Welcome to this week's Melbourne events, exhibitions, sports and community guide for January 21 - January 27, 2008.
This week, Australia Day is celebrated loud and proud with the Voyages Concert at Federation Square, Eltham Town's Jazz and Blues Festival, and the big music-fest, Kiss My Grass! There are still more festivities yet with Skandia Geelong Week beginning this week, while Midsumma Melbourne Festival continues, along with Herring Island Summer Arts and the Port Fairy Moyneyana Festival.. The School Holidays also hold plenty of action for the kids and new events in the School Holiday Guide!
There are sport details, special dining offers and info on upcoming events and highlights in beautiful Melbourne, so read on and enjoy!
Not receiving our newsletter? Get your copy of What's On this Week!
Major Events Guide
The Eltham Town Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival
Now in its ninth year, this free festival transforms Eltham Town and the place comes alive as locals and visitors bring their families to mingle and enjoy the music, food, wine, art and shopping in its vibrant cafe society and diverse shopping precinct. It takes place over the Australia Day weekend - January 26th and 27th, 2008. And best of all, Admission is Free!
Skandia Geelong Week, held from January 24th to 28th, is the largest sailing regatta in Australia with over 400 yachts competing over five days. Skandia Geelong Week is the complete entertainment package offering something for the young and the young at heart with the City of Greater Geelong a buzz with loads of entertainment, gravity-defying displays from the RAAF Roulettes and the popular K-Rock Starshow!
Midsumma Festival, Melbourne's premier gay and lesbian arts and cultural festival, continues this week, marking 20 years of gay and lesbian arts, culture and community. The 2008 Festival will be an enormous showcase of queer culture with over 180 unique events programmed including the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames! Opening celebrations begin this Saturday with Carnival Day and T-Dance.
The Herring Island Summer Arts Festival begins January 12, with special events taking place every Saturday and Sunday until February 20. Held at the Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park in Toorak, there will be five groups exhibiting throughout the festival and special events on Australia Day weekend. The work on show includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing and more.
Port Fairy's Moyneyana Festival celebrates 60 years this year with a huge range of events and activities. Beginning on December 24, 2007, the Moyneyana Festival runs till January, 31, 2008. During the festival the Village Green comes alive with an Emergency Services Day, plus Art on the Green. There will also be a Giant 60th Birthday Party on the Village Green on Australia Day, with cake, games, and fun for all!
Australia Day Celebrations
The Australia Day Voyages Concert, held at Federation Square on Saturday, is a drumming extravaganza this year with some of the best percussion bands hitting the main stage. Beginning at 7pm, the Voyages Concert features music by Mahindra Bali, Raju Sharma, One Africa (pictured) and many more! Earlier in the day, the Australian Open is on the Big Screen, with fireworks following the concert!
Great Australia Day Duck Race - It will be every duck for him/herself on Monday January 28th 2008, when thousands of yellow rubber ducks race along a section of the Yarra River taking part in Melbourne's Great Australia Day Duck Race! Watch a flotilla of numbered, bright yellow rubber ducks (with Lifesaver caps!) race in the middle of the Yarra River - located between the Engineers Lawn and the boatsheds.
All of Us is Australia's largest ever photographic portrait show. Displayed across the walls of Federation Square's Crossbar Building, the photos by Michel Lawrence will be launched on Australia Day and feature over 200 residents from different backgrounds.
School Holiday Guide
Check out our School Holiday Guide for a head start on things to do with the kids during the school holidays in January, 2008.
Updated Weekly with all the Latest Events!!
The guide is updated weekly to highlight the best things to do over the holiday period for the young and young at heart, to help you find perfect ways to enjoy the holidays with events, tours and holiday care programs.. all in marvellous Melbourne!
Intermezzo, presented by The Glass Percussion Project, is an installation of over 1400 hand-blown glass objects. Located in Federation Square's Fracture Gallery in the Atrium, the display also offers free performances that include sound and percussion music.
People, Places, Animals is a major survey of work by acclaimed British artist , whose real-life photos of his family became a notorious part of the 1997 Saatchi exhibition Sensation. The exhibition is currently at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Masks of China at the Immigration Museum features handmade masks from China, some which are over 200 years old. With free entry for children the exhibition includes fun kids activity trail with the chance to sketch and colour-in their own mask!
Power and Beauty - Indigenous Art Now, is showing at the Heide Museum of Modern Art. With works from contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in all areas of Australia, the exhibits attest to the artists' resilience in holding on to their culture.
Arts & Theatre
Coles Girls is a kitsch musical comedy that romps through every aisle as checkout girls, Lysa Nads and Leesa Alopecia, two No frills, Home Brand girls, contemplate their lives in the supermarket line through song. It plays at Northcote Town Hall from January 24.
Thieving Boy is one of two one-act plays written by the late Tim Conigrave, writer of one of the most successful gay love stories in Australian publishing history. Along with Like Stars In My Hands, the plays examine mortality, love, sex and belonging.
Vaudeville X, performed by Michael Dalley and High Performance Company is a musical comedy that satirises the middle class with mischievous wit. Winner of the Victorian Green Room Award for 'Best Original Songs in Cabaret', it plays at the Arts Centre.
Jazz in the Gardens returns this summer with Stonnington's parks and gardens hosting a series of sensational free outdoor concerts. This Sunday, at Malvern Gardens, performances begin 6pm, with Nigel McLean and Kerri Simpson.
Entertainment & Nightlife
Kiss My Grass boasts the largest line-up of DJ's, celebrating Australia Day on January 26 with an all-out, all-Australian day of music and entertainment at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Presented by Kiss FM, 2008's event promises to be bigger and better!
Spensers Live presents superb entertainment and quality food in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
Every Tuesday night you'll find Jazz with the Michael Jordan Trio, featuring Steve Magnussen.
Nissan Moonlight Cinema is Australia's favourite summer outdoor cinema screening recent, classic and contemporary films in the Royal Botanic Gardens' stunning parklands! This Wednesday, Grease is screening. Tell me more, tell more!
The Rooftop Cinema at Curtin House flickers into action all Summer, with films screening Tuesday to Sunday. Enjoy the night lights, classic cinema and the rooftop bar! This week's program features the Australian classic, Mad Max, on Saturday.
Scheduled for completion in late 2008, the winners will also recieve two guided tours throughout 2008 to see the construction progress, a commemorative gift and invitations to the official VIP launch!
Competition Ends 12th of February 2008
$12,000 Cash Bonanza! Here's your chance to share in a $12,000 CASH BONANZA, courtesy of Financial Services Online! Apply free online for any comparative quote & you automatically qualify for free entry into their monthly prize draw of $1,000!
Cleanskins.com sell premium Australian wines direct to the public at up to 50% off retail prices, offering Free Home Delivery and a 100% Money Back Guarantee.
Perfect for all lovers of wine, their impressive range of wines and service were recommended on Channel 7's Today Tonight and Channel 9's A Current Affair.
Saganaki Greek Cuisine & Grill offer sensational cuisine, and a perfect atmosphere set amidst quality design with floor to ceiling windows displaying the Docklands' water views. The Modern Greek cuisine is prepared using only the very best local produce.
Menulog Home Delivery is a great chance to eat fine cuisine at home! With over 300 of the best restaurants on offer, you're sure to find something to suit any taste or occasion. To find fast and easy delivery in your area, Visit Here.
Sporting Events
Tennis
Australian Open - Australia's premier tennis event of the year continues this week, running until January 27th. Held over 2 weeks, the tournament sees many of the world's greatest tennis players hitting Melbourne's courts for an action-packed Summer!
Markets, Fetes and Fairs
Bittern Sunday Market offers a variety of over 80 stalls selling new and used goods, craft, plants and flowers, fruit and vegetables, food, coffee and much more. Located at Frankston's Bittern Railway Station, the market has been operating for over 30 years.
Melbourne Market Guide - 4th Week of this Month
Make the most of the sunny days and hop along to one of Melbourne's many excellent markets, fetes and fairs this weekend for a bargain! An increasing number of food and produce markets including wine are always popping up around the suburbs. And don't forget garage sales!
The Suzuki Night Market has returned for summer at Queen Victoria Market, running Wednesday nights weekly through to February. Now a summer tradition, the Suzuki Night Market offers a great mix of unusual products, great food and atmosphere!
Code One Victoria Police Band
Melbourne's own Police band play pop music from early 50s through to the latest Top 40 hits.
This Sunday - 12 noon to 2pm
Melbourne For Kids
Sand Sculpting Australia - In 2008, after seven years on the Rye foreshore, Sand Sculpting Australia will be relocating to an exciting new venue - the 'Frankston Waterfront'! The area will be transformed as 3,500 tonnes of sand are meticulously carved into scenes from your favourite childhood 'Fairytales and Fables'. Integrated with the sand sculptures will be regular activities to keep the whole family entertained!
The Wind in the Willows - Pack a picnic, pack the kids... and enjoy a day out in Melbourne's beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens with Rat, Mole, Badger, and, of course, Mr Toad! A must for the holidays, there will be performances running until January 26.
The Independent Games Festival Exhibition is an interactive showcase of selected winners and nominees of the Independent Games Festival. The exhibition features a stunning selection of work such as Samarost 2 (pictured).
Circus Royale is a totally professional traditional circus staged in a luxury tent featuring International circus stars, high wire walkers, swing trapeze, clowns, acrobats, drummers, jugglers and more!
Performances will be running until January 28th in Geelong at Barwon Activity Centre Grounds - located at Belmont Common.
Family Tours
Puffing Billy Tour - take a tour the whole family can enjoy with a ride on Puffing Billy, Australia's best-loved steam train! Winding its way through lush ferns and towering timbers, this fantastic tour offers may treats, including wine tasting for the adults and also a trip to Healesville Sanctuary that kids will love!
Doncaster & Templestowe Playgroup Open Day
Held on Thursday, January 24th, this special Open Day offers a chance to chat with playgroup members and enrol kids in the local playgroup. Kids can take part in arts, crafts and meet special guest, CC the Clown!
Learn to Knit at Prahran Library - Every Wednesday at Prahran Library there is a free one-hour knitting class for people of all ages and experience. A great way to make friends and be creative, the classes begin at 1:30pm - needles and wool can be provided.
Yoga at the Park is an initiative of The Health and Yoga Council of Australia, presenting Yoga classes in some of Victoria's most beautiful parks and gardens. Set in a relaxed environment, classes are designed to suit many age groups and levels of experience.
You Can Help
There are many social causes that are relevant to people from all walks of life, many of which rely on public support to better the community or assist those who are less fortunate. This week we ask you to consider the following..
FebFast is a community education and awareness campaign that invites you to help others and also yourself by sacrificing alcohol intake during the month of February. Participants, sponsored by friends and family, can help raise funds to assist organisations that support young people struggling with substance use. You can even purchase a Time Out Certificate allowing you to drink on special occasions and raise more funds!
Advertising your Business or Event at OnlyMelbourne is not only easy, but best of all it's FREE!! - Get Listed.. - don't forget to tell your friends!
Each week we highlight five of the latest additions to OnlyMelbourne's ever growing guide to services, businesses and information sites for your community.
This week we suggest the following:
The Book Abyss - Online store with discount books up to 50% off!
The world's very first 'walk through' enclosure at a zoo was created at Melbourne Zoo in 1967.
With lions enclosed in a large landscaped pit, bridges are erected high above, allowing visitors to the zoo a 'walk' through the enclosure, gaining a more up-close and personal view of the lions for the first time ever.
Welcome to this week's Melbourne events, exhibitions, sports and community guide for January 21 - January 27, 2008.
This week, Australia Day is celebrated loud and proud with the Voyages Concert at Federation Square, Eltham Town's Jazz and Blues Festival, and the big music-fest, Kiss My Grass! There are still more festivities yet with Skandia Geelong Week beginning this week, while Midsumma Melbourne Festival continues, along with Herring Island Summer Arts and the Port Fairy Moyneyana Festival.. The School Holidays also hold plenty of action for the kids and new events in the School Holiday Guide!
There are sport details, special dining offers and info on upcoming events and highlights in beautiful Melbourne, so read on and enjoy!
Not receiving our newsletter? Get your copy of What's On this Week!
Major Events Guide
The Eltham Town Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival
Now in its ninth year, this free festival transforms Eltham Town and the place comes alive as locals and visitors bring their families to mingle and enjoy the music, food, wine, art and shopping in its vibrant cafe society and diverse shopping precinct. It takes place over the Australia Day weekend - January 26th and 27th, 2008. And best of all, Admission is Free!
Skandia Geelong Week, held from January 24th to 28th, is the largest sailing regatta in Australia with over 400 yachts competing over five days. Skandia Geelong Week is the complete entertainment package offering something for the young and the young at heart with the City of Greater Geelong a buzz with loads of entertainment, gravity-defying displays from the RAAF Roulettes and the popular K-Rock Starshow!
Midsumma Festival, Melbourne's premier gay and lesbian arts and cultural festival, continues this week, marking 20 years of gay and lesbian arts, culture and community. The 2008 Festival will be an enormous showcase of queer culture with over 180 unique events programmed including the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames! Opening celebrations begin this Saturday with Carnival Day and T-Dance.
The Herring Island Summer Arts Festival begins January 12, with special events taking place every Saturday and Sunday until February 20. Held at the Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park in Toorak, there will be five groups exhibiting throughout the festival and special events on Australia Day weekend. The work on show includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing and more.
Port Fairy's Moyneyana Festival celebrates 60 years this year with a huge range of events and activities. Beginning on December 24, 2007, the Moyneyana Festival runs till January, 31, 2008. During the festival the Village Green comes alive with an Emergency Services Day, plus Art on the Green. There will also be a Giant 60th Birthday Party on the Village Green on Australia Day, with cake, games, and fun for all!
Australia Day Celebrations
The Australia Day Voyages Concert, held at Federation Square on Saturday, is a drumming extravaganza this year with some of the best percussion bands hitting the main stage. Beginning at 7pm, the Voyages Concert features music by Mahindra Bali, Raju Sharma, One Africa (pictured) and many more! Earlier in the day, the Australian Open is on the Big Screen, with fireworks following the concert!
Great Australia Day Duck Race - It will be every duck for him/herself on Monday January 28th 2008, when thousands of yellow rubber ducks race along a section of the Yarra River taking part in Melbourne's Great Australia Day Duck Race! Watch a flotilla of numbered, bright yellow rubber ducks (with Lifesaver caps!) race in the middle of the Yarra River - located between the Engineers Lawn and the boatsheds.
All of Us is Australia's largest ever photographic portrait show. Displayed across the walls of Federation Square's Crossbar Building, the photos by Michel Lawrence will be launched on Australia Day and feature over 200 residents from different backgrounds.
School Holiday Guide
Check out our School Holiday Guide for a head start on things to do with the kids during the school holidays in January, 2008.
Updated Weekly with all the Latest Events!!
The guide is updated weekly to highlight the best things to do over the holiday period for the young and young at heart, to help you find perfect ways to enjoy the holidays with events, tours and holiday care programs.. all in marvellous Melbourne!
Intermezzo, presented by The Glass Percussion Project, is an installation of over 1400 hand-blown glass objects. Located in Federation Square's Fracture Gallery in the Atrium, the display also offers free performances that include sound and percussion music.
People, Places, Animals is a major survey of work by acclaimed British artist , whose real-life photos of his family became a notorious part of the 1997 Saatchi exhibition Sensation. The exhibition is currently at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Masks of China at the Immigration Museum features handmade masks from China, some which are over 200 years old. With free entry for children the exhibition includes fun kids activity trail with the chance to sketch and colour-in their own mask!
Power and Beauty - Indigenous Art Now, is showing at the Heide Museum of Modern Art. With works from contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in all areas of Australia, the exhibits attest to the artists' resilience in holding on to their culture.
Arts & Theatre
Coles Girls is a kitsch musical comedy that romps through every aisle as checkout girls, Lysa Nads and Leesa Alopecia, two No frills, Home Brand girls, contemplate their lives in the supermarket line through song. It plays at Northcote Town Hall from January 24.
Thieving Boy is one of two one-act plays written by the late Tim Conigrave, writer of one of the most successful gay love stories in Australian publishing history. Along with Like Stars In My Hands, the plays examine mortality, love, sex and belonging.
Vaudeville X, performed by Michael Dalley and High Performance Company is a musical comedy that satirises the middle class with mischievous wit. Winner of the Victorian Green Room Award for 'Best Original Songs in Cabaret', it plays at the Arts Centre.
Jazz in the Gardens returns this summer with Stonnington's parks and gardens hosting a series of sensational free outdoor concerts. This Sunday, at Malvern Gardens, performances begin 6pm, with Nigel McLean and Kerri Simpson.
Entertainment & Nightlife
Kiss My Grass boasts the largest line-up of DJ's, celebrating Australia Day on January 26 with an all-out, all-Australian day of music and entertainment at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Presented by Kiss FM, 2008's event promises to be bigger and better!
Spensers Live presents superb entertainment and quality food in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
Every Tuesday night you'll find Jazz with the Michael Jordan Trio, featuring Steve Magnussen.
Nissan Moonlight Cinema is Australia's favourite summer outdoor cinema screening recent, classic and contemporary films in the Royal Botanic Gardens' stunning parklands! This Wednesday, Grease is screening. Tell me more, tell more!
The Rooftop Cinema at Curtin House flickers into action all Summer, with films screening Tuesday to Sunday. Enjoy the night lights, classic cinema and the rooftop bar! This week's program features the Australian classic, Mad Max, on Saturday.
Scheduled for completion in late 2008, the winners will also recieve two guided tours throughout 2008 to see the construction progress, a commemorative gift and invitations to the official VIP launch!
Competition Ends 12th of February 2008
$12,000 Cash Bonanza! Here's your chance to share in a $12,000 CASH BONANZA, courtesy of Financial Services Online! Apply free online for any comparative quote & you automatically qualify for free entry into their monthly prize draw of $1,000!
Cleanskins.com sell premium Australian wines direct to the public at up to 50% off retail prices, offering Free Home Delivery and a 100% Money Back Guarantee.
Perfect for all lovers of wine, their impressive range of wines and service were recommended on Channel 7's Today Tonight and Channel 9's A Current Affair.
Saganaki Greek Cuisine & Grill offer sensational cuisine, and a perfect atmosphere set amidst quality design with floor to ceiling windows displaying the Docklands' water views. The Modern Greek cuisine is prepared using only the very best local produce.
Menulog Home Delivery is a great chance to eat fine cuisine at home! With over 300 of the best restaurants on offer, you're sure to find something to suit any taste or occasion. To find fast and easy delivery in your area, Visit Here.
Sporting Events
Tennis
Australian Open - Australia's premier tennis event of the year continues this week, running until January 27th. Held over 2 weeks, the tournament sees many of the world's greatest tennis players hitting Melbourne's courts for an action-packed Summer!
Markets, Fetes and Fairs
Bittern Sunday Market offers a variety of over 80 stalls selling new and used goods, craft, plants and flowers, fruit and vegetables, food, coffee and much more. Located at Frankston's Bittern Railway Station, the market has been operating for over 30 years.
Melbourne Market Guide - 4th Week of this Month
Make the most of the sunny days and hop along to one of Melbourne's many excellent markets, fetes and fairs this weekend for a bargain! An increasing number of food and produce markets including wine are always popping up around the suburbs. And don't forget garage sales!
The Suzuki Night Market has returned for summer at Queen Victoria Market, running Wednesday nights weekly through to February. Now a summer tradition, the Suzuki Night Market offers a great mix of unusual products, great food and atmosphere!
Code One Victoria Police Band
Melbourne's own Police band play pop music from early 50s through to the latest Top 40 hits.
This Sunday - 12 noon to 2pm
Melbourne For Kids
Sand Sculpting Australia - In 2008, after seven years on the Rye foreshore, Sand Sculpting Australia will be relocating to an exciting new venue - the 'Frankston Waterfront'! The area will be transformed as 3,500 tonnes of sand are meticulously carved into scenes from your favourite childhood 'Fairytales and Fables'. Integrated with the sand sculptures will be regular activities to keep the whole family entertained!
The Wind in the Willows - Pack a picnic, pack the kids... and enjoy a day out in Melbourne's beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens with Rat, Mole, Badger, and, of course, Mr Toad! A must for the holidays, there will be performances running until January 26.
The Independent Games Festival Exhibition is an interactive showcase of selected winners and nominees of the Independent Games Festival. The exhibition features a stunning selection of work such as Samarost 2 (pictured).
Circus Royale is a totally professional traditional circus staged in a luxury tent featuring International circus stars, high wire walkers, swing trapeze, clowns, acrobats, drummers, jugglers and more!
Performances will be running until January 28th in Geelong at Barwon Activity Centre Grounds - located at Belmont Common.
Family Tours
Puffing Billy Tour - take a tour the whole family can enjoy with a ride on Puffing Billy, Australia's best-loved steam train! Winding its way through lush ferns and towering timbers, this fantastic tour offers may treats, including wine tasting for the adults and also a trip to Healesville Sanctuary that kids will love!
Doncaster & Templestowe Playgroup Open Day
Held on Thursday, January 24th, this special Open Day offers a chance to chat with playgroup members and enrol kids in the local playgroup. Kids can take part in arts, crafts and meet special guest, CC the Clown!
Learn to Knit at Prahran Library - Every Wednesday at Prahran Library there is a free one-hour knitting class for people of all ages and experience. A great way to make friends and be creative, the classes begin at 1:30pm - needles and wool can be provided.
Yoga at the Park is an initiative of The Health and Yoga Council of Australia, presenting Yoga classes in some of Victoria's most beautiful parks and gardens. Set in a relaxed environment, classes are designed to suit many age groups and levels of experience.
You Can Help
There are many social causes that are relevant to people from all walks of life, many of which rely on public support to better the community or assist those who are less fortunate. This week we ask you to consider the following..
FebFast is a community education and awareness campaign that invites you to help others and also yourself by sacrificing alcohol intake during the month of February. Participants, sponsored by friends and family, can help raise funds to assist organisations that support young people struggling with substance use. You can even purchase a Time Out Certificate allowing you to drink on special occasions and raise more funds!
Advertising your Business or Event at OnlyMelbourne is not only easy, but best of all it's FREE!! - Get Listed.. - don't forget to tell your friends!
Each week we highlight five of the latest additions to OnlyMelbourne's ever growing guide to services, businesses and information sites for your community.
This week we suggest the following:
The Book Abyss - Online store with discount books up to 50% off!
The world's very first 'walk through' enclosure at a zoo was created at Melbourne Zoo in 1967.
With lions enclosed in a large landscaped pit, bridges are erected high above, allowing visitors to the zoo a 'walk' through the enclosure, gaining a more up-close and personal view of the lions for the first time ever.
The Eltham Town Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival 
Skandia Geelong Week, held from January 24th to 28th, is the largest sailing regatta in Australia with over 400 yachts competing over five days. Skandia Geelong Week is the complete entertainment package offering something for the young and the young at heart with the City of Greater Geelong a buzz with loads of entertainment, gravity-defying displays from the RAAF Roulettes and the popular K-Rock Starshow!
Midsumma Festival, Melbourne's premier gay and lesbian arts and cultural festival, continues this week, marking 20 years of gay and lesbian arts, culture and community. The 2008 Festival will be an enormous showcase of queer culture with over 180 unique events programmed including the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames! Opening celebrations begin this Saturday with Carnival Day and T-Dance.
The Herring Island Summer Arts Festival begins January 12, with special events taking place every Saturday and Sunday until February 20. Held at the Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park in Toorak, there will be five groups exhibiting throughout the festival and special events on Australia Day weekend. The work on show includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing and more.
Port Fairy's Moyneyana Festival celebrates 60 years this year with a huge range of events and activities. Beginning on December 24, 2007, the Moyneyana Festival runs till January, 31, 2008. During the festival the Village Green comes alive with an Emergency Services Day, plus Art on the Green. There will also be a Giant 60th Birthday Party on the Village Green on Australia Day, with cake, games, and fun for all!
The Australia Day Voyages Concert, held at Federation Square on Saturday, is a drumming extravaganza this year with some of the best percussion bands hitting the main stage. Beginning at 7pm, the Voyages Concert features music by Mahindra Bali, Raju Sharma, One Africa (pictured) and many more! Earlier in the day, the Australian Open is on the Big Screen, with fireworks following the concert!
Great Australia Day Duck Race - It will be every duck for him/herself on Monday January 28th 2008, when thousands of yellow rubber ducks race along a section of the Yarra River taking part in Melbourne's Great Australia Day Duck Race! Watch a flotilla of numbered, bright yellow rubber ducks (with Lifesaver caps!) race in the middle of the Yarra River - located between the Engineers Lawn and the boatsheds.
All of Us is Australia's largest ever photographic portrait show. Displayed across the walls of Federation Square's Crossbar Building, the photos by Michel Lawrence will be launched on Australia Day and feature over 200 residents from different backgrounds.
Check out our School Holiday Guide for a head start on things to do with the kids during the school holidays in January, 2008.
Intermezzo, presented by The Glass Percussion Project, is an installation of over 1400 hand-blown glass objects. Located in Federation Square's Fracture Gallery in the Atrium, the display also offers free performances that include sound and percussion music.
People, Places, Animals is a major survey of work by acclaimed British artist 
Masks of China at the Immigration Museum features handmade masks from China, some which are over 200 years old. With free entry for children the exhibition includes fun kids activity trail with the chance to sketch and colour-in their own mask!
Power and Beauty - Indigenous Art Now, is showing at the Heide Museum of Modern Art. With works from contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in all areas of Australia, the exhibits attest to the artists' resilience in holding on to their culture.
Coles Girls is a kitsch musical comedy that romps through every aisle as checkout girls, Lysa Nads and Leesa Alopecia, two No frills, Home Brand girls, contemplate their lives in the supermarket line through song. It plays at Northcote Town Hall from January 24.
Thieving Boy is one of two one-act plays written by the late Tim Conigrave, writer of one of the most successful gay love stories in Australian publishing history. Along with Like Stars In My Hands, the plays examine mortality, love, sex and belonging.
Vaudeville X, performed by Michael Dalley and High Performance Company is a musical comedy that satirises the middle class with mischievous wit. Winner of the Victorian Green Room Award for 'Best Original Songs in Cabaret', it plays at the Arts Centre.
Jazz in the Gardens returns this summer with Stonnington's parks and gardens hosting a series of sensational free outdoor concerts. This Sunday, at Malvern Gardens, performances begin 6pm, with Nigel McLean and Kerri Simpson.
Kiss My Grass boasts the largest line-up of DJ's, celebrating Australia Day on January 26 with an all-out, all-Australian day of music and entertainment at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Presented by Kiss FM, 2008's event promises to be bigger and better!
Spensers Live presents superb entertainment and quality food in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
Nissan Moonlight Cinema is Australia's favourite summer outdoor cinema screening recent, classic and contemporary films in the Royal Botanic Gardens' stunning parklands! This Wednesday, Grease is screening. Tell me more, tell more!
The Rooftop Cinema at Curtin House flickers into action all Summer, with films screening Tuesday to Sunday. Enjoy the night lights, classic cinema and the rooftop bar! This week's program features the Australian classic, Mad Max, on Saturday.
Be the first to ride the Wheel - a ride to remember! 
$12,000 Cash Bonanza! Here's your chance to share in a $12,000 CASH BONANZA, courtesy of Financial Services Online! Apply free online for any comparative quote & you automatically qualify for free entry into their monthly prize draw of $1,000!
Cleanskins.com sell premium Australian wines direct to the public at up to 50% off retail prices, offering Free Home Delivery and a 100% Money Back Guarantee.
Saganaki Greek Cuisine & Grill offer sensational cuisine, and a perfect atmosphere set amidst quality design with floor to ceiling windows displaying the Docklands' water views. The Modern Greek cuisine is prepared using only the very best local produce.
Australian Open - Australia's premier tennis event of the year continues this week, running until January 27th. Held over 2 weeks, the tournament sees many of the world's greatest tennis players hitting Melbourne's courts for an action-packed Summer!
Bittern Sunday Market offers a variety of over 80 stalls selling new and used goods, craft, plants and flowers, fruit and vegetables, food, coffee and much more. Located at Frankston's Bittern Railway Station, the market has been operating for over 30 years.
Melbourne Market Guide - 4th Week of this Month
The Suzuki Night Market has returned for summer at Queen Victoria Market, running Wednesday nights weekly through to February. Now a summer tradition, the Suzuki Night Market offers a great mix of unusual products, great food and atmosphere!
Sand Sculpting Australia - In 2008, after seven years on the Rye foreshore, Sand Sculpting Australia will be relocating to an exciting new venue - the 'Frankston Waterfront'! The area will be transformed as 3,500 tonnes of sand are meticulously carved into scenes from your favourite childhood 'Fairytales and Fables'. Integrated with the sand sculptures will be regular activities to keep the whole family entertained!
The Wind in the Willows - Pack a picnic, pack the kids... and enjoy a day out in Melbourne's beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens with Rat, Mole, Badger, and, of course, Mr Toad! A must for the holidays, there will be performances running until January 26.
The Independent Games Festival Exhibition is an interactive showcase of selected winners and nominees of the Independent Games Festival. The exhibition features a stunning selection of work such as Samarost 2 (pictured).
Circus Royale is a totally professional traditional circus staged in a luxury tent featuring International circus stars, high wire walkers, swing trapeze, clowns, acrobats, drummers, jugglers and more!
Puffing Billy Tour - take a tour the whole family can enjoy with a ride on Puffing Billy, Australia's best-loved steam train! Winding its way through lush ferns and towering timbers, this fantastic tour offers may treats, including wine tasting for the adults and also a trip to Healesville Sanctuary that kids will love!
Doncaster & Templestowe Playgroup Open Day 
Learn to Knit at Prahran Library - Every Wednesday at Prahran Library there is a free one-hour knitting class for people of all ages and experience. A great way to make friends and be creative, the classes begin at 1:30pm - needles and wool can be provided.
Yoga at the Park is an initiative of The Health and Yoga Council of Australia, presenting Yoga classes in some of Victoria's most beautiful parks and gardens. Set in a relaxed environment, classes are designed to suit many age groups and levels of experience.
FebFast is a community education and awareness campaign that invites you to help others and also yourself by sacrificing alcohol intake during the month of February. Participants, sponsored by friends and family, can help raise funds to assist organisations that support young people struggling with substance use. You can even purchase a Time Out Certificate allowing you to drink on special occasions and raise more funds!
