If youve ever dreamt of experiencing the vineyards from sunrise to sunset with a stay at one of Victorias most beautiful wineries, its time to put the stunning Mt Duneed Estate on your list.

Just over a year since first announcing the project, the luxury accommodation at Mt Duneed Estate is nearing completion, with bookings now open for stays from September.

Stay up to date with whats happening in and around the region here. 

 

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If youre a MAINfm listener (or even if youre not but want to be), its your time to shine once more as the best little not-for-profit station in the nation is gearing up for its annual MAINfm radiothon, running from July 15 to July 22 2023.

Under the theme, Bring the Noise, the three times crowned best little station in the nation is asking the community to help provide some much-needed assistance in keeping the place up and running, continuing to bring the noise the music, the talk, the singing, the song, the chit and the chat, the events and the vibe to the community. 

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Over eight days, Radiothon listeners are encouraged to tune in, subscribe and show support for the long-running regional station. There are plenty of reasons to subscribe a bounty of daily prizes will be up for grabs and everyone who subscribes during Radiothon will go in the major prize draw. 

There is an ever-growing list of businesses around town offering discounts for subscribers too. 

 

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Geelongs rich, full-bodied red wines will be the centre of it all come August when the Geelong Winter Shiraz Festival returns for its eighth event.

With winter providing the perfect time to truly indulge in the wine varietal, the annual Winter Shiraz Weekend will take place a little later this year, taking place from 4-6 August, offering guests a unique and exclusive opportunity to taste their way across a diverse selection of award-winning Geelong wineries from the Surf Coast, Moorabool Valley and Bellarine Peninsula.

Keep up with the latest food and booze news across the region here.

With delightful experiences of tastings, fine drops, and local indulgences, 19 local wineries are participating this year, offering unique programs including special masterclasses, tastings, delicious Shiraz-inspired cuisine and more while talented chefs will pair cool climate wines with hearty winter fare for a truly enjoyable time.

As always, this family-friendly event allows locals and visitors alike to explore the Bellarine Peninsula, Moorabool Valley, and the Surf Coast subregions across three days, rediscovering the delights of the Geelong wine region and discovering why Shiraz is one of our regions hero varietals.

 

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The Finders Keepers are bringing their consciously-curated markets back to Narrm/ Melbourne as they celebrate their 15th year of markets, landing back at the Royal Exhibition Building on 7-9 July.

Conscious shoppers can support more than 270 local and interstate makers and designers, including 40-plus debut sellers, across categories including ceramics, fine jewellery, slow fashion, art, local food and more.

The Finders Keepers Melbourne/ Narrm Market

• Friday 7th July 4pm 9pm
• Saturday 8th July 10am 5pm
• Sunday 9th July 10am 5pm
• Where: Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton
• Tickets: $6+fee online or cashless on the door, kids under 13 are free.

Stay up to date with whats happening within the regions art scene here. 

Hosted during NAIDOC Week, Australias leading design market will celebrate First Nations creatives with an expanded line-up of Indigenous stallholders in partnership with Aboriginal Melbourne and City of Melbourne.

Indigenous Program sellers include collectiv...

Considering the name that Katy Steele made for herself as the lead presence of Little Birdy, her debut solo album Human should have received more attention than it did. 

Released in 2016, Human marked itself as a transformative album for Steele, offering soulful disco grooves and synth-heavy ambience as a stark replacement for the melancholic post-grunge stylings of her work in Little Birdy.

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

But while it was an album that saw Steele experimenting with her sound in exciting new ways, it was a release that fell flat with its shelf-life largely struggling to maintain prominence past a short run on triple js Whats New rotation.

The same wont be said about her second studio album Big Star.

Sure, it continues to propel the anthemic pop stylings that some Little Birdy fans struggled to connect with on Human, but this time around it feels much more memorable, with Big Star delivering a powerful blend of Steeles iconic vocals alongside the greatest elements of pop music, both modern and nostalgic. 

Come And See Me ties in 80s synth-pop ambience with shimmery Fleetwood Mac-inspired earworm melodies, Falling Apart melds lo-fi techno sensibilities alongside sparkly alt-pop rhythms while title track Big Star sees Steele experiment with elements of gospel in her vocal cadence.  

While its evident that Big Star was written from a much happier perspective than Steeles work in Little Birdy, it does feel like it has less to say. But with grand arrangements, synth-heavy tonal qualities and shimmering pop-rooted guitars...

We explore a productive vegie garden that once played host to family tennis tournaments. For Jaclyn Crupi and her partner Andrew Stewardson, transforming a disused tennis court into a productive vegie garden was about finding a design that balanced history, happiness and health.  In 2019, Jaclyn and Andrew acquired half an acre on the Mornington Peninsula, less than 100 kilometres southeast of Melbourne. On it stands a mid-century home that remains practically unchanged from what would have been regarded a quite forward-thinking build in its day, right down to the pantrys cold cupboard next to the small original kitchen at

Melbourne singer and songwriter Eliott has announced her long-awaited debut album just calling to tell you Im ok, set for release on Friday August 11th (via Island Records Australia/UMA).

To celebrate, Eliott will be hitting the stage with her new tracks with her album launch shows, in Melbourne on Saturday August 12th at The Northcote Theatre and in Sydney on Saturday August 19th at the Landsdowne Hotel.

I cannot believe I am saying these wordsMy debut album is finally coming out. This record has been the therapy session I never realised I needed. Ive hurt, Ive broken, Ive grown, and Ive healed. The journey of making this album was something I could hold onto, something to keep me safe, to get through the turmoil, to speak my truth. Ive held on to it for quite some time and now its time to let it go.

Catch Eliott at Northcote Social Club in Melbourne. Tickets here.

Eliott Album Launch Tour

• Sat Aug 12 Northcote Social Club Melbourne
• Sat Aug 19 The Lansdowne Sydney

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

The news arrives hot off the heels of her moving performances this morning on triple js Like A Version. With her band in tow, Eliott pulled out all stops for two very soul-stirring performances; a cover of Jojis Glimpse Of Us and her current single, Control.

On the 12-track debut LP, Eliotts prodigious talent is on full display. At times explosive, at times searingly introspective, just calling to tell you Im ok is a compelling journey of fracturing relationships, self-discovery, and gentle, hopeful rebirth. For the listener, it will take them on a full journey, looking ahead instead of reflecting on the past.

While some of the tracks were penned in her hometown of Cobram in regional Victoria, most were written after a formative period in 2020, including spending two months in Paris alongside writer and producer Jack Grace. In the City of Lights, with no pressure to write an album or produce a hit on her back, the songs for just calling to tell you Im okay appeared.

The albums production is helmed by Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper) additional work is done by Jack Grace, Hauskey, Simon Lam, and Dylan Nash with Eliott working with a range of co-writers across the 12 tracks, including Hauskey, Nick Acquroff (NYCK), Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Xavier Dunn, Nash, Angie McMahon, Alexander Biggs, and Mlanie Pereira.

Since launching, Eliott has already accumulated 25 m...

Anyone lurking on this humble blog will have noticed that Ive become rather passionate about the state of the food industry and its impact on the global health system. All of the doctors and scientists Ive featured here in the past six months all say get off the seed oils and switch to olive or coconut oil. Which I did twenty years ago already. This got me thinking, is it even possible?

Global oilseed production is projected to reach 632 million tons on record plantings. Soybean production is forecast to rise 23 million tons to 386 million, a 6-percent increase. Production of all oilseeds is forecast to increase, with all but cottonseed and rapeseed reaching at least 10-year records.12 May 2021

On average, during the period 2016 to 2021, world production of olive oil was 3.1 million metric tons (3.4 million short tons). Spain produced 44% of world production. The next largest producers were Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco. I now refuse to buy anything but Australian olive oil after being warned by a Sicilian wwoofer who worked here that most European olive oil is cut with seed oil.

Simple maths therefore shows that theres 210 times more unhealthy oil produced globally than healthy olive oil..

Coconut oil is just as bad at 3.6 million tonnes. Worse, a quick google discovered this :

As I suspected, the whole metabolic syndrome epidemic is not a problem, its just another predicament. In fact its so much like lets switch from fossil fuels to renewables, its not funny. This ones outcome, however, is that it will kill millions, if not, eventually billions of people.. And when youre in serious overshoot, population collapse is the only outcome.

according to Dr Robert Lustig who was one of Nate Hagens recent blog guests, the growth in diabetes in the USA (quite...

A small reptile not seen in Victoria for over 50 years and thought to be extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in a secret Victorian location.

The landmark discovery of a Victorian grassland earless dragon population was announced today, which provides renewed hope for the critically endangered species last sighted in 1969.

Stay up to date with whats happening in and around the region here.

 

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Arriving in Australian cinemas on 29 June, Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus) plays an American veteran turned yoga teacher who would become the first whistleblower of the Trump era, in this tense Berlinale-premiering docudrama Reality.

When a 25-year-old named Reality Winner (Sweeney) pulls into the driveway of her Augusta, Georgia, rental on a Saturday afternoon in June 2017, she is met by two FBI agents in possession of a search warrant.

Stay up to date with whats happening within the regions art scene here. 

Seemingly unfazed, Winner hands over her mobile phone, tends to her animals and packs away her perishables before leading Agents Garrick (Josh Hamilton) and Taylor (Marchnt Davis) to a dingy backroom of her house where an hour-long interview unfolds.

Using dialogue taken entirely from the FBIs actual transcript of the interrogation, debut filmmaker Tina Satter creates a tense thriller that offers an unobstructed view of one of the most polarising political events in recent US history.

Based on true events, the film has been hailed as Uncannily brilliant (The Guardian) with Variety describing Sydney Sweeney as revelatory. 

The movie, which is 83 minutes long, will hit cinemas on 29 June 2023.

To celebrate the films arrival, were giving five lucky Forte readers the chance to win a double pass each to Reality, which is screening from 29 June in Australian cinemas.

To be in the running, all you have to do is enter your name and email below. Passes will be sent via email.

By entering, you agree to receive marketing collateral from Forte and competition partners. For more info, check out our privacy policy.

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<p>The Melbourne-based Cry Club have finally unveiled their highly-anticipated second album, Spite Will Save Me, along with their focus single, Get Up!!!, and the announcement of their upcoming Australian headline tour. The album, three years in the making, was crafted during Melbournes lockdowns, where Heather Riley (they/them) and Jono Tooke (he/him) decided to infuse their at-home songwriting sessions with fun and creative freedom to compensate for the absence of live performances.</p> <h3>Cry Club Australian tour</h3> <ul> <li>August 25 The Vanguard, Sydney/Eora</li> <li>August 26 Tomcat, Brisbane/Meanjin</li> <li>September 2 Northcote Social Club, Melbourne/Naarm</li> <li>September 9 Crown & Anchor, Adelaide/Kaurna

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews </i></b><a href= "https://fortemag.com.au/music/"><span class= "s1"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <p> </p> <div style="display: flex;"> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex;"> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style= "display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style= "color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"> <div style="margin-left: 8px;">...</div> </div> </div> </blockquote>

In the heart of the Leopold community, a cherished institution bids farewell. After years of serving up crispy golden fish, perfectly cooked chips and mouthwatering burgers, Opsys Leopold Drive thru Fish N Chips is handing over the keys.

A warm and welcoming haven, where families gathered, friends caught up, and generations shared stories over shared platters of delectable seafood and where friendly staff always greeted you with a smile for the past 47 years, the owners of the small family business, Peter and Helen Opsimoulis, announced the sale of Opsys Leopold on social media this week.

Keep up with the latest food and booze news across the region here.

It is with bittersweet feelings to inform you on the sale of our small family-owned business Opsys Leopold, the post read.

Back in 1976 our family business began with an empty shop and a drive to give. Five fish and chip shops later, our family grew and we started our 6th but 1st drive-through shop Opsys Leopold where after 11 years, three generations have thrived working all together.

Serving the Bellarine Peninsula for the last 47 years of nothing less than hard work and endless amounts of time, we have decided to give ourselves a small break before we move on to the next phase of our lives.

 

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Wherever Jesse Hughes, Sarah Horsburgh, and Matt and Amelia Baird go, good times seem to follow. ALMA, a contemporary South American shared-style restaurant, came first in 2017, gifting Geelong a decadent dining experience.

In 2021, the team opened Felix a remarkable and elegant new restaurant building on their winning formula of a distinguished menu, edgy styling and exceptional service.

Keep up with the latest food and booze news across the region here.

In short, the team understands hospitality and the importance of quality experiences very, very well. Together theyre hoping to bring plenty of both to Geelongs iconic Barwon Edge Boathouse, a gorgeous hidden treasure on the river banks of the Barwon River that they and pretty much every other local have an affinity with.

Loved by many, the community was rocked back in May when the owners of the Barwon Edge Boathouse announced they were closing its doors, 17 and a half years after opening.

Little did we know, the Felix and ALMA team had other (huge and exciting) plans, now officially announcing they have taken the reins of the much loved and iconic site at Barwon Edge.

After admiring the beauty of the site at Barwon Edge for many years, we feel incredibly privileged to have a chance to operate there and call it our new home, the team shared.

 

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By Mibenge Nsenduluka June 23 2023  https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8245773/former-labor-cabinet-minister-condemns-368b-aukus-deal/

Midnight Oil frontman and former Labor cabinet minister Peter Garrett has again condemned Australias security deal with the United States and United Kingdom, calling the $368 billion agreement costly and risky.

Mr Garrett said the decision to purchase a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines was a huge gamble and should not be allowed to proceed, while speaking at a public forum in Melbourne.

Its the biggest, its the most costly and its the riskiest decision ever taken by any Australian government short of governments committing us to war and should not be allowed, he said on Friday.

He applauded recent backlash from some Labor party members and unions, saying a slew of academic and foreign policy experts also backed the push against AUKUS.

So we are not alone, a basic and a major objection to AUKUS lies in the aspects of the arrangement which see us reversing our foreign policy and defence posture thats been generally in place since World War II, Mr Garrett said.

Were going from a focus of direct defence as it is currently constituted to a concentration on forward defence.

Mr Garrett in March said AUKUS would produce increasing volumes of high-level radioactive waste that would be stored for tens of thousands of years in the Australian environment.

It follows stinging remarks by former Labor prime minister Paul Keating earlier this year.

Mr Keating said the new security deal was the worst international decision since conscription during WWI.

Under the deal, which is part of the AUKUS security arrangement, Australia will command a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines within the next three decades.

A number of Labor branches have been agitating for the government to dump its support for nuclear-powered submarines and AUKUS.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government remains committed.

The view of my government is very, very clear and is unwavering in its support for AUKUS, in its support for issues about our national security and about our interests in the defence of this nation, he told reporters on Thursday.