After more than a decade away, one of Victoria’s most loved community swimming events is back, with the City of Stonnington reviving Take the Plunge at the Harold Holt Swim Centre in Glen Iris. The event invites recreational swimmers, seasoned competitors and local families to jump in for a full day of racing, games and poolside fun. The headline race is the 1 km swim classic, a 20 lap challenge that will see participants compete for the Take the Plunge title. Swimmers can also enter the 400 m event or the fast and furious 50 m sprint, with each $20…
Author: Melbourning
The Metro Tunnel will open to passengers on 30 November – a week earlier than anticipated, with trains stopping at all five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac. The long-awaited project will reshape travel across the city, offering faster connections, relieving pressure on the City Loop and giving passengers new ways to move through Melbourne’s busiest precincts. From early December, 240 extra services a week will run through the tunnel between West Footscray and Westall, alongside extended weekend services reaching Sunbury and East Pakenham. In a landmark move to encourage locals to explore the new…
Death & Co Melbourne is now open on Flinders Lane, bringing one of the world’s most influential cocktail bars to the heart of the CBD. The launch marks the bar group’s first venture outside the United States, expanding a legacy that began in New York’s East Village in 2006 and now spans Denver, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Located at 87 Flinders Lane, the venue unfolds across two intimate spaces, the Ground Floor Bar and the Cellar Bar. The design captures the mood and sophistication that define the original Manhattan bar while folding in a distinctly local sensibility. “Only a…
Victorians have had their say, and three much loved local favourites have officially risen to the top in this year’s Vic’s Picks, the statewide competition celebrating the bakeries, fish and chip shops and family run eateries that define everyday eating across the state. Springvale’s Bun Bun Bakery has taken out the title of Victoria’s favourite bánh mì, a win that will surprise no one who has ever stood in the queue stretching out the door and along Springvale Road. Their famed pork rolls earned a special nod, praised for their textural balance and the kind of consistency that keeps customers…
Victoria’s mobile pill testing service will return to three major events over summer, with Spilt Milk on 6 December, Dangerous Goods 6XXL on 24 January and Pitch Music and Arts Festival from 6 to 10 March now locked in. The announcement confirms the next round of sites for the state’s ongoing pill testing trial, which aims to reduce drug harm at large-scale events. The service is free, confidential and run by a specialist team who test substances on the spot and give health advice based on the results. If a high-risk substance is detected, organisers can push out rapid alerts…
Lucy Durack will take centre stage at Manningham’s Carols by Candlelight this year, bringing star power to the annual community celebration returning to Ruffey Lake Park in East Doncaster on Friday 12 December. The acclaimed performer is set to host the event alongside long-time Carols favourite Richard Thomas. Durack is one of Australia’s most recognisable leading ladies, known for major roles in Wicked, Shrek the Musical, Legally Blonde and Midnight the Musical. Her screen credits span The Letdown, Sisters, A Perfect Pairing and Doctor Doctor, and she has appeared as both a judge on Australia’s Got Talent and a performer…
The 2025 Crown Australian Open is gearing up for a major return to the Melbourne Sandbelt, bringing world-class golf and peak summer energy back to Royal Melbourne Golf Club from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 December. It marks the first time since 1991 that the men’s event has been played at the iconic course, setting the stage for a blockbuster week. Masters Champion Rory McIlroy leads a strong field packed with Australian favourites Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert and Cam Davis. The combination of star power and one of the world’s most revered golf courses positions…
Jimmy Barnes has expanded his Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour, adding three new dates as demand surges for the celebration of the album that sent him to No. 1 in 1985 and locked in his status as a solo powerhouse of Australian rock. It’s been four decades since For the Working Class Man became an anthem for a generation, and Barnes is marking the milestone by performing the album in full on a national run beginning next week. The new shows include Sandstone Point Hotel on Saturday March 21, Bowral’s Centennial Vineyards on March 28, and a major Melbourne…
Eskimo Joe are gearing up for a national run that celebrates the album that took them from rising locals to chart-topping mainstays – Black Fingernails Red Wine. Released in 2026, the album became a cornerstone of Australian music history with its themes of identity, politics, and human connection that still feel as powerful and relevant as ever. The multi-ARIA Award-winning trio will perform the entire record live, front to back, as part of a capital city tour in 2026. Each show will also include a second set stacked with the band’s biggest hits from across their catalogue. The 20th Anniversary…
La Trobe University has revealed a $5 billion masterplan that will turn its vast Melbourne campus into La Trobe University City, a long-term project set to reshape the north into one of Australia’s most ambitious education-led urban precincts. The plan outlines a 30-year transformation designed to boost economic growth, expand housing and create a sustainable, innovation-focused city built around research, industry and community life. La Trobe University City will be built around four neighbourhoods accommodating up to 15,000 residents, with 15 per cent affordable housing. The plan also includes facilities for more than 40,000 students, employment for 33,500 people, a…
Melbourne’s longest running outdoor theatre tradition is back, with The Australian Shakespeare Company set to bring Glenn Elston’s production of The Wind in the Willows to the Royal Botanic Gardens from 19 December 2025 to 25 January 2026. Now in its 39th year, the show remains a summer favourite for families looking to soak up the season in one of the city’s most scenic spots. Featuring Kenneth Grahame’s much loved characters Ratty, Mole, Badger, Otter, Portly and of course the unstoppable Mr. Toad, the production blends comedy, music and interactive fun in a way that has kept generations coming back.…
Three of Australian Idol’s most recognisable voices are set to reunite on stage this December, with Rob Mills, Casey Donovan and Paulini leading The Idols of Musical Theatre at the Melbourne Recital Centre on December 27 and 28. The trio gave fans a first look this week as they stepped into the rehearsal room with longtime collaborator John Foreman, their former Australian Idol musical director, filling the space with tight harmonies and high-voltage energy. The early preview centred on an upbeat run of “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from & Juliet, revealing the chemistry still shared by the three performers who…