Wednesday 7th August

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It’s Wednesday 7th August.

⛅️ Weather: 15°. Foggy morning and a sunny afternoon. Down to -3° tonight.

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News: 🏥 Canberra Hospital Extension Opening August 17

The critical services building at Canberra Hospital will open on August 17. The new building will house the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit as well as new operating theatres and medical imaging. More.

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News: 🏆 The Seven Wins ACT Book of the Year

Crime thriller The Seven by Chris Hammer has been named ACT Book Of The Year. The winning book was chosen from 41 finalists and a shortlist of 6. Two highly commended awards were also given to Untethered by Ayesha Inoon and The Measure of Sorrow: Stories by J. Ashley-Smith.

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Something to do: 🧟 The Thing Screening

The Gold St. Movie Club is back this weekend. They take classic, well-loved movies and combine them with a night at the pub. Unlike a typical screening, you can talk, cheer, and enjoy the film over dinner and drinks. There will be a themed food and cocktail menu by Bada Bing Dining Club, along with movie bingo, games, a lucky door prize and a costume competition. It’s happening this Sunday evening. Details here.

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Sport: Raiders Double Header

For the first time in 2024, there will be two Viking claps in one day this Saturday. The Raiders NRL team will play Manly, and the NRLW team will play the Sharks. Details here.

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The Platy and Raty Map

It’s currently Platypus Month. Waterwatch in the ACT provides the Platy and Raty portal, which plots all the sightings of platypus and rakali in our waterways. If you spot these animals in the wild, Waterwatch encourages you to report the sightings through the portal to help with their research. Details here.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the guided platypus surveys happening this August, and there are still plenty of places available if you’re interested in participating. Details here.

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Something to do: 🪡 Waterhouse Weaving Workshop

Coming up in September is a weaving workshop inspired by the winner of the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, an exhibition currently on now at the National Archives. You will learn techniques of traditional weaving, how to prepare traditional fibres and gain experience weaving in this hands-on workshop. Details here.

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Friday: 💿 Grinspoon Album Signing

Aussie rock legends Phil and Pat from Grinspoon will be at Landspeed Records (City) this Friday to sign copies of their new album. Details here.

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This Weekend: 🚲 Canberra By Bike - Film and TV Shows

Canberra By Bike runs regular social guided bike rides around Canberra. This Sunday, they’ll be touring some of the sites in Canberra that are featured in film and TV shows. Details here.