SUNfest Encourages Youngsters to Try New Activities

SUNFEST is getting kids off the couch and encouraging them to be active with lots of sports available to try.

Last week kids at SUNfest got a chance to try out different sports including squash, abseiling, indoor rock climbing and skateboarding.

Week two of SUNfest is shaping up to be very active.

On Monday youths around the region tried their hands at water sports including: surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking in Seventeen Seventy.

Head to the hockey grounds for Hook in2 hockey, a program teaching kids the basic skills of hockey to get them involved in Gladstone's hockey scene.

If hockey isn't for you then head next door to the Gladstone tennis/squash complex to give tennis a go.

Or head to the Awoonga headwaters adventure day to learn more about the environment while swimming, walking and canoeing.

WHAT'S ON

TODAY

• PCYC master chef day.
• Summer Reading Club Craft Gladstone City Library. Time: 9.30am.
• SUNfest photography workshop at Canoe Point. Time: 9am-noon. Cost: $15.
• SUNfest hot shoes/flash mob dancin' in the street at St Stephens Lutheran College, Time: today and tomorrow 9am-3pm. Cost: $30.
• SUNfest Lil' Kids klay kreetures clay workshop at Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum. Time: 10am-noon. Cost: $10.
• SUNfest Lil' Kids wirework wildlife at Tondoon Botanic Gardens and Calliope Community Centre. Time: 10.30am-12.30pm (Gladstone), 2-4pm (Calliope).

TOMORROW

• PCYC Rockhampton Zoo excursion. Cost: $12 addition to standard day fee.
• Scrapbook Fantasies, 2pm cardmaking and 3.30pm scrapbooking.
• SUNfest Hook in2 Hockey, at Rigby Park. Time: 9am-noon. Cost: $6 (booked ticket).
• SUNfest recycled lanterns at PCYC. Time: tomorrow and Thursday 10am-3pm. Cost: $20 for both days.
• SUNfest Awoonga headwaters adventure day. Meet up at Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum. Time: 8am-5pm. Cost: $35 (booked ticket).
• Summer Reading Club Craft, Calliope and Agnes Water libraries 9.30am.

Sydney Festival Off to a Flying Start

SYDNEY'S FESTIVAL VILLAGE BIGGER THAN EVER

Sydney Festival Village turns Hyde Park into a stage, with live acts into the night and a Stonehenge bouncy castle for kids.

It takes a village to raise a child, and at the Sydney Festival's village in Hyde Park that proverb has been taken quite literally.

Hundreds of children and quite a few adults wasted no time leaping on Sacrilege, the life-size bouncy castle replica of Stonehenge.

Festival director Lieven Bertels said artists Jeff Koons and Carsten Holler explored playfulness in their art but ''nobody took it to heart as much as Jeremy Deller with this one''.

A Turner Prize-winning artist, Deller invites people to jump, run and cartwheel on his artwork, and his depiction of one of Britain's ancient monuments is far from the reverential treatment it usually suffers.

''We still don't know what it was,'' Bertels said. ''It's a place of worship most likely but he does this and gives it the title of Sacrilege.''

Bertels said the squishy Stonehenge was an ideal symbol of the festival: ''We do very serious stuff and we are also perhaps the most playful of the Australian festivals.''

Sacrilege is part of the greatly expanded Festival Village, which has tripled in size with two circus tents - the Spiegeltent and Circus Ronaldo tent - providing the stage for contemporary music acts such as Amanda Palmer and the circus and cabaret shows Limbo and Scotch & Soda.

The latter are strictly adults only, especially if contortionist Philipp Tigris's jaw-dropping feats of flexibility are any guide as demonstrated to passers-by in Hyde Park on Wednesday.

''That's what I can do with an easy warm-up,'' said Tigris, who performs in Limbo. ''I only had a couple of minutes to warm up so this is the basic stuff.''

Tigris said he took up contortionism aged seven, much to his parent's displeasure. ''My family are doctors. My mum is a physiotherapist but maybe that's why I did it,'' he said.

''When mum and dad say don't do that, of course you do it.''

Jam-packed Week of Holiday Fun as SUNfest Gets Underway

SUNfest got started yesterday with a variety of activities for youngsters around the region. 

Children at Seventeen Seventy battled it out with Lazer Skirmish and Gladstone kids showed their creative side at the SUNfest Lil' Kids Creative Tangle Doodle Art workshop, where they learned how to draw things using their hands as a pattern. 

The Young Dancers Company began their five-day dance workshop, allowing aspiring dancers to try hip-hop, jazz, ballet, tap and contemporary dance styles. 

On Tuesday the PCYC is venturing to the Botanic Gardens for an Amazing Race event and Bunnings is holding a mask-making workshop. 

The Gladstone Regional Libraries' Summer Reading Club craft sessions start on Tuesday. Children can make disguises, finger-print art and crack the mystery parcels. 

The Summer Reading Club is also a competition; to win a prize kids need to have read 10 or more books and whoever reads the most will win a bike. 

SUNfest heats up later this week with more Laser Skirmish, claymation music videos, photography, drama and jewellery-making workshops. 

SUNFEST PROGRAM 

TUESDAY 

Laser Skirmish at Canoe Point. Time: 12.30-3.30pm and 4-6.30pm. 

War-Gaming and Introduction to Tabletop Gaming at Calliope Community Centre. Time: 1-4pm. 

Paintball Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum. Time: 8.30am-2.30pm. 

Lil' Kids Papier Mache Fish workshop at Mt Larcom Room and Boyne Tannum. 

WEDNESDAY 

Laser Skirmish at Tondoon Botanic Gardens. Time: 12.30-3.30pm and 4-6.30pm. 

Photography workshop at Tondoon Botanic Gardens. Time: 9amnoon. 

Claymation Music Videos at Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum. Time: January 8-9, 10am-3pm. 

Lil' Kids Funky Paper Bead Jewellery workshop at PCYC. Time: 9am-noon. 

Lil' Kids So You Think You Can Act at Boyne Tannum Community Centre. Time: January 8-9, 9am-2pm. 

THURSDAY 

War-Gaming and Introduction to Tabletop Gaming at Boyne Tannum Community Centre and Gladstone City Library. Time: 1-4pm. 

Squash at Gladstone Tennis/Squash Complex. Time: 3-5pm. 

Melted Madness crayon art workshop at Boyne Tannum Community Centre. Time: 13pm. 

Overnight Escape to Awoonga Dam and Harmony Farm Activity excursion. Time: 8am. 

Lil' Kids Paper Mache Fish Workshop at Gladstone Regional Art Gallery. Time: 9.30am-12.30pm. 

Lil' Kids Indoor Rock Climbing, Abseiling and Sportwall at Tannum Fitness Centre. Time: 9am-1pm. 

FRIDAY 

Skateboard Art workshop at Police Citizens Youth Club Time: 1-4pm 

Mini Me Puppets Bunkaru style puppet workshop at Gladstone Regional Art Gallery & Museum Time: 10am-noon 

Party On at the Pool/Zorb Balls at the Gladstone Aquatic Centre Time: 4-8pm 

Lil' Kids Funky Paper Bead Jewellery Workshop for 10-11 year olds at Boyne Tannum Community Centre Time: 9am-noon 

Lil' Kids Skateboard Art Workshop for 10-11 year olds at Police Citizen Youth Club Time: 9am-noon 

Lil' Kids The Amazing Art Race for 10-11 year olds at Canoe Point Time: 1.30-3.30pm 

Lil' Kids Recycled Wearable Art for 10-11 year olds at Tondoon Botanic Gardens Time: 9-11am

Indian Tourists Flocking to Australia, Says Report

Melbourne: Indian tourists are flocking to see beauty of Australia taking the total number of overseas travellers from the region to over 134,000 from January to October this year, a report said.

According to latest data of Tourism Australia, a total of 134,000 visitors from India visited Australia during October this year, an increase of 9.5 per cent as compared to the same period previous year.

According to its Tourism Forecast Committee report released earlier this year, visitor arrivals from India were predicted to rise by 7.5 per cent and 7.6 per cent to 1,63,800 in 2012-13 and 176,300 in 2013-14 respectively.

"Markets expected to experience strongest gains in visitor volumes in 2012?13 are China (15.9 per cent), Malaysia (13.9 per cent), Singapore (12.5 per cent) and India (7.5 per cent)," it said.

"This revision represents a difference of 6500 more visitors in aggregate. In the longer term to 2021-22, average annual growth of 7.2 per cent to 306,100 visitors is expected," the report cited while note trends from Indian tourists.

It said that average length of stay rose 20 per cent to 66 nights per trip while total nights in hotels, motels and guest houses and serviced apartments rose 17.2 per cent to 0.5 million compared with same period in 2011-12.

"Visitor expenditure is fore casted to rise 19.8 per cent in 2012-13 to USD 867 million.

In the longer term to 2021-22, average annual growth of 10.9 per cent is forecast to USD 2 billion, representing an upward revision of USD 354 million,"?the?report predicted.

Last year, Tourism Australia had launched India 2020 Strategic Plan which was developed to maximise India`s tourism potential and set a foundation for the future, when long haul leisure travel by Indians becomes more common.

Australia Day Squash Challenge Ipswich, QLD 2014

The Ipswich Squash Open Australia Day Challenge will be held from the 23rd – 26th January 2014.  The challenge will include:

• Open Women’s Competition
• Open Men’s Competition
• Graded mens and womens events for local players

This event will be a great opportunity to see the pro’s play with a number of top seeded Australian and international players entered.

Local players can also join in the competition with the graded events.

Keep checking the website for further details including your chance to hit with the pro’s on Friday, 24th January.

View the official site for more information

Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks to be intergalactic: Reg Mombassa

New Year's Eve plans: the event's creative ambassador Reg Mombassa with Sydney's lord mayor Clover Moore. Photo: Ben Rushton

Sydney Harbour Bridge will put on its biggest midnight display yet when more than a billion people cast their eyes to the harbour city on New Year's Eve.

But artist and musician Reg Mombassa, the event's creative ambassador, said its logo of an "all-seeing eye" was not a hint that crowds might see one staring back.

"If I gave the slightest bit of information away I'd be locked up for treason," the Mambo artist and Mental As Anything rocker said.

What was revealed on Monday was news that the much-anticipated bridge effect, thanks to 16 kilometres of rope light, will be twice as big as previous years – stretching 12 storeys high and 72 metres wide.

Mombassa, who confirmed that this New Year's Eve would be his first work in pyrotechnics, said he was reliably informed Sydney's display would stand out.

"Apparently the fireworks, the Sydney fireworks, are actually visible from the closest galactic supercluster, the Virgo Supercluster, which is 65 million light years from earth.

So there will be some insect-faced aliens enjoying the fireworks display, which is nice to know," Mombassa said.

"Unfortunately the pathetic displays from the other cities won't be visible from that distance.”


Also joining the party will be the Sydney Opera House, which will launch more than 1000 fireworks from its sails as it marks its 40th birthday.

It is the first time the world famous building has been incorporated into the fireworks display in more than a decade, using specially developed pyrotechnics that will not damage its exterior.

Sydney's lord mayor Clover Moore said the $6.8 million fireworks display was the city's gift to Sydney.

About 1.5 million people are expected at the harbour and another 1.1 billion will watch a broadcast of the harbourside festivities, Cr Moore said.

“We are marking the 40th anniversary of Sydney Opera House in the best way that Sydney NYE knows how – brilliant, specially-designed fireworks, firing from the world-famous sails," Cr Moore said.

"I expect this year's event to have one of the most creative fireworks displays Sydney has seen.”

Fortunato Foti, now in his 14th year as the director of the fireworks, said this year was again a challenge to create a display bigger than in previous years.

"Inspiration for this year's fireworks display has been taken from Reg Mombassa's work which, as always, is very colourful and unique. It's been a challenge pulling it together, but I think the crowds will be impressed on the night," Mr Foti said.

And revellers will also have the chance to take home more than photos and memories, for $120.

In an Australian first, a collector's coin featuring a coloured hologram depicting the bridge effect, will be available for sale.

The "Shine" Logo by local artist: Reg Mombassa

Biggest Production to Date Heads Down Under as Sydney Festival Countdown Begins.

With just a month to opening night preparations are well underway for Sasha Waltz’s iconic production of Dido and Aeneas, the centerpiece of January’s Sydney Festival. The much applauded, 

spectacular rendering of the oldest love story in English opera famously commences with a prologue that is danced underwater in a giant fish tank to be mounted on the stage of Sydney’s Lyric Theatre (the only stage strong enough to support the show).

The set travels in four 40-foot shipping containers and will arrive on December 29. Once installed at The Star, the 9 metre long aquarium will be filled with a staggering 7,500 litres of (mercifully heated) water. To accommodate the tricky set changes, pumps are used to empty the water quickly from the aquarium after the dancers have finished performing in it.  The tank is then split in two and moved into the wings.

The German director and dancer’s choreographed version of Purcell’s baroque masterpiece is due to be accompanied by one of the world’s leading baroque ensembles, the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin. 

The cast list is headed by mezzo soprano Aurore Ugolin as Queen Dido and British baritone Reuben Willcox as her vacillating lover Aeneas. The cast also includes experienced singers of the likes of British soprano Deborah York as Dido’s confidant Belinda and tenor Fabrice Mantegna in the travesty role of the sorceress.

With flying dancers and a special role for the choreographer’s eight-year-old daughter, this is one of the biggest productions ever to come to an Australian festival and is similar in size to Théâtre du Soleil’s Flood Drummers, which was presented at Sydney Festival 2002.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris is leading the cheers for Waltz’s latest Australian outing and was keen to stress a possible special resonance for Sydneysiders. “Dido & Aeneas by Sasha Waltz will provide the kind of unique and cutting edge cultural experience for which Sydney Festival is renowned,” he said. 

“The aquatic theme, retelling the ancient and tragic tale of unrequited love involving Dido the Queen of Carthage and the Trojan hero Aeneas, is sure to resonate with Sydney audiences given our own love of the water.”

Dido and Aeneas plays The Lyric Theatre at the Star from January 16-21.