Friday 8th August

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: This weekend in Canberra + The Lonsdale Street of Phillip?.

🌤️ Weather: 15° and mostly sunny.

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This Weekend in Canberra

It’s a busy weekend in Canberra—the Raiders are playing tonight, there’s a winter market and bonfire night at Dairy Road, and the Viral Food Festival and Oz Comic Con are in town.

Get the full rundown of weekend events.

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Around Canberra: 🏗️ The Lonsdale Street of Phillip?

Property developer Intellectual Property Group has been trying to redevelop a block on Botany Street in Phillip since 2021. The project, nicknamed “Braddon of the South,” began as a four-storey plus attic mixed-use building with 38 apartments and ground-floor commercial space. In 2022, it was revised to 56 serviced apartments (hotel/serviced accommodation) with a pub, restaurant and café. The ACT Planning Authority refused the development. The application has been bouncing around ACAT and the Supreme Court. Key issues flagged by the Planning Authority include parking and traffic, Crown lease changes, and a lack of support from utilities and public transport. The Supreme Court has just asked ACAT to give the developer another chance to present its case.

What do you think? Does this type of development fit in Phillip?

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Coming Up: Raiders Signing Session

Interest in the Raiders is at an all-time high. They’ll be holding a signing session at the Mawson Club on Monday night. Players will be available from 6:00pm to 7:00pm to sign merchandise. Details here.

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Looking Ahead: Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is celebrated at the German Club in Canberra over two days. You can expect authentic German beer, traditional food, music and dancing, a Wurst Eating Competition, a Strongman contest and much more. Details here.

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Kids: Science in the Centres

Science Week starts tomorrow. Shopping centres around Canberra are hosting events this weekend:

South.Point: There’ll be nature play activities with Tiny Creators, and on Sunday Buzzz ACT will perform a dance and science show about bees. Details here.

Gungahlin Marketplace: Take part in an interactive LEGO & Robotics STEM Experience—build machines, code mini-robots, and take part in fun engineering challenges. On Sunday, Icon Water will present its fun-filled “Free the Poo” arcade-style game and interactive station. Details here.

Majura Park: Get up close with some of nature’s most fascinating mini creatures at Wildlife Reimagined at Majura Park. The event features live invertebrate enclosures with stick insects, spiders, scorpions and snails. Details here.

Westfield Woden: Explore a dynamic showcase of interactive robots tomorrow at Westfield Woden. And on Sunday, step into Wildlife Whodunnit and investigate the clues animals leave behind. Details here.

Westfield Belconnen: Questacon is visiting Westfield Belconnen this weekend, bringing creative crafts, interactive innovation and touchable technology. Details here.

Canberra Centre: Mount Stromlo Observatory will be at the Canberra Centre tomorrow, and on Sunday, Robogals will be running fun, hands-on activities to introduce children to STEM in an engaging and empowering way. Details here.

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Tidbits

Northbourne Avenue Closure: From 8pm tonight until 6am Monday, sections of Northbourne Avenue will be closed northbound between the Rudd Street intersection and Vernon Circle. Details here.

New Playground in Watson: A new “destination” playground is officially opening this Saturday in Watson. Details here.

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Classifieds

🎶 Vinyl Record Sale: Music from 1930s to 1980. LP Records, both New & Used. When: Saturday 9th August, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Where: Indoors – inside, entry at the Lincraft Building, South.Point shopping mall, Tuggeranong, Canberra. 15 crates of Vinyl bargains/gems! Pop, Rock, Jazz, Funk, Soul, Fusion, RnB, Blues & more! Event is called "Cottage Markets", next to the Good Guys/Pet O/Lincraft & the Coffee Guru Cafe. All Cards accepted Ok. All welcome!

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