receive your emails and keep up to date with what’s going on in the area as well as learning a bit of local history!”