Thursday 14th August

---

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: Pialligo Estate is opening a cellar door + a new carpark opens in the city.

🌤️ Weather: 16° and mostly sunny.

---

Around Canberra: 🍇 Pialligo Estate to Open Cellar Door

I’d been wondering what was next for Pialligo Estate after it was put up for sale by the current owner, just months after taking over the estate—a sale that hasn’t gone ahead yet. It now looks like the next chapter will lean into the estate’s vines. This September, Pialligo Estate is opening a destination cellar door pouring its own wines alongside a rotating selection of top drops from across the Canberra region. The space will also showcase locally grown produce, with coffee, pastries, and fresh blooms on offer. I’ll share details of the launch celebration as soon as they’re announced.

---

🥘 Canberra Eats

This week’s foodie news:

Azuma Den: The new Japanese–Korean restaurant at East Hotel (where Muse cafe used to be) opens on Monday, and bookings are now available. The centrepiece is a large hibachi grill where diners can watch meals cooked over fire. The menu looks great! Details here.

AK’s Diner X Dahl Daddies: Dahl Daddies was a popular community eatery set up next to a skate park in Margaret River. They served up bold South Asian cooking but, due to leasing issues, had to close. Dahl Daddies are now on an Australian tour, and they’ll be stopping by Canberra next week. AK’s Diner in New Acton is hosting—drop in for lunch on Friday, walk-ins only. Details here.

Chaos Realm Volume II: Cypher Brewing in Gungahlin is celebrating all things dark beer this weekend. Pick up a passport to try all 10 dark beers on tap. And if dark beer isn’t your thing, there is a huge lineup of other brews available from Cypher and guest breweries. Details here.

Wagyu Beef Buffet: Is all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ the new thing in Canberra? I’ve seen a few places offering this—Hanok Korean BBQ in Dickson is the latest Korean restaurant to offer a buffet option. Enjoy unlimited wagyu beef BBQ with complimentary soft drinks and teas for $49 per person.

Uptown Social Hour: If you’re looking to check out the newish Lonsdale Street spot, Uptown, visit between 4pm–6pm every Friday and Saturday for half-price drinks—including cocktails!

---

Movie Events:

NFSA Spring Program: Arc Cinema has released their spring program and it’s packed with gems—from Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire to a Stanley Kubrick spotlight with A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and 2001: A Space Odyssey. See Jane Campion’s feature debut Sweetie in a newly restored 4K edition, or relive Crocodile Dundee in its “Encore Cut”. There’s a sing-along Beauty and the Beast, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie with Halloween trick-or-treating, and silent-film specials with live music. Details here.

20th Latin American Film Festival: The annual celebration of Latin American screen culture returns for its milestone 20th year. There are 13 films screening, and all are free to attend. Details here.

Taiwan Film Festival: The Taiwan Film Festival in Australia is returning for its 8th edition. This year’s festival puts women at the forefront with female-led dramas exploring themes spanning pregnancy, IVF, sexuality and complex family dynamics. Details here.

---

Tidbits

New Car Park in the City: A new 11-storey carpark opened in the City yesterday. It’s wedged into a tiny bit of land at 5 Nangari Street, catering to office workers and those eating out. The bottom level will be home to a food precinct known as GarageEats. I imagine the car park will be pretty popular during Floriade as it’s only a 10-minute walk away.

Period Products: Period product dispensers have been installed across more than 30 ACT public schools as part of a pilot program. They are in student-friendly locations across participating schools. The trial is part of the ACT Government’s program to end period poverty—students should never have to miss activities because they don’t have access to period products. As well as schools, free dispensers will be installed across the public health network, including hospitals and walk-in centres.

Light Rail Close Calls: For Rail Safety Week, Transport Canberra has released a video of close calls involving pedestrians, cars and the light rail. Details here.

200 New Houses Coming to Watson: A block of land in North Watson went to auction yesterday. The 3.7-hectare site near the Federal Highway has planning approval for 200 homes, with a mix of townhouses, apartments and houses.

---

Classifieds:

🩰 Ballet of Lights: Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty has arrived in Canberra! This beloved tale is brought to life through classical dance, stunning choreography, and beautiful glow-in-the-dark costumes. Get your tickets for Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty in a Sparkling Show in Canberra! Details here.

--

Classifieds support Canberra Digest