Tuesday 18th February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: Dippin’ Dots in Canberra + Competitive Puzzling.

⛅️ Weather: 27° and mostly sunny.

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🍽️ Canberra Eats

This week’s foodie news:

Dippin’ Dots: Flash-frozen ice cream beads, Dippin’ Dots were first created in the 80s and became a hit in the U.S. during the 90s, marketed as “The Ice Cream of the Future.” If you want to try them, Korean restaurant SamSi SeKki in Mitchell has just added them to the menu. Details here.

Winederlust Wine Tasting Cruise: Join the host of the Winederlust podcast, Jeanene, on a 2-hour cruise as you taste 6 wines from boutique winemakers across the country. Details here.

Saint Marlo has Closed: Saint Marlo, the Spanish-inspired restaurant on London Circuit, has closed. They will now focus solely on catering and functions.

Giggly High Tea: Last week, I wrote about the Yacht Club’s bottomless high tea and this week, I’ve come across another—First Edition (Novotel in the City) is doing a Giggly High Tea featuring a three-tier stand with savoury and sweet treats and free-flowing cocktails and house sparkling. Details here.

Macbeth at Lake George Winery: Lakespeare is holding a special Shakespeare by the Vines event at Lake George Winery in March. Details here.

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Stage: 🇬🇷 Shirley Valentine

Natalie Bassingthwaighte stars in Shirley Valentine, Willy Russell’s beloved one-woman play about a disillusioned housewife who trades her routine life for an unexpected adventure in Greece—rediscovering herself along the way. Details here.

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Something to do: 🧩 Competitive Puzzling

City board game shop Good Games is hosting a series of Jigsaw Puzzle Competitions this February and March, with sessions for both singles and pairs. All participants will receive the same 500-piece puzzle, and the first to complete it wins! No prior experience is necessary—just a love of puzzles. Details here.

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Tidbits and News

Transit Bar has Closed: The popular nightlife venue has closed after 19 years in business. Transit Bar was placed into liquidation last week. The bar used to operate below Canberra City YHA before moving to its current location at Baileys Corner.

Scooter Hire? Yesterday, I asked if you thought scooter hire companies were good for Canberra. Only 32% of people thought scooters were a good fit in Canberra. I’ll put together a page with the best comments and share it soon—thank you for responding!

Light Rail Construction Started: The ceremonial first sod was turned yesterday, marking the start of construction on Light Rail Stage 2A.

Childcare Centre Closed: The ACT childcare regulator has temporarily closed a childcare centre in Gungahlin after repeated breaches. More.

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🎨 Arts Around Canberra

Visible but Intangible: Megalo is hosting an exhibition of incredible work from 38 contemporary printmakers who are members of Sydney Printmakers. The exhibition will be opening this Saturday. Details here.

Lakespeare Tuggeranong: Lakespeare’s production of Macbeth will be performed at Tuggeranong Town Park this Friday evening. Pack a picnic and strap in for a night of greed, ambition, and deception. Whether you’re a Shakespeare aficionado or new to the Bard, don’t miss this chance to experience Shakespeare’s shortest, sharpest, and bloodiest play like never before, as nature and theatre collide. Details here.

Elegy: The Civic Art Bureau’s next exhibition is Elegy—a response to personal and collective grief made by two artists whose works are in conversation with each other in a way that reflects their daily conversations on paint and life. Lizzie Hall’s paintings are of the Aral Sea, now a desert because of Soviet mismanagement. And Kate Stevens’ paintings are of drone footage shown on Russian and BBC news of Aleppo, Syria from 2016. Details here.

Moonlighting 2: Canberra’s young creatives will be heading to a half-empty commercial building in Civic this Sunday for Moonlighting 2—an art party featuring works by emerging local artists and live sets. Details here.

Al Munro: The ANCA Gallery in Dickson will host an exhibition of Al Munro’s dynamic geometric abstracts. It’s opening on Wednesday. Details here.

My Unstill Life: Cam Michael’s solo exhibition transforms everyday spaces into intricately crafted miniature rooms, using glass, textiles, and found objects to explore memory, identity, and the interplay between work and home life. Details here.

Canberra Bach Ensemble: The Canberra Bach Ensemble will be performing two concerts at St Christopher’s Cathedral this weekend. Details here.