Melbourne’s Events & Celebrations

A blast from the past

Federation, the Federation arches
Built to celebrate the federation of Australia in 1901.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MunicipalArch.jpg
Above and below, The Municipal Arch, Princes Bridge.
http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MunicipalArch2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/KingEdVIIArch.jpg
King Edward VII Arch, Swanston Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/ChineseArch.jpg
Above and below, the Chinese Arch, Swanston Street.
http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/ChineseArch2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/GermanArch.jpg
The German Arch, Collins Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/CitizenArch.jpg
The Citizen’s Arch, Bourke Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/DukeArch.jpg
The Duke’s Arch, Bourke Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/QueenVicArch.jpg
Queen Victoria’s Arch, Collins and Russell Street intersection.

All these arches were temporary structures. :(

1934 Centenary of Melbourne and Victoria

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MelbCentenary.jpg
Sir Russell Grimwade purchased Captain Cook’s Cottage at Great Ayton in Yorkshire and had it carefully measured, drawn, labelled, packed up and moved to its new home in The Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.
Sit Macpherson Robertson funded an international air race and the more permanent mementoes in the form of MacRobertson Girls High school, South Melbourne; The MacRobertson Bridge over The Yarra at Grange Road; The National Herbarium at The Botanical Gardens and The MacRobertson Fountain near The Shrine of Remembrance.
For the part played by women in the foundation of the state we had The Pioneer Women’s Garden built.
The Shrine of Remembrance, arguably Melbourne’s most important public monument was completed and dedicated during The Centenary as well and for many it was the crowning ceremony of Melbourne’s Centenary celebrations.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/SwanstonSouth1.jpg
The city lit up for the occasion.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Shrine1.jpg
The Dedication Ceremony for The Shrine of Remembrance was held on the morning of November 11th 1934.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/FitzGarden6.jpg
Captain Cook’s Cottage.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/PioneerWomen.jpg
Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, King’s Domain, Alexandra Avenue. Dedicated on November 24th 1934.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/RobertFountain1.jpg
The MacRobertson fountain.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/Suburbs%20and%20Regional/slides/MacRobBridge1.jpg
The MacRobertson Bridge.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Airace.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/BoxHillFloat.jpg
One of the most successful events during the celebrations was The Centenary Floral Pageant. The City of Box Hill float shown above was the first prize winner.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/Coin1.jpg
Special Centenary Florin was minted and circulated during the period of the celebrations.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Stamps1.jpg
Special Centenary Stamps printed for the occasion.

excellent work Collector, i love learning more about our history, didnt realise there had been so many temporary arches erected in Melbourne over the years, i think the only one worth keeping would have been that one on the Princes bridge, but unfortunately they did not, no idea why, looks like a fairly solid structure, looks a lot more like a permanent structure unlike the Federation Arch that was on the Princes Bridge in 2001.

^^ Agree and add the Queen Victoria Arch as well. :)

1984 Sesquicentenary of Melbourne and Victoria

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/150Logo.jpg
The Royal Botanical Gardens were restored and The Westgate Park is established. Both The Museum of Australian-Chinese History and the now demolished Australian Gallery of Sport were built. Westpac donated a 50 metre flagpole which now flies the largest flag in Victoria at the Haymarket roundabout and Myer erected a temporary arch on Swanston Street next to Princes Bridge.
We also saw the temporary closure and greening of Swanston Street that drew crowds of half a million people and gave rise to The Swanston Street Walk concept that we now have realized.
Jennings also unveiled the Southgate development to coincide with the sesquicentenary celebrations. It was completed years later with a completely different design.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/ChineseMuseum.jpg
The Australian-Chinese Museum.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/SportsGallery.jpg
The Australian Gallery of Sport.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/Suburbs%20and%20Regional/slides/HaymarketFlag1.jpg
The Haymarket flag.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MyersArch.jpg
The Myer Arch on Princes Bridge.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/SesquiParade.jpg
Parade down Swanston Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Stamps4.jpg
Stamps released for the event.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/SouthgateProposal.jpg
Southgate proposal.

Christ, a good 10-20% of the city must have been in this photo:

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Shrine1.jpg

1930s we were around 1 million.

Melbourne 1956, The XVI Olympiad
Text extracts from The Herald-Sun, Australian Olympic History

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MelbOlympPoster.jpg
Melbourne’s Olympic Games, from the 22 November to 8 December 1956, marked the first time in Olympic history that the Games had been held in the southern hemisphere. They were preceded by a period of immense international tension, with the Cold War raging, and Soviet tanks rolling into Hungary. Armed forces from Israel. Briton and France had moved into Egypt to annex the Suez Canal, and relations between Taiwan and Mainland China were barely tolerable. All this led to a spate of boycotts of the Games, from the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq. Because of the boycotts and Melbourne’s remoteness from Europe, the number of competitors (2958 men and 384 women) was the smallest since 1932 – although a surprisingly large number of 69 nations competed. At home, the pre-Games period was plagued by disorganization and industrial unrest, and at one stage the IOC threatened to take the Games from Melbourne. Another setback forced by Australia’s strict quarantine laws, was the decision to hold equestrian events in Stockholm, Sweden.

Despite all this, the XVI Olympiad was a magnificent success, and – because of goodwill between the teams and the generous spirit of the crowds – became known forever as the Friendly Games. The mood of goodwill was consolidated by the decision of the organizers to adopt a suggestion from John Ian Wing, an Australian-born Chinese apprentice carpenter, that all teams should mingle and walk (not march) during the closing ceremony. This has been done ever since.

Competing on home soil for the first time, Australia fielded a record team of 291 (including 35 women) at the 1956 Olympic Games, and had its most bountiful medal haul. The team won 13 gold medals, 8 silver and 14 bronze. After a glorious Opening Ceremony in which Ron Clarke lit the Olympic flame and John Landy took the Olympic oath on behalf of assembled athletes, the Games ushered in a new crop of Australian heroes and heroines with names like Cuthbert, Fraser, Crapp, Rose and Henricks.
On the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Betty Cuthbert won three gold medals, in the 100 and 200 metres and 4 x 100 relay. Her team-mate Shirley Strickland, who had already won gold in Helsinki in the 80 metres hurdles, defended that title successfully and combined with Cuthbert, Fleur Mellor and Norma Croker to win in the relay.

At the swimming pool young Australians, who had trained in Townsville during winter, shocked the world by winning every freestyle gold medal, men’s and women’s. Murray Rose. A 17 year old raised on a diet that included raw seaweed, matched Cuthbert’s performance by winning gold in the 400 and 1500 metres and 4 x 200 relay. Dawn Fraser won the first two gold medals of a remarkable career, in the 100 freestyle and the relay, and Lorraine Crapp won the 400 and shared the relay win. Jon Henricks took the 100 metres freestyle, with another gold in the relay. Queensland’s David Theile won the first of his two successive 100 metres backstroke championships.

At the velodrome, Ian Browne and Tony Marchant took over the tandem title that had been won in Helsinki by Russell Mockridge and Lionel Cox. On the running track, Kevan Gosper, later an IOC vice-president, won silver in the 4 x 400 relay.

Medal Tally

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 USSR 37 29 32 98
2 USA 32 25 17 74
3 Australia 13 8 14 35
4 Hungary 9 10 7 26
5 Italy 8 8 9 25

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Sports and locations

Opening and closing ceremonies – MCG
Athletics – MCG
Basketball – The Glaciarium
Fencing – StKilda Town Hall
Soccer – MCG and Olympic Park
Weightlifting – Royal Exhibition Building
Modern pentathlon – Oaklands Huntclub and various arenas
Boxing – Melbourne Festival Hall
Hockey – MCG and Olympic Park
Yachting – Port Phillip Bay
Shooting – Williamstown range and RAAF station at Laverton
Rowing – Lake Wendouree, Ballarat
Swimming and Diving – Olympic Swimming Pool
Wrestling – Royal Exhibition Building
Cycling – Olympic Velodrome and country road course, Broadmeadows
Gymnastics – The Glaciarium
Demonstrations – MCG

The Olympic Village was at Heidelberg.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlympicSites.jpg
The Olympic Stadia during the games.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlyTorchLight.jpg
Ron Clarke lighting the Olympic flame.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/OlympicVillage1.jpg
The Olympic Village.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Exhibition2.jpg
REB, location for wrestling and weightlifting.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Glaciarium.jpg
The now demolished Glaciarium, location for basketball and gymnastics.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/OlympicPool1.jpg
The Olympic Pool, location for swimming and diving.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/Suburbs%20and%20Regional/slides/Ballarat17.jpg
Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, location for rowing events.

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From my collections…

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlyGuide.jpg
Olympic Guide.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlyCarOrnament.jpg
Ornament from Olympic Official car.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlympicPlate.jpg
Souvenir plate.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Stamps3.jpg
The official stamps released for the event.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Stamps2.jpg
Stamp miniature sheet.

The Australian Open

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/KooyongStadium1.jpg
The Australian Open at the old Kooyong Stadium.

Centenary of the Australian Open 1905-2005
Text extracts from Australia Post prestige booklet

In the beginning

The Australian Open began as the Australian Tennis Championships at the Warehousemen’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Tuesday 21 November 1905. In order to join the Davis Cup competition (which had begun in the US in 1900) a national association had to be formed, but it was not until 1904 that the Australian Lawn Tennis Association, which also included New Zealand, was formally constituted. The Association was required to organize the Davis Cup challenge, to control interstate matches and to run an annual Australian Championships. It was agreed that the first championship would take place in Melbourne in 1905 and thereafter on a rotating basis in various capital city locations and in New Zealand.

Finding a home

In 1972 the LTAA (now Tennis Australia) decided that the Australian Open required a permanent site and the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne won the honour because it had the largest capacity and had attracted the greatest patronage.

By 1980 the facilities at Kooyong were considered inadequate with little room to expand. Because of the necessity to maintain the Australian Open as a Grand Slam tournament on the world stage, the Victorian government decided to construct a purpose-built venue at Flinders Park (now Melbourne Park), situated on the Yarra River, close to the city centre.

Designed to be adapted for various events the main stadium included a retractable roof allowing the game to continue despite rain or excessive heat. Another consequence of the retractable roof was that a grass surface could not be used and so a rubberized synthetic surface designed in Australia and known as Rebound Ace was chosen.

The new venue opened in 1988 and was an immediate hit with the players and public alike. Today these world-class facilities include five show courts (two with retractable roofs) and 19 other outdoor match and practice courts, as well as four indoor practice courts. The Australian Open is now the biggest sporting event on the Australian calendar, attracting over 500,000 visitors each year.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/SportsGroundsAerial1.jpg
Melbourne Park aerial, including Olympic Park in foreground and MCG in background. :)

Net gain for Aussie Open
From MX 16/5/2005

Record attendance at this year’s Australian Open served up more than $200 million to the state’s economy, research revealed today.
The turnstile tally was 4.3 percent up on last year, with a record 543,873 fans attending the grand slam.
For the second year, the event lured more than 100,000 visitors, which resulted in $209.6 million pouring into the state’s balance sheet, the National Institute of Economic and Industrial Research found.
Early predictions by chief executive Paul McNamee that this year’s event – boosted by the campaigns of dad-to-be Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik – would be 50 percent bigger than last year failed to happen.
But Major Events Minister John Pandazopoulos said the tournament made the equivalent of 3760 full-time jobs. :)

great stuff again Collector, just one question if u dont mind, do u know how the attendence of 543,873 compares to the other major tournaments around the world? ie. US Open, Wimbledon etc.......

Very cool!
Are there many history of melbourne books?

plenty,
i cant think of any names and authors of books off hand tho except for one i have about Melbourne's lane ways in the city, called 'Essential but Unplanned' by Weston Bate, it is an excellent read.

Very cool!
Are there many history of melbourne books?

Hundreds, I'll have to start a thread on it one day.
I'm lucky to have a lot in my personal library (looking out for more). :)
Nearly all of the old photographs you see posted by me are from books I have scanned from my collection.

great stuff again Collector, just one question if u dont mind, do u know how the attendence of 543,873 compares to the other major tournaments around the world? ie. US Open, Wimbledon etc.......

Don't know the answer to that.
I am hoping someone else who knows their tennis can answer that for both of us. :?

we truly do live in such a great city, both past and present.

Henley-on-the Yarra

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/HentyYarra.jpg
Before Moomba there was Henley-on-the Yarra.
The first Henley-on-the Yarra rowing regatta was held in 1904.

great stuff again Collector, just one question if u dont mind, do u know how the attendence of 543,873 compares to the other major tournaments around the world? ie. US Open, Wimbledon etc.......

Second to the US open, it has a record total attendance of around 640,000. The Oz open has the record for the highest single day attendance of 60,000.

The French and Wimbledon have far smaller crowds due to no night sessions.

^^Bigger than Wimbledon. :lol: :cool:

I just thought I'd use the arch theme at the start of this thread to put forward an idea for an iconic structure I reckon would be great for Melbourne. I think a massive and architecturally modern arch over the Yarra River where the river meets Port Phillip Bay could be built. Kind of like the Gateway Arch, St.Louis except bigger and better:

http://img269.echo.cx/img269/4473/gateway1sa.jpg

It could have "Melbourne" emblazened on it as a kind of welcome for cruise ships that come to Melbourne, in a similar fashion to the way visitors are welcomed coming from the tulla on the Freeway under the yellow rod thing. I think the arch could be a touristy thing where people could climb it, and it would also be great in a photo from the right angle as a kind of rainbow over the city.

Any comments on this idea?

I love the St.Louis Gateway Arch, and if we had one here it would look like a copy,
no matter how good we make it.
So no, I don't think it's a good idea, especially if it had Melbourne emblazonned all over it.
Kitsch comes to mind. :puke:

Failed bids

Throughout its recent history Melbourne has bid for quite a few international events and failed in its attempt to stage them.

The ones I can recall are:

1976 Expo
1988 Olympic Games
1996 Olympic Games
2014 World Cup*

*The world cup attempt was nipped in the bud before it was submitted as a serious bid during the Kennet years that also saw us canvass the idea of even staging the Eurovision Song contest (no joke).
The 1988 bid for the Olympic Games saw us pull out just before the International Olympic Committee started the voting stage, and as for the 1996 games we got as far as the second vote where we came 5th if my memory serves me correct.

Anyone out there who can remember any more please list.

Christ, a good 10-20% of the city must have been in this photo:
http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Shrine1.jpg

No, it wasn't the second coming. I'm pretty sure Christ wasn't there. :D

I wonder what sort of arch they'll come up with in 2034. I'll probably be the one designing it by then. Lol.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18086536%255E2862,00.html

Soccer's World Cup on wish list

From Herald Sun
Peter Mickelburough
09feb06

SOCCER World Cup finals would be played at the MCG under a goal set by new major events boss Sir Rod Eddington.

Sir Rod has put the world's biggest sporting event at the top of his wishlist for the state's event calendar.

"We've had a world cup of cricket, we've had a world cup of rugby," he told the Herald Sun yesterday.

"But the thing that's missing, that we've never done, is that we've never had the soccer World Cup here.

"Given that soccer is the global football game, I think that it is the missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle."

But Sir Rod, 56, said Australia would have to earn the right to host the event.

"I think it would be fantastic if we could get a soccer World Cup here," he said.

"On the sporting stage that is the really big thing that we've never done.

"But if one is realistic, before that you have to demonstrate that you can put on world-class soccer events."

Sir Rod, the Australian Rhodes scholar who became one of Europe's most powerful executives, was speaking in his first interview since returning to Australia last month to become chairman of the Victorian Major Events Company.

If his dream were realised, World Cup finals could be played at the MCG as early as 2018. This year's cup will be held in Germany. South Africa will host the event in 2010 while Brazil is the favourite for 2014.

Sir Rod said while the Major Events Company would love to be part of winning the World Cup, the event would have to be organised nationally with Football Federation Australia.

"Those truly major global events are usually Australian events," he said.

Sir Rod, who stepped down as British Airways chief executive last year, was in Germany over the new year and looked at preparations for this year's World Cup.

Germany 2006 will see Australia return to the biggest stage in soccer for the first time since the 1974 World Cup.

The former Ansett and Cathay Pacific boss replaced fallen entrepreneur Steve Vizard as head of the major events company last month.

Sir Rod admitted he had become a fan of the round ball code – and a Liverpool supporter – during his time in Britain.

Sir Rod, who is also on the boards of News Corp, Rio Tinto and bank JP Morgan, said he would also love to see Australia host more cricket and rugby union world cups.

"I think it would be fantastic if we could win either the 2011 or the 2015 cricket World Cup. I hope in my lifetime that the rugby World Cup will be back here."

He said other events were also being quietly pursued by the Major Events Company.

He would also like to see greater emphasis on events – such as the recent Jayco/Tour – which promote regional areas.

"We are Victorian Major Events and albeit that Melbourne is very much the centre of this state, and where many of the big events take place, events that draw in the regions are very important," he said.

Sir Rod said the lack of a major convention centre was another gap in Victoria's events arsenal.

"One of the best ways to showcase this state is to have a world-class convention centre," he said.

"Whether it's a couple of thousand heart surgeons or 5000 Rotarians, these people bring enormous benefits to us, in part because they stay in the best hotels and eat at restaurants – the top end."

FFA boss John O'Neill last year revealed he wanted to see the Oceania Football Confederation bid for the 2018 soccer World Cup with Australia as host and some games in New Zealand.

A 2002 bid by Premier Steve Bracks and his NSW counterpart Bob Carr to host the 2014 World Cup fell flat a day after the bid was launched when it was revealed neither the Federal Government nor Soccer Australia were aware of the plan.

Christ, a good 10-20% of the city must have been in this photo:http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Shrine1.jpg

Considering that 112,000 Victorians enlisted in World War One - 27,000 were killed and 50,000 came home permanently injured and disabled, it's fair to say that the war touched not just every family but every person in some way.

Melbourne's population in 1934 was 1.3 million and it was estimated that 340,000 attended the dedication of the Shrine. The Shrine was the first and largest Australian war memorial to be dedicated in a capital city until the the Australian War Museum was established in Canberra in 1941.

The dedication of the Shrine was an extremely emotional event for many who were still grieving loss. There's a wonderful inscription in the outer walls that reads words to the effct of: "This monument was built by a grateful people". You can't it plainer than that. It say it all ... Thankyou.

There's also a wonderful bronze tablet inside the building that has a beautiful poem about the sacrifices made by Australians and it's last verse goes something like:

"To their comrades at arms they were allies, true and dear,
Yet their enemy learned only to speak of them in fear.
As the old nations looked scornfully upon from where they had came,
Soon the whole world had learned to speak of their name.
With the peace restored and the fighting had ceased.
To their distant homeland they returned ... LEAVING THE OLD WORLD IN PEACE"

The Shrine is wonderful, every single tree is planted in recognition of an Army unit that served. Every single step is dedicated to a War. The Marble used inside is totally unique, you can't even get better marble in Italy. The Marble came from near Ararat in Western Victoria. In the Cript there are the original Battalion Colours (Battle flags) of all of our World War 1 Battalions (Priceless). The Shrine is where Melbourne bears it's soft under belly. It's an extremely moving and sombre place, but it's uplifting and you can't come away from there not feeling a strong sense of thanks and pride in our country.

Great Stuff Adam to me the Shrine will always be a special place that reeks of the souls of the dead that paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
It is ofcourse a wonderfull building in its own right and should be on all visitors list of things to see in Melbourne.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18610071%255E39875,00.html

From Herald Sun

Triumphant city spies a new target

Shaun Phillips
27mar06

VICTORIA, fresh from the success of the Games, will drive a bid for soccer's 2018 World Cup.

Games Minister Justin Madden said 2018 was the earliest hope of hosting soccer's world championship, but a national bid should not be dismissed as a pipe dream.
"The Games have been highly successful and I think people now expect us to do something as significant again in the future," Mr Madden said.
"The question is: What is out there? There are only a few events that compare to this and one of them is the World Cup.
"I'm sure there would be many people, not only in this state, but across the country, that would be eager to pursue it."
Australia's Socceroos and 31 other countries will contest the 2006 World Cup in Germany from June.
The 2010 Cup will be hosted by South Africa.
Soccer's governing body FIFA has decided South America will have the 2014 event, with Brazil the likely host.
Europe and Asia would fight it out for 2018. England is a confirmed starter for 2018, while China is also considering a bid.
Mr Madden said informal talks on hosting
the World Cup had been held between Australian governments.
"Given the success of (the Commonwealth Games), I think there will no doubt be a scaling up of those conversations," he said.
"If FIFA is serious about growing the game in the Asia-Pacific region, then the time can't be too far away where they need to move into the region.
"Where else would they put it but Australia?"
Melbourne's next one-off global event is the Swimming World Championships next March.
A pool will replace a tennis court inside Rod Laver Arena so crowds of up to 15,000 can attend.
A cultural festival is almost certain to run alongside the swimming carnival following the success of the $12 million Games arts festival.
"I suspect that any other major event we have in the future will have a component of a festival," Mr Madden said.

That's fine by me... if a bid is driven by Melbourne it's more likely to be the epicentre of the major events, like the final and ceremonies etc... Personally I think the Olympics would be a worthwhile venture - 2020.

MG2

Olympics 2020 is too soon, I think it will be at least 2032 before Australia sees the Olympics again there are so many countire lining up to host it.

2018 would be good for a warm up bid for the world cup with an all out bid for 2022.

Agreed Grollo. 2022 for World Cup seems quite feasible to me, and by then soccer will have a far bigger presence here in Oz in terms of participation and development of the national competition. The 'G is not ideally suited to soccer games though...spectators too far away from the action. Do you think they'd modify it temporarily?

They would do whatever they have to do the MCG to get the world cup final.

It doesn't have the greatest viewlines for soccer but who cares if they magaed to fit in 120,000 for the final, the kind of atmosphere that would produce would more than make for the shape of the ground.

The problem, as stated, with many of the grounds in Melbourne is that the big ones are not suited for Soccer, as they are designed for AFL. Could very easily be modified though!!!

I'd like to see Melbourne bid for World Expo. Submiit the bid on the basis that the exposition centre would be built over the the remaining Jollimont Rail Yards.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19464294%255E2883,00.html

Boost for bid to host

From Herald Sun
Jim Wilson
14jun06

THE Socceroos' stunning opening to the World Cup was the perfect result for Australian officials in Germany lobbying to host the 2018 event.

The chief of Victoria's Major Events Company, Peter Abraam, will use the Socceroos' successful start as a clear indicator Australia has arrived on the world stage.

He and representatives from major events organisations in other states are in Germany to begin the serious process of lobbying for the 2018 Cup.

"We have said from the start that we must be united in our bidding for the cup and we want to work with the other states," Victoria's Major Events Minister, John Pandazopoulos, told the Herald Sun.

"It is vital that we show FIFA that this is not just a Melbourne or Sydney bid but the whole country is involved."

And Mr Pandazopoulos says the State Government is ready to put money on the table to help fund the bid that is expected to cost more than $10 million.

"We have money in our budget to go after events and they don't get much bigger than the World Cup," he said.

Once the bid is finalised, the biggest issue will be determining which states host which games, in particular the semi-finals and the final.

"Obviously all states will want a piece of the action but as far as the final goes, we believe Victoria and Melbourne has the best reputation to host the big events," Mr Pandazopoulos said.

The Victorian Major Events Company is also eyeing blockbuster clashes against Asian soccer heavyweights.

With Australia joining the Asian Confederation, Mr Pandazopoulos, says there is huge appeal in snaring the rights to host games between the Socceroos and Asia's prominent soccer nations.

"We will be putting our hand up for those and try and lock them in," he said. "There is also World Cup qualifiers for the next tournament."
__________________________________________________________________________

Sounds like they are serious about it. :)

^^


Well not that it was an event, but just as good had Melbourne been successful, was the failed Super 14's Rugby Union bid. Melbourne lost out to Perth.

Would have been good to have a Super 14s team based out of Melbourne.

I just thought I post this, It really tickled me:

Tourism swipe leaves Melbourne cold
Kathleen Cuthbertson
23jun06

VICTORIA has lashed out at a Gold Coast tourism official for telling an international audience Melbourne was too cold.

Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos said comments by Gold Coast Tourism CEO Pavan Bhatia were poor form.

Mr Bhatia's comments were made at the Australian Tourism Exchange, a travel trade show being held in Adelaide where tourism bodies from around the nation pitch to international wholesalers.

He said there were more things to do on the Gold Coast than in Sydney or Melbourne.

"People see a coathanger bridge and that funny-looking Opera House and that's about it in Sydney," he said.

"In Melbourne it's too cold for anything . . . We are telling the Asians that this is where Aussies come for their holidays, so it must have something going for it."

Speaking from Adelaide, Mr Pandazopoulos said it was an unwritten rule that regions did not bag each other in front of overseas representatives. He described the Gold Coast as a great place for theme parks.

"The view of it over here is that the Gold Coast is under a bit of pressure from a tourism point of view and there's nothing like trying to haggle everyone else just to get some media attention."

He said Melbourne offered a different style of holiday to the Gold Coast.

"We don't have those man-made theme parks, our tourism is much more experiential, it's about the lifestyle of the city.

"All of the big cultured cities of the world, New York, Paris, London, people don't go there for the weather."

--------------------------------------------------

Poor Sydney....it had better pull its finger out and start building something worthy of tourism other than the Bridge and Opera House if its to ever to compete with the rich diversity and depth of the GC :nuts:

And as for Melbourne, well it appears we were never in with a chance due to our Siberia-esque climate, someone had better get on the bell to San Francisco and Barcelona and tell them to shut up shop. (They have more or less the same temp averages as Melbourne)

bla bla fucking bla, who cares? go fight it out with the other insecure tossers elsewhere for fuck's sake, we don't need that kind of shit-flicking in here. :|

^^ What the hell....grow up. You really are a small, angry little person sometimes....

uh-huh. "Melbourne's Events & Celebrations" has OH SO MUCH to do with discussing wowism's 'irks's about what other people think or say about Melbourne.

again, there are forums available for you to bait your aforementioned insecure brethren, this isn't one of them.

get a sense of humour. If i was trying to bait people why would i have posted it here?

Well since this is a thread about Melbourne events, thought I would post this news article here.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19587743%255E2902,00.html

Prepare for Latin invasion
Michael Warner
26jun06

MELBOURNE has snared another ballroom bonanza (following the success of the World Ten Championships in 2004).

Vodafone Arena will host the 2008 World Latin Dance Championships. Victoria's Major Events Company outbid Russia, Hungary and Slovenia for the rights to the competition. The kings and queens of the cha cha and samba from 65 countries will compete in the week-long December championships to be broadcast into 120 million homes.

Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos said the event would generate about $15 million for the state's economy.

"We've been aggressively pursuing international dance events and this is the biggest," he said.

"Dancing is growing in this country. It's a great way to show our broader culture -- that sport is more than just car racing, tennis and horses."

The 2008 championships will attract an estimated 20,000 spectators -- about half from overseas and interstate.

some of your best work mick........

ha ha private joke..

Double Post, delete please!!!!!

Prepare for Latin invasion
Michael Warner
26jun06


The 2008 championships will attract an estimated 20,000 spectators -- about half from overseas and interstate.

Some of your best work Mick.....

there'll be alot of rico suave's and suavo monavo's shimmying down the street hey favs?

Swarvo Minarvo is a good mate of mine.

Are you back yet???? oh no it says hamburglar...........

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,19847601-661,00.html

Grand prix, swim titles for March

July 20, 2006 12:00am

ONLY in Melbourne would a clash of huge sporting events be seen as a major coup. The world's fastest racing car drivers and swimmers could hit town at the same time in 2007.

The Formula One Grand Prix and the FINA World Swimming Championships are likely to run side by side in March.

Albert Park is poised to reclaim the first race of the F1 season after being forced to forfeit the prized event this year to make way for the Commonwealth Games.

The high-octane action is likely to scream around the lakeside circuit from March 16-18, while the world's best swimmers do battle just a few kilometres away.

The FINA World Swimming Championships, held at Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, will run from March 17 to April 1.

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the F1 international governing body, is expected to confirm the Grand Prix dates by the end of the week.

GP chairman Ron Walker yesterday said the timing had been narrowed down to three weekends.

"I've just been in Paris at the FIA meeting and it wasn't decided as of midnight last night," Mr Walker said.

"It could be March 2-4, 8-11 or 16-18."

Tourism and Major Events Minister John Pandazopoulos said Melbourne was ready and waiting for another massive sporting party.

"If it's at the same time as the World Swimming Championships, I think we've got a very good selling proposition for both F1 and swimming fans about staying a bit longer or coming a bit earlier," Mr Pandazopoulos said.

"We're the only city in the world that can probably do these back-to-back events -- and we do it well.

"Most other cities around the world would panic about it, but we don't."

The World Swimming championships will begin with synchronised swimming at Rod Laver Arena, to coincide with F1 qualifying at Albert Park.

Open-water swimming at St Kilda beach, diving at MSAC and more synchronised swimming would clash with the race on March 18.

The Australian Formula One Grand Prix started just four days after the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony this year. It was the first time since the event shifted to Melbourne in 1996 that it had not been the first of the season.

"Our objective has always been to be the first F1 event," Mr Pandazopoulos said.

"It's the one that gets the most attention.

"We had to go in and bat hard to get it back.

"Ron Walker and his GP team have spent a bit of time with (F1 supremo Bernie) Ecclestone and the FIA people on that, and we've made a solid bid as to why it should start here.

"We've got the runs on the board. We're consistently the best attended F1 event in the world."

The Government will notify FINA, which has the scope to change its event schedule, once the F1 dates are confirmed.

"I don't think they'll conflict too much with each other but obviously we'll give FINA the opportunity to look at their schedule," Mr Pandazopoulos said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19844701-1243,00.html

Drinkers tap into boutique beers

July 19, 2006

PROOF of Australia's evolving taste for beer is being provided at the Victorian microbreweries showcase, which opened in Melbourne this evening.

More than 15 boutique beer-makers and microbreweries are represented at the event, held in Federation Square, from 4pm to 8pm today and tomorrow.
Brewer Ben Kraus, who started his Bridge Road Brewers at Beechworth just over a year ago, is representative of many of the stallholders at the showcase.

"It used to be just white wine or red wine," Mr Kraus said.

"People are now looking more closely at their beer and they're wanting perhaps not to drink so much and enjoy a bit more of what they're tasting."

Mr Kraus, aged 27, said independent bottle shops and pubs were becoming increasingly interested in selling niche and boutique beers to have a point of difference from mainstream outlets.

He said Australian drinkers were lapping up the changes in the beer market.

"There's quite a quick learning curve about beer," he said.

"Every time we have an event like this, the guy that was only tasting his first boutique beer six months ago now knows exactly what style he's after."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19840977-1243,00.html

Site for Jamie Oliver eatery

July 19, 2006

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver has an Australian kitchen to work in after securing a location for his Melbourne-based eatery Fifteen.

The 115 Collins Street position is in the heart of the central business district and will be officially opened by Oliver later this year.

The British television personality will hit Australian shores in September to anchor Network Ten series Jamie's Kitchen Australia.

Cameras are already rolling for the series, beginning with the hiring of trainees, aged 16-24, to work in the fourth Fifteen restaurant to be launched around the world.

The concept behind the restaurant is to train disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry and become qualified chefs.

Fifteen London was opened by Oliver in 2002, with the experience extending around the globe to Fifteen Amsterdam in 2004 and Fifteen Cornwall in May this year.

Fifteen Melbourne will officially take over the basement location of well-known Melbourne eatery MO MO from early August.

I'm not sure what sort of tourist bounce the FINA swimming championships will bring. I went to Perth for the 1998 championships and enjoyed them thoroughly, but the city wasn't over run by tourists. It was supported mainly by locals. Don't get me wrong, they are a great event for Melbourne, but they have a limited pulling power in terms of interstate or overseas guests.

The Shopping Festival will be a great innovation.

I hope it gets a similar response to the Great Singapore Shopping Sale that is held every year at this time and is very successfull.

The main thing is for the majority of businesses in the CBD get right behind this positve promotion and dont leave it all to the MCC and State Government.

What is the shopping festival? Never heard of it...

Its a proposed festival, that's why you haven't heard of it.

What is the shopping festival? Never heard of it...


IS THERE a theoretical limit to the number of major events that Melbourne can stage? Is there a point at which the "calendar full" sign goes up?

Apparently not, according to the city's rulers. Not content with Melbourne being the self-proclaimed shopping capital and major events capital of Australia, the City of Melbourne and the State Government have proposed combining them into another giant event — an annual shopping festival.

The week-long event will be announced today under a $20 million City of Melbourne and State Government initiative to boost the city's retail appeal.

Melbourne City Council wants to launch the first shopping festival by 2008. But finding a suitable spot in the crammed events calendar could prove its biggest challenge.

"We will take into consideration the city's entire events calendar and determine the most appropriate time," Melbourne Lord Mayor John So said yesterday.

The Victorian Major Events Company and many city shops have also backed the plan, which would be modelled on successful shopping festivals in cities such as Dubai.

Cr So said Dubai's month-long shopfest included events, prizes, fireworks displays and live shows, and attracted more than 3 million tourists.

The Melbourne festival would be aimed at visitors from regional Victoria, interstate and overseas. According to Tourism Victoria, about 30 per cent of Melbourne's retail spending comes from tourists.

Backed by the State Government, the council developed a retail strategy this year to step up its fight against ever-expanding suburban shopping centres such as Chadstone. Small Business Minister Andre Haermeyer said that by 2012 Melbourne should be positioned overseas as Australia's leading retail city. The city's annual retail turnover was already $2.38 billion, he said.

Steve Ogden-Barnes, from Monash University's centre of retail studies, said a shopping festival made commercial sense.

"It is imperative that the retail element of the CBD competes with its suburban relatives. And events marketing, which doesn't necessarily rely on price promotion, is a good idea … it has more long-term financial benefits."

But RMIT associate professor Kim Humphery, who has studied consumer culture, disagreed. "I think as a society we are both drawn in and repelled by (consumerism).

"All of us get some satisfaction from shopping and it is fine to get some pleasure from it," he said. "But we tend to live in a society that says there are no boundaries around it. We might think of a more creative or imaginative strategy for bringing people into city."

Special "retail ambassadors" will also take to the city's streets by Christmas, Cr So said, to give residents and visitors "tips to enhance their shopping experience".

Emma Goodsir, director of independent jewellery gallery e.g.etal, said the strategy was a good move. "We need help to promote Melbourne's individual character," she said.

Thanks Jordan, I just did a search and was about to post that article... sounds interesting ;)

MG2

^^ MELBOURNE, EVENTS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!! :) :cool: :nocrook:

shopping festival? sounds trivial and silly. Gimme indy cars, NBA basketball, or even an exhibnition gridiron match featuring real US teams in Melbourne. (on top of winning the World Cup)

Not "trivial" as you say. These type of events bring in Billions of dollars to the cities that already have them.
Melbourne is famous for its shopping so why not build on that?
We already have about as many sporting events as the city can handle so lets try something different that will involve women a lot more as well.

shopping festival? sounds trivial and silly. Gimme indy cars, NBA basketball, or even an exhibnition gridiron match featuring real US teams in Melbourne. (on top of winning the World Cup)

Patience vytux, patience. We're getting around to that. These things take time.

Not "trivial" as you say. These type of events bring in Billions of dollars to the cities that already have them.
Melbourne is famous for its shopping so why not build on that?
We already have about as many sporting events as the city can handle so lets try something different that will involve women a lot more as well.
Well said. Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia. We don't need to prove that. We are all the fashion capital of Australia and we need to markert that harder to overseas visitors. This Shopping Event will be great if all the inner city shopping strips are included (Brunswick St, Lygon St, Smith St, Victoria St, Bridge Rd, Swan St, Chapel St, Toorak Rd, Greville St, Acland St, Fitzroy St, Clarendon St and Bay St).

MIFF One of our oldest "events" but still one of the best!

And a great chance to see our magnificent "picture palaces" The Regent,Capitol and Forum being used to screen films which is what they were oringinally designed for.

Let the reels roll
July 24, 2006


Melbourne has again attracted a top selection of international offerings to its film festival, which is now a key fixture on the world circuit, writes Robin Usher.

Festivals are big business, and a key ingredient to their success is the promotion of international stars to the general public to promote goodwill and help boost ticket sales. But the Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia's oldest and biggest, broke this golden rule by keeping secret the presence of one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Willem Dafoe.

"There was a sense of informality to his visit and we decided not to blow it out of proportion," says the festival's director, James Hewison. "He stood in line at the box office and went to screenings without being hassled by anyone.

"It might be a unique Melbourne characteristic that his privacy was respected. Certainly, it was one of the festival's best-kept secrets."

Hewison, who's overseeing his sixth and final event, is widely hailed for the marketing ability he brought to the position. But his decision offers an insight into his other skills, including diplomacy and tact, that have helped ensure the festival's continued growth in size and reputation.

Dafoe was accompanying the Italian filmmaker Giada Colagrande, who was a festival guest with her first movie, Open My Heart. She had asked if she could bring her boyfriend.

"We said fine, as long as he paid his way. When we found out that it was Dafoe, we decided to keep the focus on Giada, and we told our public relations people to keep the secret."

Another reason the secret was respected by the public is the festival's status as Australia's premier film event, which routinely attracts international guests. It sells about 180,000 tickets a year, which Hewison says makes it one of the world's largest public festivals.

"The proximity of venues in the CBD is a critical ingredient to the festival spirit. No other festival in the world on the same scale that I've visited can match what we have here."

Hewison took Dafoe and Colagrande, who have since married, to dinner at one of Melbourne's emblematic inner-city restaurants, Yu-u, entered through an unmarked door in Flinders Lane.

"They loved it, because it's so classically Melbourne. People shouldn't underestimate what we have in the city. Its appeal is apparent to New Yorkers like Willem."

After this year's event, Hewison will become chief executive of the Australian Film Institute, overseeing its annual awards in December, which will be broadcast on Channel Nine.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20056551-1243,00.html

Phillip Island gets grand-prix deal
August 08, 2006 11:07am

VICTORIA has secured the annual Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island for the next five years.

Premier Steve Bracks said the annual race was a boost to tourism and jobs.

"It is a significant regional event which attracts international attention," Mr Bracks told Southern Cross Radio.

But he refused to disclose how much the event would cost the state coffers.

The Government imposes a $60-million cap each on main events, including the Formula 1 and motorcycle grand prix races and other sporting events such as swimming.

Mr Bracks said the Government was paying a similar amount for the right to continue hosting the event until 2011 as it had done in previous years.

"It's pretty good value and we're very happy with it," he said.

Victoria had competed against Dubai and South American bidders for the right to host a motorcycle grand prix in which Australian riders have been key competitors over many years.

"They're always trying to pinch major events and it's important that we're there securing these to make sure we can get good economic value out of these each year."

Good work Bracks and co!

There was an article in the Herald Sun today which states that Melbourne will hold 3 Spring fashion festivals all at the same time in September. There was noting on Herald Sun online, the article below was the best I could do.

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/objectid.298C20D3-7359-4577-95BA96C3CE60E7CF/vvt.vhtml

Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2006

Event
4 - 10 Sep 2006

Address
Melbourne Town Hall
90 Swanston St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone 03 9658 9658
Fax 03 9654 4854
Email enquiries@melbourne.vic.gov.au
Web http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au

Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MMSFW) will burst onto the streets of Melbourne in September with the very latest looks for spring/summer. A week long celebration of all things fashion, MMSFW is guaranteed to have you in fashion frenzy with more than 100 events to choose from including runway shows, panel discussions, workshops, designer breakfasts, luncheons, exhibitions and parties.

During the day, the city streets and laneways will buzzing with style as some of Melbourne's best fashion labels and retailers launch their spring/summer collections in-store with a myriad of celebratory events. Head to Melbourne's retail precincts, GPO Melbourne, QV, Melbourne Central, Collins Street, Bourke St Mall, Flinders Lane and Little Collins Street; check out the latest trends at Myer Melbourne or David Jones; take-in the splendour of some of Melbourne's iconic retail arcades or spend the day taking in fashionable exhibitions at exclusive city venues.

As dusk descends upon the city, MMSFW kicks into top gear. Head to the Fashion Incubator for some truly hot, emerging designs or take front row seats at the breathtaking Official MMSFW Evening Parades at the magnificent Melbourne Town Hall.

Official Evening Parades showcase some of Australia's hottest designers in slick and dramatic European inspired catwalk shows - it's a must for those seeking inspiration for the spring/summer and for the Spring Racing Carnival. Ticketing information will be available on our website in August 2006... but be quick as tickets will sell out!

The full program of events for Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2006 can be found at www.thatsmelbourne.com.au from August 2006. If you'd like to receive the MMSFW e-newsletter filled with fashion tips, what's hot, designer info, giveaways and more, email your details to mmsfw@melbourne.vic.gov.au and we'll sign you up!

Presented by the City of Melbourne.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MebournePark1.jpg

The Australian Open will be starting soon.
Above, postcard of Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open and below, another image from Travel Victoria.
Bring it on!:)

http://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/regions/melbourne/city/49.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/MebournePark1.jpg

The Australian Open will be starting soon.
Above, postcard of Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open and below, another image from Travel Victoria.
Bring it on!:)

http://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/regions/melbourne/city/49.jpg

Yep a great two weeks to be in Melbourne .The complex is a tribute to ex premier John Cain's foresight same as the MCG towers which he pushed through despite massive opposition from the rouge building unions at the time.

Yep a great two weeks to be in Melbourne .The complex is a tribute to ex premier John Cain's foresight same as the MCG towers which he pushed through despite massive opposition from the rouge building unions at the time.

Why were the building unions red at the time? Maybe the sunsmart campaign hadn't quite kicked in in the mid 80s.

They were very Red at the time, heavy communist influence. Thank god those days are gone. We now seem to have turned full circle unfortunately, which means the whole cycle will turn and turn again. Not this week, but in time there will be the same old battles over and over again. People don't want to work for peanuts and only so much room in jails.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21145021-2862,00.html

31 days that will shake Melbourne
Ian Royall
January 31, 2007 12:00am

MELBOURNE will confirm its reputation as the major events capital in March with a bonanza of cultural, sporting and community carnivals.

Up to 20 topline events will hit the city, bringing in hundreds of millions of tourism dollars and putting the city in the global spotlight.

Headline events include the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the FINA World Swimming Championships, the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Food and Wine Festival.

The month will end with Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, and the start of the AFL season.

And just out of town will be the world superbikes meeting at Phillip Island and the biennial International Airshow at Avalon airport.

The Commonwealth Games was the big sporting attraction last year, but the world swimming titles at Rod Laver Arena will be this year's big "one-off " crowd-pleaser.

And like the Games, a free cultural festival will be held in Federation Square and Birrarung Marr in conjunction with the championships.

Tourism Victoria figures estimate the economic impact of five big events alone -- the Grand Prix, the Airshow, the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Show and the swimming titles -- would generate about an extra $350 million for the state.

Acting Lord Mayor Gary Singer said Melbourne already had a solid reputation as the events capital of Australia.

"Within one week alone, the city will host a world swimming championships, the Grand Prix, a classic musical, a world-class cultural festival and more," Cr Singer said.

Australian Hotels Association's Victorian chief executive Brian Kearney said March gave accommodation and hotel operators a major fillip.

The only thing holding the city back was the lack of direct international flights into Melbourne, Mr Kearney said.

Victorian Major Events Company chief executive Peter Abraam said March would be an outstanding month for Melbourne and Victoria.

"Where else in the world can host such a huge variety of events with such professionalism and support from great audiences?" Mr Abraam said.

Austrian Airlines will be leaving in March so that will make things even more difficult for people to get here.

FFS, SHUT UP.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Lifeandhealth/Pix/pictures/2006/09/28/999JustinSullivangetty.jpg

kids these days. :|

Nice doggie! :nono:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21145021-2862,00.html

31 days that will shake Melbourne
Ian Royall
January 31, 2007 12:00am

MELBOURNE will confirm its reputation as the major events capital in March with a bonanza of cultural, sporting and community carnivals.

Up to 20 topline events will hit the city, bringing in hundreds of millions of tourism dollars and putting the city in the global spotlight.

Headline events include the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the FINA World Swimming Championships, the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Food and Wine Festival.

The month will end with Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, and the start of the AFL season.

And just out of town will be the world superbikes meeting at Phillip Island and the biennial International Airshow at Avalon airport.

The Commonwealth Games was the big sporting attraction last year, but the world swimming titles at Rod Laver Arena will be this year's big "one-off " crowd-pleaser.

And like the Games, a free cultural festival will be held in Federation Square and Birrarung Marr in conjunction with the championships.

Tourism Victoria figures estimate the economic impact of five big events alone -- the Grand Prix, the Airshow, the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Show and the swimming titles -- would generate about an extra $350 million for the state.

Acting Lord Mayor Gary Singer said Melbourne already had a solid reputation as the events capital of Australia.

"Within one week alone, the city will host a world swimming championships, the Grand Prix, a classic musical, a world-class cultural festival and more," Cr Singer said.

Australian Hotels Association's Victorian chief executive Brian Kearney said March gave accommodation and hotel operators a major fillip.

The only thing holding the city back was the lack of direct international flights into Melbourne, Mr Kearney said.

Victorian Major Events Company chief executive Peter Abraam said March would be an outstanding month for Melbourne and Victoria.

"Where else in the world can host such a huge variety of events with such professionalism and support from great audiences?" Mr Abraam said.

Very true!

Street scenes during the Melbourne 1956 Olympic games

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlympicScenes1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlympicScenes2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/OlympicScenes3.jpg

Stamps released in 2006 to commemorate fifty years on.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/Stamps7.jpg

here is an event that Melbourne Special Events committee let slip through their fingers..yet maybe there is a cryptic message here....at the top of the pic..they knew global warming was on the way..this area is now at least 10 metres underwater...circa 1909....but then allowing for the drought..hey it's about the same as now!!!! http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1121/m250mediumtn6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ The Henley-on-The Yarra morphed into Moomba.
The first Henley-on-The Yarra Regatta was held on 19 March 1904.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Yarra3.jpg

http://www.theage.com.au/news/motorsport/fans-go-full-throttle-to-see-stoner-ride-like-a-twowheel-champion/2007/08/16/1186857681825.html

From The Age

Fans go full throttle to see Stoner ride like a two-wheel champion
Dan Silkstone
August 17, 2007

CALL it the Stoner effect: Melbourne is hungry for motorcycle racing. Extra grandstands and extended VIP areas will be built at the Phillip Island race track to cater for increased demand at this year's motorcycle grand prix as the performances of Australia's Casey Stoner create soaring interest in the sport.

Organisers of the MotoGP events have been forced to increase grandstand capacity after selling out all seated tickets. With almost two months still to go before the October race, grandstand ticket sales are up 153 per cent from last year and have already outstripped the total number sold last year.

The ticket rush comes after Stoner, the 21-year-old Gold Coast native, has dominated the sport this year — relegating Italian superstar Valentino Rossi to second position and racing to a commanding lead in the overall championship. Stoner, who began riding a motorcycle at the age of three and won his first national championship just three years later, has collected six victories and two more podium finishes for his Ducati team from 11 races this year.

Adding to the local hype, Suzuki rider and fellow Queenslander Chris Vermeulen has been a regular on the podium and is fourth in the world championship standings.

For the past five years, Rossi has been the high-profile marketing face of the Phillip Island event but this year promotional materials have instead featured the two Australians. Television ratings also tell the story of a sport that is enjoying something of a Stoner-led renaissance. Broadcaster Fox Sports says ratings for the MotoGP races are up more than 7 per cent on last year.

Because of the increased interest, all four temporary grandstands at the island circuit will be expanded, increasing the number of grandstand seats by almost 40 per cent. Sales of VIP and corporate tickets have also already exceeded the total sales from last year and a new VIP area — to be called The Red Line — will be built to house the extra patrons. The facility will offer corporate dining and an outdoor seating area, television screens to watch the racing as well as free parking.

General admission tickets still account for the bulk of the attendance and growth there has also been astounding, according to race organisers. Sales are up 171 per cent on the same time last year. Most general admission tickets are sold in the days leading up to the race and it is possible that the fans are merely getting in earlier this year. But race organisers say they are expecting a monster crowd.

Last year, the three-day event drew 93,531 people, a substantial increase on 2005. The highest attendance since the race returned to Victoria 10 years ago was in 1998 when there were 103,700 spectators present.

"There's no doubt that the performance of Stoner and Vermeulen is having a big impact on ticket sales for this year's race," said Drew Ward, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

"With Casey leading the world championship and Chris in fourth place, we're seeing the emergence of another golden era in Australian motorcycling and this is translating into strong interest from people across the country. Not since the glory days of (Michael) Doohan and (Wayne) Gardner has there been so much hype around the Australian Grand Prix."

The job for Chief of Events etc is also up for grab -- $400K a year... anyone?

Me!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

What fine events would you bring to the city, the bi-monthly skyscraper race? See how quick developers can construct extra buildings? Or perhaps the worlds longest egg and spoon race :p

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbourne-may-be-in-bid-for-2018-world-cup/2007/08/30/1188067278012.html

From The Age

Melbourne may be in bid for 2018 World Cup
Ben Schneiders
August 31, 2007

MELBOURNE is playing a key role in a possible bid for the soccer World Cup in 2018, the departing chief of the Victorian Major Events Company said.

Peter Abraam, who leaves the job today after eight years, revealed there had been recent discussions between Major Events and Football Federation Australia about working together on a bid.

The Australia and Argentina soccer international next month would be a great opportunity to show off Melbourne's wares, with FIFA senior vice-president Julio Grondona attending, he said. "It's the event we've not had, it's the event that Australia needs to have, it's the event that I ultimately have always pined for," Mr Abraam said.

While previous talk of a bid for the World Cup has come to nothing Mr Abraam thinks the time is now right, helped by the success of the Socceroos at last year's competition in Germany.

"It is absolutely realistic that Australia can put it on," he said. Mr Abraam said a bid needed co-operation between state and federal governments and other bodies to be successful.

He said the Grand Prix should be looked at closely when its contract expired in 2010 but he thought it was important to keep it.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/how-melbourne-missed-out-on-a-load-of-old-bull/2007/08/30/1188067276936.html

From The Age

How Melbourne missed out on a load of old bull
Ben Schneiders
August 31, 2007

AS A SPEAR was plunged into a bull in Madrid a few years ago, the lingering hopes that bullfighting would be held at the MCG died, too.

Despite its elegance and pageantry, bullfighting was just not for Melbourne's tastes or its major events calendar.

"Obviously bullfights after some time are about weakening the bull," explains Peter Abraam, departing chief executive of the Victorian Major Events Company. "And so the spear starts going into the top of the bull and the swords going in and I could see Ron's face: 'This is not as good as I thought this was going to be'."

The reaction in 2003 of Ron Walker, then recently retired from the Major Events chairmanship, killed Walker's long interest in bringing the event here.

"It was a realisation that bullfighting may not work as well in Melbourne (as it did in Spain)," Abraam says.

While Abraam did not bring the bulls to Melbourne in his eight years as chief executive, he did bring the Winter Masterpieces, this year's FINA swimming championships and a string of other cultural and sporting events.

He also secured the Presidents Cup golf for 2011, making Melbourne the only city outside the US to host it twice.

In recent years the calendar of major events has broadened to include more cultural events, of which Abraam is especially proud. Some say the calendar is now too packed, and that the strategy built over more than 15 years is losing its coherence with too many "second string" events.

Opposition spokeswoman Louise Asher says: "The theory of getting major events was not to entertain Melburnians; the economic rationale behind major events was to get interstate and overseas visitors and to brand Melbourne."

Asher supports the idea of major events — she was a tourism minister in the Kennett government — and blames the Government for allowing costs to blow out at the grand prix and for not being hard headed enough about the strategy.

She points to autumn this year, when Melbourne seemed to have more major events than it could fit in.

Others have been critical, too. The Auditor-General recently found that costs at the state's marquee event, the grand prix, outweighed the economic benefits.

But while Asher is critical of the Government, she is unstinting in her praise of Abraam: "He's personally done very well," she says. "The issue is not Peter, the issue is government direction."

Others to praise Abraam include Sir Rod Eddington, former premier Steve Bracks, and Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding.

"Peter Abraam has made an outstanding contribution to major events in this state and we wish him well," Holding says.

Abraam, 46, leaves his job today after eight years in the role. He will move to Abu Dhabi to work with a property, finance and media conglomerate.

"The product I've always worked on is Melbourne," he says, pointing to his roles managing event planning with the grand prix and as a Melbourne City Council urban designer.

After years of travel it was time for a change and a chance to use some other skills, he says, but he expects to keep an interest in the events industry.

While at Major Events, he has seen its strategy evolve under three chairmen — Walker, Steve Vizard and now Sir Rod.

Abraam thinks critics of major events miss the point. "We say the major events calendar is to us what the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are to Sydney," he says.

They should start working on a Olympics bid at some stage!

Glad we didn't get the bullfighting down here...

They should start working on a Olympics bid at some stage!

We've already had 1956, lost the bid for 1996 and Sydney had it in 2000, so maybe it could be another city's turn.

Brisbane today would be around the same population as Melbourne in 1956. :D

http://business.theage.com.au/sydney-wakes-up-to-a-lack-of-events/20080403-23j9.html

From The Age

Sydney wakes up to a lack of events
Wayne Kayler-Thomson
April 4, 2008

MUCH has been made of late of the possibility of Melbourne outstripping Sydney in population and becoming Australia's largest city by 2028.

Melbourne has taken an increased share of overseas immigrants in recent years at the expense of Sydney and, at the same time, its CBD has added more jobs.

Sydney's leaders now realise they have to "catch up". The City of Sydney this week released a 2030 vision, called Sustainable Sydney 2030, which acknowledged the importance of the events industry.

This follows Sydney setting up its own Major Events Corporation after the success of Melbourne in attracting tourists, investment and jobs via its major events calendar.

The stirring of the sleeping giant that is Sydney brings into sharp focus what needs to occur for Melbourne to retain its pre-eminent position in terms of events.

Melbourne is already well on the way to creating Australia's largest convention centre on the banks of the Yarra. But the adjacent Melbourne Exhibition Centre, otherwise known as Jeff's Shed, is operating at full capacity during peak times.

It is estimated that the new Melbourne Convention Centre, due to open next year, will draw more conferences to Melbourne and result in a 20% increase in demand for exhibition space, which the Melbourne Exhibition Centre will not be able to accommodate.

Even now, the Melbourne Exhibition Centre struggles to accommodate events such as the motor show, which is facing demands for consolidation by some luxury car makers that do not wish to participate in both the Melbourne and Sydney motor shows every year.

The Melbourne Exhibition Centre needs to be expanded to meet current and future demand for exhibition space, and attract and retain major state, national and international events.

Support for business events, including exhibitions, is vital to the growth of the tourism and events industry, as well as the broader state economy.
Business events attract 5.4 million delegates a year and support 22,600 jobs.

Adding 18,000 square metres to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre would require an investment of upwards of $180 million, depending on the scope of works required, producing an ongoing additional economic benefit of $150 million a year. The proposed extension will give Melbourne a 78% capacity advantage over the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour and give Victoria a 10-year competitive advantage over competing capital cities in attracting business events.

The extension has been allowed for within the current construction of the new adjoining convention centre.

The result for Victoria, if this extension is speeded up to coincide with the building of the convention centre, will be a world-class conference and exhibition precinct that will put Victoria ahead of all Australian capital city venues and deliver economic and community benefits.

Wayne Kayler-Thomson is chief executive of Victoria Events Industry Council

But aren't Sydney getting a new Convention Centre as well?..

Just get on with it!The land has already been set aside for expansion for a long time.
The Melbourne Convention Centre will be open well before the Sydney one is even started.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5407/picture6em7.png

I love this proposal...

Edward: Reminds me a bit of Mums old venetian blinds but as long as the Exhibition Centre is expanded? This design could still be built if it was cranked further toward the freeway...The Convention Centre now exists on parts of this render proposal. Not sure if they would go for such an 'Architectural' design as any extension would be hidden behind the Convention Centre but would still be seen from the West Gate Fwy/City Link. Maybe they could just extend present design, using the same plans, would only have to redesign the angled join between the two sections. That's probably too simplistic....

if the african safari park open in 2010 melb should try and secure a big event to coinside with the opening so there will be a HUGE ot just big opening celebration for it. also if there is lots of international tourists early on it will get instant word of mouth on how mad it is!!! just a thought!!

if the african safari park open in 2010 melb should try and secure a big event to coinside with the opening so there will be a HUGE ot just big opening celebration for it. also if there is lots of international tourists early on it will get instant word of mouth on how mad it is!!! just a thought!!

YES!!!1! People will just flock to Melbourne for a theme park. Itz gonna b MAD i tellz u. Internationminal Tourists!1!! Like, I've got a lot of African friends who are just dying to fly to Melbourne to come to our African Safari Park.

YES!!!1! People will just flock to Melbourne for a theme park. Itz gonna b MAD i tellz u. Internationminal Tourists!1!! Like, I've got a lot of African friends who are just dying to fly to Melbourne to come to our African Safari Park.

My goodness you have the intellect of a cow......and your name is Cowface (right choice of name).

yo

YES!!!1! People will just flock to Melbourne for a theme park. Itz gonna b MAD i tellz u. Internationminal Tourists!1!! Like, I've got a lot of African friends who are just dying to fly to Melbourne to come to our African Safari Park.

cowface... ur a fuckwad... cant you just welcome some new ideas and developments... y do u need to shoot everything down??? just hating life in general are we??? i bet if you had friends to go to the safari park with you wouldnt hate it... an i right???? am i right??? yes, i think so!!!

cowface... ur a fuckwad... cant you just welcome some new ideas and developments...

I do welcome new ideas and developments. Just not ones from shonky developers who want to rip taxpayers off and spoil our city with tacky shit. Why do you think I'm on this site if I hate everything so much?

I do welcome new ideas and developments. Just not ones from shonky developers who want to rip taxpayers off and spoil our city with tacky shit. Why do you think I'm on this site if I hate everything so much?

Village is hardly a "shonky" developer....
As far as "tacky" shit ruining our city, that comes across as a bit pretentious don't you think? Even Paris has a Disney Land ffs. It's hardly being built in the middle of the CBD... Should all forms of recreation that don't involve museums, art galleries and indy films be prohibited now?

yes...

BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND!

I do welcome new ideas and developments. Just not ones from shonky developers who want to rip taxpayers off and spoil our city with tacky shit. Why do you think I'm on this site if I hate everything so much?

its hardly gonna rip off taxpayers, in the long run it will bring more tourists to the state, more people spending $$$ at vic businesses, thats a big rip off!! how dare the govt try help out with something that will showcase our state!!! the nerve of them!!!

and as for you thinking you DO welcome new developments, name one, everything i see from you is negative, its a shit idea, its a shit design, its in a shit location, everything is shit!! go comb ur emo fringe and get back to cutting ur wrists and keep ur negative shit out of cool forums like this!!!


and yes, based on ur constant negativity i picture u as an emo...:lol:

The Japanese will probably go 'Ape' over it - pun only slightly intended. Africa is full of American, Australian and European Tourist (trust me I know) but barely an Asian tourist in sight in Africa. If this place is marketed as well as the Penguins are in Japan it will go off. I think Africa is a bit too much of an adventure to attract a lot of Japanese tourists - they like to take things a bit more comfortable and convenient. I have home hosted over 50 Japanese students since 2001 and trust me, they all know about and flock to the penguins. I can imagine they would really take to seeing African wildlife when here. I'm not saying NO Japanese tourist go to Africa but I assure you it's a very small number when compared to the other nations that do.

its hardly gonna rip off taxpayers, in the long run it will bring more tourists to the state, more people spending $$$ at vic businesses, thats a big rip off!!

As I have said in the other thread where it's more appropriate to discuss this, the Grand Prix was also to bring everything to the state. Jobs, tourists, spending, blah blah. Maybe I am cynical, but I think you're just gullible.

and as for you thinking you DO welcome new developments, name one, everything i see from you is negative, its a shit idea, its a shit design, its in a shit location, everything is shit!!

Carlton Brewery. Childrens Hospital. ANZ Docklands.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/alure-outs-stayhome-gamers/2008/04/09/1207420486408.html

From The Age

A-Lure 'outs' stay-home gamers
Dan Rule
April 10, 2008

Take a look around you in the CBD this week - you might just have stumbled into a computer game.

IT'S gaming, but not as we know it. For a start, it's happening on the streets of Melbourne rather than in a suburban loungeroom. It also demands that its players get up and move around, a whole lot more even than Wii does. Above all, it aims to get its players engaging with other people. The real sort, not digital characters.

It's called A-Lure and it's running in and around the CBD until April 20.

"There's no violence, no competition and no one wins anything, but everyone gains by playing," says Maria Filippow, artistic director of the publicly funded project. "The other people playing the game aren't even your opponents; they're your colleagues."

A-Lure consists of public artworks, interactive sound-and-video installations and video games. The works have been designed and created by the young people who frequent the Richmond studio of Filippow's arts company, Visionary Images.

Up to 4000 players can take part in the project. After registering at the A-Lure website (www.a-lure.org), they will be invited to navigate the game's six different city sites with SMS clues and directions, communicating and sharing ideas with other players in the process. Whether it's SMS-ing your own definition of generosity — which will then be projected high and bright onto the IOOF tower on Collins Street — practising your dance steps in an interactive video installation in Eckersley's Open Space gallery, or making positive lifestyle choices using a retro-style computer game at the Federation Square atrium, A-Lure has a distinctly constructive bent.

It's a variation on the cultish practice of geo-caching, in which people hunt down objects in the real world using clues and co-ordinates posted online, but with a community arts element grafted on.

"Our young people identified the fact that they're spending increasing slabs of time in front of a screen, be it a TV, a computer or a mobile phone," says Filippow, who set up her youth advocacy and arts mentoring organisation in 1999 after years working in artist-in-residence programs at youth refuges.

"They identified that (screen technology) is having a huge impact on their relationships with people and the way they communicate in the non-cyber world. A-Lure is a way of using computer games, mobile technology and the internet to communicate with people and get them out of their bedrooms."

The project also aims to address some of the "cultural lures" that young people identify as drawing them towards some less positive life choices. That aspect of the project is apparent in The Banquet (pictured), a spectacular three-metre-wide light-box artwork in Higson Lane. The piece, a photographic reinterpretation of Tiepolo's 18th century painting of the same name in the National Gallery of Victoria, replaces the original's protagonists, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, with a cast of current-day celebrity lookalikes.

According to 19-year-old Tass Tokatlidis, one of the 138 young contributors to A-Lure, the piece embodies the issue of consumption and the vacuousness of celebrity obsession. "In the original, it's a banquet that Cleopatra and Mark Antony have put on. It's all based on competition, like who can do the most decadent thing. That seems similar to celebrities today and the huge amount of media coverage of all that stuff, and it's like we're celebrating it."

In an interactive installation on Manchester Lane called Touch, players must choose whether or not to lend a virtual helping hand to a hologram depicting a stranger in need. "The original concept for the project was to create alternative lures that engender empathy and understanding and respect," Filippow explains.

A-Lure runs until April 20.

Visit www.a-lure.org for details.

Where to find your quarry

Make a choice

Federation Square Atrium

Saturdays and Thursday, 10am-9pm; Sundays and Monday-Wednesday, 10am-7pm
Generosity, 303 Collins Street (best viewed from Southbank footbridge and Southgate): Find out what people think about generosity.

IOOF Tower

A giant projection featuring participants' definitions. Send
your own and see it lit up sky-high.
Daily, 7pm to midnight.

Trace, 97 Franklin Street:

Enter a video installation that films you and the way you move through the world.

Eckersley's Open Space

Saturdays 10.30am-4pm; Sundays midday-4pm; weekdays 10.30am-6pm.
Touch: A video installation hologram, frozen behind glass, of a stranger in need. Touch the glass to help them escape.

Manchester Lane

See it daily, from 7pm to midnight.
Kululee, 253 Flinders Lane: Pick up a headset from the information desk and tune in on the FM dial. Listen to stories to keep you warm on a cold night.

City Library

Saturdays 10am-1pm; weekdays 10am-6pm.

The Banquet (off Flinders Lane):

A photographic light-box reinterpretation of Tiepelo's painting featuring a cast of celebrity lookalikes.

Higson Lane

Daily, all hours.

Myer all decked out for the Olympic Games in 1956.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Myer1.jpg

Inveresk Mansion in Jolimont with decorated PMG telecommunications tower.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/InvereskTower2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/InvereskTower3.jpg

^^ wow!

Melbourne put up some pretty crazy decorations around the the city for the Olympics.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/Lonsdale6.jpg

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces

Art Deco 1910-1939

28 June to 5 October 2008
Daily from 10am to 5pm (Wednesdays 10am to 9pm)

Art Deco 1910-1939 will come to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) from London’s famed Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). The exhibition will be the fifth at the NGV in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series.

The show is the most comprehensive exhibition ever staged on one of the most glamorous and popular of all artistic styles.Within Australia, it will only be seen at the NGV in Melbourne.

It is the first exhibition to explore Art Deco as a global phenomenon affecting cities as far apart as Paris, New York, Bombay, Shanghai and of course, Melbourne.

The exhibition will bring over 330 works to Melbourne across all fields of Art Deco, including painting, jewellery, fashion, film, architecture, cars, photography and furniture.

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/artdeco/index.html

Melbourne Day

30 August 2008 marks 173 years since the founding of Melbourne – the day the first European settlers landed on the north banks of the Yarra River aboard the schooner Enterprize.

Melbourne Day celebrates much more than just the day the city was founded. It represents the point at which the proud community of Melbourne began to form and is a day to celebrate all the elements that contribute to making Melbourne one of the world’s most liveable cities.

An array of must-see events is planned for Melbourne Day in 2008 to commemorate 173 years of settlement and celebrate how great it is to be a Melburnian!

The website:

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Whatson/MelbourneDay/Pages/MelbourneDay.aspx

Great find Collector. Interesting they dont mention Batman or Fawkner in the article.




Melbourne Day 30 August 2008 marks 173 years since the founding of Melbourne – the day the first European settlers landed on the north banks of the Yarra River aboard the schooner Enterprize. This pioneering group was led by Captain John Lancey with Launceston builder George Evans and his servant Evan Evans, carpenters William Jackson and Robert Hay Marr, ploughman Charles Wise and blacksmith James Gilbert and his wife Mary making up the party.

Heres another report.


Early history:

David Collins (1756-1810) immortalised by the naming of Collins St, sailed into Port Phillip Bay with 300 convicts in 1803 and tried unsuccessfully to establish a settlement at Sorrento (from where the famous convict Buckley escaped and managed to live with the local Aborigines for some 30 odd years until the British returned).
[
B]the settlement on the site of Melbourne was founded in 1835 after John Batman proclaimed "This is the site for a village" as he sailed past on the Yarra River. Batman traded commodities with the Wurundjeri tribe in return for 600,000 acres of land. NSW Governor Richard Bourke later declared this deal illegal, claimed it for the Crown and named it after British Prime Minister William Lamb, Lord Melbourne instead of its previous name Bearbrass village[/B].

John Pascoe Fawkner (1792-1869), a teetotaller, publican settles in Bearbrass village, building the 1st house - a hut near the Rialto. He is remembered by Fawkner Cemetery (where Batman is buried in the pioneers section), the suburb Pascoe Vale and Enterprize Park along the Yarra named after his vessel in which he sailed from Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania).
Major Mitchell travels south to Melbourne in 1836
in March 1837, the Sydney government sent Robert Hoddle, the surveyor, to stake out an eruption of civilisation by a bunch of speculative types from Van Dieman's Land who had occupied the site of Melbourne for 18 months.
the government's main concern was to raise revenue from the sale of the land and wanted thus to maximise the amount of land to sell (the proceeds of which went to Sydney) and in addition, forbade central public squares on the grounds that they encouraged "the spirit of democracy".
the grid was to follow a strict north-south grid plan in the Sydney office which was a generic design for colonial townships set out in government regulations in 1829.
Hoddle had already used this grid to plan Liverpool, Campbelltown, Goulburn and others, but in Melbourne, he recognised that it promised to become a great city and thus he rotated the north-south grid a few degrees to accommodate the Yarra River and pegged out the streets to be 99' (30m) wide rather than the standard 66' (20m). Gov. Bourke first objected to the wide streets but agreed on condition that they be interleaved with lanes - the "Little" streets, which became the bane of bullockies & Beemer drivers from that day to this.
Hoddle:
had surveyed the Moreton Bay area - the future site of Brisbane - with John Oxley
under the direction of Major Thomas Mitchell, he surveyed vast areas of virtually inpenetrable country for the landmark 1834 map of the colony.
after taking part in the 1st auction of Melbourne land in 1837, he settled in Melbourne.
The founding

Jean Nouvel will be in town next month. He'll be giving a talk @ the Capitol Theatre on Friday 10th of October.

http://www.architecture.org.au/

http://www.royalshow.com.au/

Royal Melbourne Show

18-28 September 2008

Victoria's largest public event, the Royal Melbourne Show, opens on September 18 at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Ascot Vale.

Two Edwardian postcards.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/RoyalShow1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/RoyalShow2.jpg

An early map of the show grounds.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/RoyalShowMap1.jpg

The fibreglass pie originally built in 1977, heritage-listed in 1999, has been renovated as part of the recent redevelopment of the showgrounds.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/89/257088032_8f8d77273b.jpg
Photo by Alex Pallent (http://www.flickr.com/photos/transpallent74/257088032/).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/46261800_230710f254.jpg
Photo by Scott Sandars (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssandars/46261800/).

Jean Nouvel will be in town next month. He'll be giving a talk @ the Capitol Theatre on Friday 10th of October.

http://www.architecture.org.au/

:horse: I'm going! Haw haw haw.

Hey does anyone know the details of this years random lane art stuff? I saw a floating staircase off little bourke and was wondering if there are more?

^^ Check this site out Dan.

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=75&pa=3133&pg=4115

^^ Check this site out Dan.

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=75&pa=3133&pg=4115
aha! Thanks Collector!

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/dream.jpg
The Dream Festival
3 - 6 Oct 2008

Take your imagination for a walk at The Dream Festival – a festival of art and music.

Over four days the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr will come to life with giant illuminated artworks depicting the dreams and aspirations of Australians. Created by some of Australia’s leading artists, the installations will be up to eight meters high and positioned both on and around the Yarra River. Each artwork will have its own soundtrack developed exclusively for The Dream Festival by Felix Riebl from The Cat Empire.

As well as the spectacular art, you will find two live music stages in the Alexandra Gardens on Saturday and Sunday featuring Youth Group, The Audreys, the Melbourne Ska Orchestra with Nicky Bomba, Custom Kings and more.

Activities will culminate on the Saturday night at 9pm with a celebratory music and light show on the water.

The Dream Festival is a free event.

For more information on the Dream Festival visit our website.

The Dream Festival is realised by NAB in commemoration of 150 years.

http://www.dreamfestival.com.au/index.php?id=61

I'll just have to check this out! :)

Weird festival. Lots of statues and inflatable artworks. Quite interesting though :)

I went yesterday... was quite amazing :)
Hope we get more of this sort of thing, creates such an atmosphere down there on the river, and I loved the fact the large inflatable 'sculptures' were on the river connected by a boardwalk... the whole 'dream' element was played on very well.
MG2

http://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw-in-negotiations-to-transfer-open-from-melbourne-20081010-4ydk.html

From The Age

NSW in negotiations to transfer Open from Melbourne
Cameron Houston and Jason Dowling
October 11, 2008

SYDNEY has launched a secret bid to pinch the jewel in Melbourne's major events calendar - the Australian Open.

But Melbourne also faces raids from overseas cities, with Shanghai, Dubai and Abu Dhabi all mounting campaigns to host the grand slam tennis tournament when the current contract expires in 2016.

Premier John Brumby met Tennis Australia representatives this week to discuss the future of the event, including a multi-million-dollar overhaul of Melbourne Park that will include major changes to the MCG, Brunton Avenue and Jolimont rail yards.

Events NSW chief executive Geoff Parmenter confirmed Sydney's interest in the event when contacted by The Age last night.

"The Australian Open tennis is arguably the best annual event in Australia. I think any events company in the country would be negligent if they didn't have it somewhere on their radar," he said.

While Mr Parmenter denied there had been a formal application for the event, he confirmed discussions had been held with Tennis Australia representatives about the future of the tournament beyond 2016.

"We have talked to some people down there over the last few months. Yes, we've talked to Tennis Australia about the Open," Mr Parmenter said.

Glebe Island, near Sydney's Darling Harbour and Anzac Bridge, has already been earmarked for a new multimillion- dollar stadium once stevedoring ceases there.

"The Glebe Island site is the subject of quite a bit of interest because it is pretty much the last clear piece of prime harbourside real estate left," Mr Parmenter said.

Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood confirmed negotiations with Events NSW and others.

"Yes, we acknowledge there has been interest in the Australian Open from Sydney and a number of other cities," Mr Wood said.

"We completely understand their interest in our event. The bigger and better the Australian Open in Melbourne becomes, the more attractive it becomes to other major cities around the world."

Victorian Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding was scathing of Sydney's attempt to snatch the prestige event.

"For too long Sydney has rested on the laurels of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge to market itself internationally," Mr Holding said. "Incredibly, it was the first city to see a decline in tourism numbers after hosting the Olympic Games.

"They have finally decided to copy Melbourne and try to host major international events. However, like much of Sydney, they are all fizz but no action."

He said the recent bid by NSW to snare the Australian Grand Prix had been a dismal failure.

"Actions speak louder than words. Sydney's last attempt to steal an event from Melbourne ended in embarrassment with Melbourne re-signing the grand prix until 2015," Mr Holding said.

A senior Victorian Government source, however, conceded the facilities at Melbourne Park had fallen behind other grand slam tournaments and required an urgent upgrade.

"We are responding to challenges internationally," the source said. "Our current agreement runs out in 2016 and there is nothing to say it will continue as a grand slam tournament in Melbourne. Tennis Australia is playing us off against Sydney, but runs the risk of losing the event completely."

Another Government source said Dubai presented the greatest threat after recently poaching one of Australia's most powerful sports marketers, Mark Peters, the former chairman of the Australian Sports Commission.

The source said Tennis Australia had issued a long list of demands to the Brumby Government, which is desperate to retain the event that drew crowds of more than 600,000 last year and is worth more than $100 million to the Victorian economy.

"They want a museum, new administration facilities, an elite training centre, media centre and significant improvements to player facilities," the source said.

The Government is working on a $2 million business case, and is also believed to be considering the demolition of Rod Laver Arena to build a larger arena with improved corporate facilities and a faster-moving roof.

British architectural firm HOK Sport, which recently worked on the redevelopment of Wimbledon's historic centre court, has been appointed to work on the master plan.

Victorian Events Industry Council chief executive Wayne Kayler-Thomson urged the Government to fight for the event, which was critical to Melbourne's international reputation.

"The Government must pull out all stops to try to retain this event by improving infrastructure at Melbourne Park," Mr Kayler-Thomson said.

"It is disappointing that NSW cannot be original and seek their own events instead of trying to cannibalise other Australian cities."

The Government is considering the demolition of Rod Laver Arena to build a larger arena with improved corporate facilities and a faster-moving roof.

This is big news, if they go ahead I hope it's a better design this time, a la rectangular stadium! :)

HOK Sport have a pretty impressive portfolio. Their O2 World in Berlin is awesome!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2443631122_9d775d1271_o.jpg

Good luck to Sydney.

They have no chance.

If the Aussie open did leave Melbourne, I would rather see it go to another country than Sydney.

I hear this guy Philippe Petit wants to walk a high wire between the towers of the Bolte Bridge ? I think most of his exploits are not legally pre arranged. His amazing walk between the original WTC towers in New York back in 1974 would be hard to beat and not sure how he could access the tops of the Bridge towers?
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2821/20081014mediumvb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By redbaron_012 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/redbaron_012)

Before doing the twin towers, he also travelled to Sydney and crossed between the towers of the Harbour Bridge. Very talented man, and has a great book (To Reach The Clouds) and also a new doco in cinemas now.

This reeks of product placement. Carry on.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5426/partix293ug9.jpg


found that in chicago... Melbourne City Council having a bit of creative theft? ;)

Oooh... Quite similar however the idea of using a leaf as part of the first letter in a logo would be common...? Which logo is older?

http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/10/16/f_logom_f6615c1.jpg (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/3/10/16/f_logom_f6615c1.jpg&srv=img33)

Also what has this got to do with events and celebrations?

UP
28/08/2008 to 30/11/2008
City Gallery, Melbourne Town Hall
90-120 Swanston Street

Inspired by artist Louise Forthun’s elevated perspectives of Melbourne, UP takes a glancing look at the city’s upward growth. The exhibition looks back more than a century to a time when our city ranked among the tallest in the world. New York, Chicago… Melbourne. Then the lid was clapped on and, for more than 60 years, fears of fire, overcrowding and bad taste limited the height of city buildings until ICI House broke through to kiss the clouds. UP features historical photographs, documents and artefacts, as well as three paintings by Louise Forthun, exploring the changing skyline over time. The exhibition has been curated by Robyn Annear.

If only things hadn't stalled during those 60 years, Melbourne would have been even more urban and impressive and the sprawl would be so much more confined. Sigh. At least the city has taken giant steps forward since the 90s.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/written-on-the-city-20081107-5k83.html?page=1

From The Age

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/Library7.jpg

Written on the city
Jane Sullivan
November 8, 2008

THERE will be nothing else like it in the world. A set of rooms on four floors, tucked away behind the high arched windows down the Little Lonsdale Street side of the State Library of Victoria. It will be the home for something akin to a continuous writers' festival: every day of the year, as many as three public events, from little workshops to major forums with international names. And every year, about 100,000 visitors. That's a Melbourne Cup-sized crowd.

What a book buzz. You wonder how Melbourne's writers and readers are going to find the solitary time to pursue their craft or get through their books. All the literati, it seems, and many others who just want to see what's going on, will beat a path to the door of the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas (CBWI) when it opens in mid-2009.

Chris Thompson, chair of the Victorian Writers' Centre management committee, makes it sound like a large Hadron collider. "It will provide a crucible within which different writers, readers, other artists, styles, forms, genres and, most importantly, ideas will collide and bounce around in a creative friction that has the potential to produce new and exciting possibilities for our literature and for our cultural conversation," he writes in the VWC journal. Or, as the organisers put it, Melbourne will change from a hive to a hub for literature.

Meanwhile, there's plenty going on in the hive. The CBWI's newly appointed board is looking for a centre director. Whoever fills the role will have to be very clued-up on the local books and writing scene and must also have exceptional creative flair.

And today, 20 delegates from Edinburgh City of Literature, British literary organisations and publishers arrive in Melbourne for a weekto discover and share experiences with our literary community. In a crowded program, they will take in everything from a tour of bookshops and networking sessions with publishers and writing teachers to the Australian Poetry Slam state final, billed as "mud wrestling … with words."

When State Arts Minister Lynne Kosky announced in August that UNESCO had designated Melbourne as a City of Literature — only the second in the world, after Edinburgh — there was much excitement, some puzzlement and a little scepticism. What did this mean, apart from being a nice feather in Melbourne's cap? What concrete benefits were there for the city's community of writers and readers, and the industry that serves them?

You can't get much more concrete than the bricks and mortar of the venerable State Library building. Construction on the wing that will house the centre will start at the end of the year. In two budgets, the State Government has committed just under $20 million to a City of Literature package: of this, $3 million will go to fit out the centre and $7.2 million for programs and operating costs for the next three to four years.

The Government is also committed to developing the Melbourne Writers' Festival and to a review of the Victorian Premier's Awards for Literature. But it's the centre that will undoubtedly attract the most attention.

Apart from holding 1000 annual public events, with an event space holding up to 180 people, it will house the offices of five of the city's key literary organisations — the Melbourne Writers' Festival, the Victorian Writers' Centre, the Emerging Writers' Festival, Express Media and the Australian Poetry Centre. It is the first time these groups have worked together under one roof, and they look forward to exchanging ideas. There will also be a cafe, bookstore and "hot desks" for writers.

Some of the ambitiously huge program of events will be already thriving activities, at present scattered around the city and suburbs, that can be brought together for the first time. Others will be new, taking advantage of the CBWI's reputation to attract interstate and international stars.

Melbourne playwright and author Joanna Murray-Smith is looking forward to walking past the CBWI at night and popping in on a whim because she fancies the look of a forum or a book launch or a workshop. "You'll be able to just wander in," she says. "It really gives the natural pulse of the city a home. That's what excites me about it. It's not another festival. It's in the centre of the city, very accessible, at street level. It's going to become a profoundly important home for books, writing and ideas in a permanent way in Melbourne."

Murray-Smith is on the CBWI's new board of literary and business leaders, chaired by publisher Eric Beecher. Other members are Peter Biggs, managing director of Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne; Mark Rubbo, managing director of Readings Books and Music; Gabrielle Coyne, managing director of Penguin Australia; and Andrew Hagger, NAB's executive general manager, private and institutional wealth. One of the board's first tasks will be to appoint the CBWI director, a creative role similar to a festival creative director or a gallery director.

Eric Beecher, who also chaired the committee that steered Melbourne's UNESCO bid, says the City of Literature designation is like the icing on a very substantial cake. "There's nothing else like this centre in the world," he says. "So we start with a clean slate and don't have any models constraining us. We're creating a new institution in a way no one has attempted before. All the government has done is to say to the board, 'We want you to create a really great centre for books, writing and ideas. Here's the venue and the funding'."

But the centre doesn't have to start from scratch. If there's one thing that the extensive research for the UNESCO bid identified, it is that Melbourne already has a thriving culture of books, writing and ideas — in many ways the most vibrant in Australia and, for its size, one of the strongest in the world.

Research started on the project several years ago, and the bid was announced in early 2006. It's not clear whether any individual first drove the City of Literature idea, but certainly there were key early players — notably former Age editor-in-chief Andrew Jaspan, who had worked with the Edinburgh bid when he was editing Scotland's Sunday Herald.

While the Edinburgh bid was initiated by industry interests, the Melbourne bid was very much the brainchild of first the Bracks and then the Brumby government. They were influenced by the thinking of Richard Florida, bestselling US author and leading public intellectual, who argued that to be successful in economic and other ways, a large city should excel in creativity and ideas. The network of UNESCO-designated Creative Cities — in areas such as design, music, media arts and literature — can become renowned centres of excellence and share their expertise.

Intensive government work started in early 2006. Two men who then worked in the Department of Premier and Cabinet — secretary Terry Moran and Greg Hywood, executive director, Policy & Cabinet — were key investigators and drivers of the bid. (Hywood is now Tourism Victoria's chief executive and Moran is Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary).

Steve Grimwade, one of the team who put together the bid report, says the hardest thing was to keep the document to the required 40,000 words because there was so much to write about.

"We all seemed to know intuitively that Melbourne was a wonderful home of books and writing, and once we got a bit deeper, this proved to be the case. In all areas that add up to make a book culture, we showed a dominance over the rest of Australian cities. And we're comparable worldwide — for example, New York poets come here and are astounded by all the events on the poetry scene," he says.

The figures speak for themselves. Melbourne and Victoria are home to more readers, more book clubs and more bookshops per capita than any city or state in Australia. Many of our most vibrant independent publishers are based in Melbourne. Victorian households spend an average $9 a week on literature. Book sales in the state represent 43% of Australia's annual total. According to 2001 figures, about 1300 authors and related professionals live in Victoria — almost one-third of the national total. Of these, 89% live in Melbourne. And a staggering 97,600 Melburnians enjoy writing as a hobby.

What was missing, however, was a focal point for all this enthusiasm and activity. Hence the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas. Anna Burkey, communications and events co-ordinator at the Edinburgh City of Literature Trust, says it is important to understand that the UNESCO designation is not "a magic wand to suddenly make everything perfect and a whole city obsessed with nothing but books … it's an ongoing commitment to developing the literature sector in your city."

There is a City of Literature bookmark that sums it all up. Melbourne's first major cultural institution, it points out, was the State Library. Free to all, even if you didn't have a coat — as long as your hands were clean.
And from some point next year, if your hands are clean, there will be at least one books-and-the-city-type event just about every day.

Melbourne, the most liveable City

Thought I’d clear up how often this has occurred.

• 1990 - An announcement by the US Washington-based Population Crisis Committee has Melbourne in a tie with Seattle and Montreal, scoring 86 out of of a possible 100 points.

• 2002 – The Economist’s well-regarded survey of the World’s Most Liveable Cities has us tied with Vancouver.

• 2004 – The Economist again has us tied with Vancouver.

• 2005 – The Economist once again has has us tied with Vancouver.

So far 4 times! :bowtie:

Monocle Magazine ranked Melbourne 9 in its 25 most liveable cities in the world issue from July/Aug 2008. Biggest negatives were continued urban sprawl, housing prices and lack of investment in public transport infrastructure.

FYI top 10 was Copenhagen, Munich, Tokyo, Zurich, Helsinki, Vienna, Stockholm, Vancouver, Melbourne, Paris - in that order.

How do Tokyo and Paris get into that list on livability?!

From Monocle:

Melbourne:

Melbourne's economy is humming, its arts scene is thriving, and more than 1,000 new people a week are calling the city home. However, this influx has forced the state government to release more housing land on Melbourne's fringe and the city's 30-year development plan is being largely ignored as urban sprawl continues.

Public transport is already stretched, with no major investments planned and the city's relaxed drinking laws are causing a moral panic about alcohol-fuelled violence. To top it all off, house prices are starting to look positively Sydney-like (they jumped 25 per cent last year). The question for Melbourne is whether the city can cope with the growing pains brought on by its own success.

Population: 3,806,092 in metropolitan area.
International flights: the airport serves 45 international destinations.
Crime: murders, 33; domestic break-ins 6,285.
Sunshine: annual average, 2,190 hours.
Wired: private operators offer free hotspots around the city in cafés, bars and hotels. One free system is CafeScreen, which has 37 hotspots.
Tolerance: Melbourne offers a Relationship Declaration Register for same-sex couples and has a reputation for successful multiculturalism.
Drinking: Melbourne prides itself on its laid-back drinking scene. However, a trial programme is being run where patrons cannot enter premises after 02.00, in an effort to curb binge drinking.
Public transport: buses, trains and trams use the Metcard system, with one ticket working on all three services. Spending is concentrated on road construction.
Culture: 52 cinemas with 370 screens. Over 20 public galleries.
Architecture: planning consent is handled by individual councils, making the process patchy. The city council is promoting the development of sustainable buildings.
Monocle fix: a train line from the Central Business District to the airport.

FYI Blabbyboy:

Paris:

The French capital has headed up our chart this year in recognition that it is setting benchmarks in urbanism that have officials from around the world heading to meet mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

The city's revitalised confidence (bruised after it lost out to London in the battle to host the 2012 Olympic Games and was hit by race riots in 2005) has prompted a shift in attitude: the city feels less uptight. Seeing Parisians of all varieties whizzing around on the city's 20,000 Vélib' bikes (the world's biggest bike hire scheme), you sense a more playful, inventive city in the making. Add to that the celebrated café culture, independent retail and that classic architecture and you have a gâteau-sized slice of quality of life.

Population: 2.2 million;11.6 million in the metropolitan area.
International flights: 621 destinations, 360 intercontinental.
Crime: murders, 32; domestic break-ins: 8,227.
Medical care: France has a system of free universal health care. It's ranked best in the world by the WHO.
Sunshine: annual average, 1,714 hours.
Media: four major dailies and one Paris daily as well as two tabloids and a daily sports newspaper. English-language daily the IHT is based in Paris.
Architecture: due to the number of protected buildings, planning consent is hard to get. The mayor plans to increase government housing by 20 per cent by 2014.
Green space: to many locals Paris does not feel like a green city and many crave greening schemes. In some Parisian parks, benches are de rigueur as walking on the grass is forbidden.
Culture: 83 cinemas, 376 screens. 119 museums. Culture is heavily subsidised. The city organises various annual events where access to museums, monuments and government buildings is free.
Monocle fix: more wi-fi spots would help as would better access to the Seine for pedestrians.

Tokyo:

Tokyo is a vast city, which means it can be maddeningly difficult to know. Astonishingly, a third of Tokyo's buildings have been erected since 1985, which means the city is always brimming with new ideas and architecture. It's also a city of unsurpassed service - stores and hotels outdo each other to attract Tokyo's fickle, demanding citizenry. Yet, despite lacking an obvious centre, this is a city that gets the basics right. Public transport runs with digital precision, people are mindful of others, and the crime rate is low. Japan's deep-seated conservatism is slowly giving way to a new generation of well-travelled, job-hopping twenty and thirtysomethings who are changing Tokyo, challenging stereotypes and creating an even more dynamic city.

Population: 8.78 million; 12.88 million in Tokyo metropolis.
International flights: 96 destinations, including 67 long-haul.
Crime: murders, 135; domestic break-ins, 17,325 (Tokyo metropolis, 2006).
State education: you don't pay any fees for tuition or textbooks in state schools for the period of compulsory education. Tokyo has six prominent universities.
Medical care: there is a system of universal health coverage. How it applies to individuals depends on factors such as your age and work status.
Sunshine: annual average, 1,996 hours.
Tolerance: Tokyo employers are prohibited from discriminating against gays and lesbians, but few people come out at work.
Drinking and shopping: many of Tokyo's bars and izakaya stay open till dawn and there are numerous convenience stores.
Environment: Tokyo relies on nuclear power, although it also has hydro and thermal power plants.
Business: the Tokyo Metropolitan Government offers advice to firms looking to set up in Tokyo. But banks rarely give loans to new arrivals or non-residents.
Monocle fix: some cycle lanes might encourage a few more residents to get on their bikes.

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=16327

Parliament House Open Day

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/ParlInterior6.jpg

On Sunday 23 November, the Parliament of Victoria will conduct its annual Open Day between 11am and 4pm.

The focus will be Victorian Women Vote 1908-2008, to mark the centenary since most Victorian women achieved the right to vote in state parliamentary elections.

This year Open Day will focus on the contribution of women to the Parliament over the last 100 years with signage and interpretation. As well the Parliamentary Gardens will feature some of the performances, projects and activities that were presented throughout Victoria this year to mark this historic milestone.

Queens Hall will display the historic 1891 Petition and its contemporary counterpart, the 2008 Monster Petition Project.

The original petition saw 30,000 signatures collected by suffragists in six weeks to demonstrate to Parliament that ordinary women wanted the right to vote. The petition has recently been included on the prestigious United Nations Memory of the World register.

The 2008 Monster Petition Project consists of 358 calico banners collected this year as a tribute to the suffragists and their achievements.

Other displays will include:

• 100 ceramic figurines displayed on front steps of Parliament House.

• Roving Women’s Circus performers.

• A handball competition run by the Victorian Women’s Football League.

• Musical entertainment including the Suffragist Serenade of Haddon, the Shirley Billings Ukulele Orchestra and Stiletto Sisters.

• Displays of art, books, models and photographs from the Meriba Service Club of Colac, East Grampian’s Health Service, Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL), Casterton & District Historical Society, Beechworth Arts Council, Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, the Country Women’s Association and Wonthaggi Neighbourhood House.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/hidden-treasures/2008/11/16/1226770252786.html

From The Age

Hidden treasures
November 17, 2008

Antique dealer William Johnston took pleasure in his finds and wanted to share them with his fellow Melburnians - a few at a time. Bernadette Clohesy reports.

DECKING the halls hasn't begun in most homes just yet, but at Fairhall, the beautifully furnished home left to the people of Victoria by the late antique dealer and collector William Johnston, the decorations for Christmas have long been in the planning.

The address of the East Melbourne residence is never advertised in accordance with Johnston's wishes, planning permits and "to protect the privacy and parking rights of Mr Johnston's residential neighbours", according to the website. Clandestine arrangements are made when you ring to book for one of their twice-daily tours. Tour groups (limited to eight people) are met at the nearby Hilton on the Park hotel.

But June Jackson of Mooroolbark knows the place well; she's been there six times over the past few years, taking many friends with her. On her seventh visit she's with other members of her Box Hill art group.

"I think you need to go to the house at least three times before you get to see every single thing," she says. "Of course not everything is displayed at once; it changes every time. We're back this time to see the Christmas decorations."

It's the total experience that keeps Jackson coming back, plus the touch of mystery and quaint tradition. "They do it so well," she says. "The way they pick you up from the Hilton in the little bus adds to the adventure of it all. It's all very special, even down to the elegant morning tea."

This year, among all the Christmas embellishments, Jackson will be looking for the tiny bone china saucer that has just been meticulously hand-painted by members of the Central Victorian Porcelain Artists Guild. It was done to match the very first item in Johnston's collection — an 1811 Minton cup. Given to Johnston by his grandmother in 1919 when he was just eight years old, this delicate cup was the start of a collecting bug that eventually saw him travel to Britain as a young man after World War II. There he was able to buy many antiques from English country mansions (whose owners needed the cash) and ship them back to Australia.

He opened an antique shop in London's Greenwich in the 1970s and, later, one in Melbourne in High Street, Armadale. But Johnston's greatest love was for the collection in his own home; he wanted it still to be enjoyed after he was gone. He died in 1986 in India, his embalmed body returned to Australia in an elaborate Indian casket. He left his estate to the people of Victoria, to be managed by the WR Johnston Trust.

Each year craftspeople and artists from a different area of Victoria are invited to create Christmas opulence that delights Fairhall visitors each weekday from early November through to the end of February. Christmas 2008 showcases the work of Bendigo's many talented craftspeople.

Embroiders, porcelain painters, spinners and weavers, quilters, textile artists, CWA members and individual artists all got together to create beautiful decorative pieces inspired by those already in the collection — among them many wonderful Georgian, Regency and Louis XV antiques.

Maggie Antram, president of the Bendigo branch of the Embroiders Guild, and 25 branch members have been planning and making part of the Christmas display for more than a year. Their focus was one of the main rooms in the house, the green drawing room. "We have so enjoyed doing it," she says. Among the pieces they have produced is a non-traditional Christmas tree covered in turquoise dupion silk and more than 120 embroidered leaves. Vice-president Di Robertson made all the leaves — more than 80 hours of painstaking work. "It took 40 minutes for me to cut, prepare and finish each one," she says.

Antram and Robertson are at Fairhall to put the finishing touches to their work.

"I haven't got it all written down," Antram says. "It just evolves. We've made it a romantic, rich theme inspired by the elegance and the colour in this room — and the idea of a cocktail party on Christmas Eve."

She says the tiny foodstuffs — miniature asparagus rolls, canapes and chocolates that look good enough to eat — were the hardest to achieve.

Every room in the house has its special yuletide touches. The fabric partridge in a pear tree in the bedroom is in keeping with this year's Christmas theme: Five Golden Rings and Other Glorious Things. It's nestled near the magnificent four- poster Anglo-Indian bed (c.1820) with its lovely new addition — a Christmas patchwork quilt made by Barbara Dellar of the Strathdale (Bendigo) Quilters Inc. The quilt with its central Christmas star took six months to make with 350 hours of hand quilting.

Antram feels the Bendigo community benefited greatly from being involved. "We got an incredible lot of camaraderie and community spirit out of it," she says. "We thoroughly enjoyed the days we all had together in Bendigo with representatives from the Johnston Collection. We had lunch and everyone opened their things and all the different groups went, 'Ooh ah! Why didn't we think of that?' "

Johnston House's Christmas exhibition runs until February 2009.

http://www.johnstoncollection.org/

http://www.theage.com.au/national/brumby-to-dig-deep-to-secure-open-20090117-7jlv.html

From The Sunday Age

Brumby to dig deep to secure Open
Cameron Houston
January 18, 2009

MELBOURNE is poised to retain its most coveted major event — with the State Government set to announce an agreement with Tennis Australia to keep the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Under the deal, Melbourne Park would undergo a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. That would thwart a bid by Sydney to snatch the grand slam tournament from Victoria, while fending off international raiders from Shanghai, Madrid and Dubai, which have expressed keen interest.

The extension of the current agreement — which expires in 2016 — is expected to be finalised within weeks. As a precursor to the release of the new deal, Premier John Brumby is expected to announce a master plan for the Melbourne Park precinct during the second week of the Australian Open. The tournament begins tomorrow.

Senior State Government sources told The Sunday Age that the Government had agreed to a list of demands by Tennis Australia to keep the Open in Melbourne.

A $2 million master plan by the State Government has recommended a substantial overhaul of Melbourne Park, which is more than 20 years old and has slipped behind international standards. The redevelopment would include a museum, new administration facilities, a media centre and substantial improvements to player facilities. An elite training centre is also expected to be built.

The Government is believed to be considering the demolition of Rod Laver Arena, which would be replaced by a bigger stadium with improved corporate facilities and a faster-moving roof.

The redevelopment of Melbourne Park is estimated to cost about $300 million, according to one Government source, and would involve major changes to the MCG precinct, Brunton Avenue and the Jolimont rail yards.

The Government is also believed to have negotiated a new financial arrangement with the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust, which would see Tennis Australia receive a larger slice of revenue from the annual event.

While the event attracted crowds of more than 600,000 last year and contributes an estimated $100 million to Victoria's economy, the Australian Open faces growing pressure to retain its grand slam status, held since 1968.

The increased prestige and prize money of Shanghai's Tennis Masters Cup and the Dubai Open have fuelled local concerns, while several international players have expressed frustration over the staging of the Open in January and the tournament's substandard facilities.

Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood confirmed a business case study for the precinct had been completed, but said a contract extension had not been signed.

"In relation to the deal (to extend Melbourne's contract), that is about to unfold, but there is still some water to go under the bridge.

"What has become clear throughout the process is that it's time for Melbourne Park to be refurbished and refreshed … which is obvious to anyone who has visited the site recently," Mr Wood said.

He said the contract could be extended for up to 30 years to justify the Government's significant investment in the redevelopment.

A spokesman for Major Events Minister Tim Holding said the Government was determined to keep the Open in Melbourne and was still negotiating with Tennis Australia and Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust.

"Having the best sporting and major events facilities and venues is a key part of why Melbourne is regarded as a sporting capital of the world," the spokesman said.

i say go for it. Melbourne park has looked outdated for years now.

but does RLA need to be demolished? is there now way they could do extensive renovations? increase capasity, add new facilities, and a new roof?

second question would be, where would the tennis finals be held while all this was going on? Telstra Dome (or whatever its caled now, Etheiad or something) is to big, Hisence arena is kind of small, Kooyong is smaller.

anyway, we dont even know if this is the case yet. but in the end, its good news.

Go for it I say. Melbourne needs to keep this event and can't afford to lose it to an overseas bidder. Fix up the crappy Jolimont station while they are at it.

The Australian Open, now and then.

Now at Melbourne Park.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/MebournePark1.jpg

Then at Kooyong.

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Kooyong1.jpg

Don't forget to check out Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend...and it coincides with Australia Day this year!

Lunar New Year festival last Sunday: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=31010052#post31010052

It was a great day.

Don't forget to check out Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend...and it coincides with Australia Day this year!

I'm disappointed at the realisation that I'm reaching the age where I have to start giving the kiddies money instead of me being on the receiving end.

The festivals are always fun, rickety fairground rides and all. :D

^^ Vietnamese New Year is on Australia Day! but Chinese new year i dunno, but Chinese New Years in the City i must say is one of the best!!! They use to have them in The Docklands too! but not anymore for obviuos reasons.

> Calaneder
> Box Hill, St Albans, Footscray, Richmond (abbostford), Springvale, City, Resevoir(temple), Sunshine(temple)! ~ so lots of new years festivals!, p.s next year my mum is going to hold Preston's First Chinese New Year Festival! :banana::banana::banana:

Vietnamese new year is the same as Chinese New Year.

Going into Chinatown with my Asian friends for Chinese Year Dinner on Sunday then hanging with my non-Asian mates and drinking beer on Monday. What a great weekend!

I'd love to be in Melbourne on the weekend though. I checked out the Chinese History Museum in Chinatown and the dragon they have (one of the biggest in the world) is huge! I'd be great to see it going through the streets with all the associated fanfare and celebrations.

Is Melbourne China Town the biggest in Australia? or Oldest?
also in China Town an important event: Melbourne Asian Food Festival!

Oh, there's the post that I thought went missing in the other thread lol.

Melbourne's Chinatown is the oldest in Aus. Dunno about size though.

^^
Yes, i pointed that out in the ''Urban showcase'' thread.......:)

http://www.federationsquare.com/index.cfm?pageID=373

The Light in Winter 2009

http://www.federationsquare.com/cmsimages/Gift%20of%20Light%204.jpg http://www.federationsquare.com/cmsimages/UVA_200pixel.jpg

In 2009 Fed Square gives us another bright reason to rug and up and head for the city.

Directed by Robyn Archer, The Light in Winter is a light-based festival that brings together artists, designers and communities to explore their ideas of light, enlightenment and hope.

The festival will include thirteen light installations created by Melbourne’s multicultural communities as part of the ‘Gift of Light’ along with a major international commission, ‘Volume’. Known for their work with U2, Massive Attack, The Arctic Monkeys and Kylie Minogue, UK-based United Visual Artists will launch their latest installation, ‘Volume’ on 4 June. With a soundtrack arranged by Neil Davidge and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, this incredible fusion of light and sound will see a forest of luminous LED columns light up Fed Square during the winter months.

When:
June 4 to July 5, 2009
(Displays begin at Dusk)

Where:
Federation Square
Cnr St Kilda Rd and Flinders St
Melbourne Vic 3000