October 28

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It’s Tuesday, 28 October.

☁️ Weather: 14° and cloudy. A touch of frost early this morning—hopefully no gardeners were caught out. My father's advice has always been not to plant tomatoes until after Cup Day!

This Weekend: 🏛️ Government House Open Day

It’s your one chance this year to see inside Government House—the official residence of the Governor-General—as it opens its doors to the public this weekend. Explore the historic house and gardens and meet the Governor-General. There’ll also be a scavenger hunt and numerous stalls on the grounds. Entry is free. Details here.

🖼️ Arts Around Canberra

This week’s arts wrap:

Broadway: Join the National Capital Orchestra for an afternoon of beloved musical theatre classics—from the timeless charm of My Fair Lady and Carousel to the whimsical wonder of The Wizard of Oz and Into the Woods, and the dramatic flair of Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll & Hyde and Wicked. Details here.

Ana de la Vega: Ana is the most sought-after flautist of her generation and has appeared as soloist in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Philharmonie Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Wigmore Hall London, and Munich Philharmonie Gasteig, Liszt Academy Budapest, Prinzregententheater Munich to name a few. She’ll be performing at the Snow Concert Hall on 16 November. Details here.

Hetty Kate: Paris-based Australian jazz vocalist Hetty Kate will present songs from her latest release—a sparkling homage to the most effervescent of seasons, spring. At The Street, 16 November. Details here.

M16 Artspace Openings: The next block of exhibitions opens this week at M16 Artspace, including the 40th anniversary exhibition and auction. The fundraiser showcases 40 artworks from M16 studio artists and selected alumni. Details here.

COIL and ROAR: Paris-based painter Clare Thackway (an Archibald finalist) and Melbourne sculptor Emily O’Brien—both ANU alumni—explore the cultural legacies of gendered stories of shame, hysteria and transgression. Details here.

Ellery String Quartet Children’s Concert: Canberra’s Ellery String Quartet and Apeiron Baroque are hosting a children’s concert this weekend. Perfect for young children and families, the 30-minute concert includes an instrumental show-and-tell in a relaxed, informal setting. Details here.

📰 Tidbits

Canberra Rail Survey: Transport for NSW is looking into improving the Canberra to Sydney rail service. They’ve released a survey seeking feedback—if you’ve ridden the train or plan to in the future, it’s worth filling out. They might finally get around to making the much-needed improvements to the very popular but pretty poor service! Details here.

Flights to Avalon: FlyPelican has begun flights between Canberra and Avalon Airport near Geelong in Victoria. It wasn’t a smooth launch—on the inaugural flight to Avalon, pilots declared a technical issue before touchdown during wild weather. The plane was grounded from returning to Canberra while engineers checked the aircraft and made repairs. FlyPelican already operates a service between Canberra and Newcastle and flies the small 19-seater British Aerospace Jetstream 32.

Will the Floating Sauna Open Soon? Construction is moving along on the floating saunas at Lake Burley Griffin, and it looks like they’ll be opening soon—bookings are now live on their website. It’ll cost $55 for a one-hour shared session or $305 for a private session for up to six people. Details here.

Free Transport to T20 Game: If you’re going to the sold-out T20 International game between Australia and India at Manuka Oval tomorrow evening, you can travel on public transport for free. After the game, there’ll be free shuttles running to Woden and City interchanges. Details here.

🎬 Film and Screenings

Gang Gang Movie Night: This Wednesday evening, just in time for Halloween, Gang Gang will be screening Ari Aster’s 2018 horror film Hereditary. Details here.

Canberra Short Film Festival: Australia’s longest-running competition-based short film festival is celebrating 30 years! This year’s screenings of high-quality national and international films, documentaries, animations and music videos will be complemented by Q&A sessions, specialist panels, a filmmaker networking event and the awards night celebration. Details here.

Goblet of Fire: Celebrate the 20th anniversary screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with Quizzic Alley and Palace Cinemas. There’ll be a dress-up competition, prizes and Quizzic Alley’s QBrew. Details here.

🎃 Halloween in Canberra

This Friday is Halloween, and each year there seem to be more and more events happening across Canberra. I’ve shared many in recent issues—from an adults-only Questacon night to spooky laser tag and horror film festivals—I’ve now collated them all in one post. Details here.

Classifieds

🪐 Cottis Conducts The Planets: The Canberra Symphony Orchestra performs 'The Planets', an expansive, spine-tingling musical suite that served as a source of inspiration for some of cinema's greatest composers, including John Williams and Hans Zimmer. Don't miss this epic orchestral masterwork that shaped the sound of cinema itself! Details here.

✨ Master Your Stress - Master Calm! STARTING THIS WED 29th - Our popular 5-week, evidence-based Mindset course provides powerful tools to master your mindset to regulate emotions, reduce stress and build foundations for a calmer life. All levels welcome. Book now: IS-SPECIAL30/OFF1025 for $30 off. Get info & tickets now.

👨‍⚖️ The Jury: You’ve been called for jury duty. Step into a thrilling courtroom drama where the audience is the jury. Listen to testimonies, analyse evidence, and ultimately decide… guilty or not guilty? Details here.

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Classifieds support Canberra Digest