Friday 1st November

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It’s Friday, 1st November.

⛅️ Weather: 23° and partly cloudy.

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👻 More Spookiness and Ghost Tours Around Canberra

Yesterday, I wrote about the National Film and Sound Archive and Blundells Cottage being haunted. Today, I have some more spooky Canberra lore to share:

Apparently, the National Museum of Australia is said to be haunted as well. Despite being a relatively modern building that doesn't seem inherently spooky, urban legend has it that the ghosts could be associated with the old Canberra Hospital, which used to sit where the museum was built. People have reported seeing a ghostly matron and a young boy dressed in 1940s-like clothes. Thank you to Ken for the tip about the Museum

And MoAD (Old Parliament House) got in touch to suggest their building as one of the most haunted in Canberra. MoAD runs the “Old Haunted House Experience” exploring some of the spooky and supernatural sightings associated with the building. There are dates coming up in December and January. I went on a ghost tour earlier this year, and it was a lot of fun exploring the building in the dark! Details here.

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Something to do: 💡 Make a Neon Sign

The Canberra Glassworks is running two-day courses on the basics of authentic neon bending taught by the highly experienced neon artist and sign maker, David Cooper. Fair warning: the course isn’t cheap, but you will get to leave with a finished neon sign to take home! Details here.

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Arts: 🏺 Canberra Potters Members’ Exhibition

The Canberra Potters annual Members’ Exhibition showcases some of the best work created by the members during the last twelve months. The exhibition opened last night and will be running until December 1 at the Canberra Potters Gallery (Watson). Details here.

Canberra Potters will also be holding their Christmas Fair in December. It will be the perfect opportunity to pick up Christmas gifts that are unique and made locally. Details here.

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Looking Ahead: 🎄 Christmas Day Lunch

Looking to have someone else do the cooking this Christmas? Here are some of the places in Canberra that will be doing a Christmas Day Lunch this year. I do recommend booking now as they tend to book out quite quickly:

Rydges Christmas Day Buffet: Rydges Canberra is doing a Christmas buffet featuring roast turkey, tiger prawns, New Zealand mussels, Tasmanian salmon and much more. Details here.

Hotel Kurrajong: The Hotel Kurrajong will offer a lavish buffet featuring fresh seafood, roast lamb, honey-glazed ham, roast turkey, and all the Christmas trimmings. Details here.

As well as those two, The Hyatt, The Boathouse, Waters Edge, Agostinis, and Helix Bar are also doing Christmas Day Lunches.

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Tidbits:

Woden Library Reopening: Woden Library will be reopening on November 18 after five months of upgrades. The pop-up library at 26 Corinna Street will be closing on November 15 to give staff time to transfer back to the library. A number of special events are planned for the reopening. More.

New Liberal Leader: Elizabeth Lee is no longer the leader of the Canberra Liberals after losing a leadership ballot to Leanne Castley. Jeremy Hanson was selected as deputy signalling a shift towards a more conservative stance within the party. More.

Restaurant Closures: The ABC explored the difficulties faced by restaurants in the ACT after the recent closure of Miss Vans. More.

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👉 This Weekend in Canberra

This weekend, Capital Brewing is turning 7, the SpringOut Fair Day is happening, Westwood Farm is holding an open day, and much more.

Get the full rundown of weekend events here.

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📆 November Diary

Some upcoming events in November to pop in the calendar:

• Government House Open Day (November 9)
• The Forage at Mount Majura (November 9)
• La Fiesta (November 9)
• SouthFest (November 16)
• Undercurrent Design Market (November 22-24)
• Hall Village Christmas Fair (November 29)