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CraftAlive, plush cappucinos and a jetty that "just won't quit": 12-19 Nov
Published 24 days ago • 10 min read
Good morning, you legend, you!
It’s still November (we already did the mild freak-out), and it’s free green-waste month where I am — which is excellent for fire-prep, less great for me pretending the garden doesn’t exist. I chucked on wireless headphones, cranked some tunes, and went to town! (The hedge lost). It’s looking better now, which is…fine. I might be a bit proud, even!
Now for the fun bit! This week is stacked across the shires: a mad number of markets (including the Christmas and twilight specials), CraftAlive rolling in with makers and demos, author talks for the bookish, a full-bodied Beef Day at Lardner, creative industries marketing workshops (learn it, launch it), the Moe Cup, and of course live gigs and more to line up your days.
With a brew in hand and the diary open, let’s plot another good one!
Know about an upcoming event, and think we need to know about it? Email us to give us a heads up, or submit an event here
Cue Up: this week's Events
West
Blues Guitar Roadshow Thursday 13 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Four guns, one stage—a fretboard showcase with stories, slide and sting. CraftAlive – Gippsland Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 November 2025 – 9:30 am–4:00 pm | Lardner Park, Warragul Hands-on craft expo: classes, demos and a serious stash of supplies.
Hit Parade (Morning Melodies) Friday 14 November 2025 – 11:00 am | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Golden-era singalongs and tight harmonies—feel-good classics for a late morning.
Mao & Bec (Sunday Session) Sunday 16 November 2025 – 12:00 pm | The Toolshed, Noojee Easy arvo tunes among the tall timbers—cosy pub vibes guaranteed.
Reversion Sunday 16 November 2025 – 2:00 pm | Yarragon Hotel, Yarragon Rock covers to pair with a late lunch and a lazy Sunday.
South + Bass
Author Talk – Peter FitzSimons AM Wednesday 12 November 2025 – 10:30 am | Berninneit, Cowes Big history, bigger yarns—the bestselling author talks tall tales and true.
Creative Industries Marketing Workshop Wednesday 12 November 2025 – 5:00 pm | Berninneit, Cowes Practical tips to lift your arts/creative marketing game—bring questions.
Ash Grunwald Saturday 15 November 2025 – 2:30 pm (doors 2:30) | Archies Creek Hotel, Archies Creek Foot-stomping blues and festival-grade energy in the hills.
Meg Doherty Sunday 16 November 2025 – 1:00 pm | Kilcunda Ocean View Hotel, Kilcunda Coastal Sunday session to match the view.
Suzannah Espie Sunday 16 November 2025 – 3:00 pm | Archies Creek Hotel, Archies Creek Alt-country icon with stories, soul and shimmer.
Mark Howard Sunday 16 November 2025 – 5:00 pm | Westernport Hotel, San Remo With the Deep Dark Blue Tour, to ease you into Sunday night.
Central
Sale Film Society – Touch (Iceland) Wednesday 12 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | The Wedge, Sale A tender, time-crossing love story on the big screen with the local cinephiles.
Ladbrokes Moe Cup (Racing) Sunday 16 November 2025 – from 11:00 am | Moe Racing Club, Moe Cup day glam, trackside thrills and family-friendly action.
Sun on the alfresco, tunes on the speaker, and the solar-heated pool doing its siren song, sounds pretty great, doesn't it? This neat 3-bed, 2-bath, 2-garage cutie is built for easy weekends and school-night sanity. Inside: stone-topped kitchen with walk-in pantry and plumbed fridge, open living, plus year-round comfort via a pellet heater and split-system. Outside: a private 528 m² block where the entertaining zone flows straight to the pool. Price guide lands at $599k, which is pretty wild given how turnkey it feels.
All hail 6.17 ha (~15 acres) of country calm with fantastic character: high ceilings, rich timber vibes, and living that drifts from a sunroom to a covered alfresco like it was just born to (or made for) hosting long lunches. It's also practical where it counts, with 3 beds, 2 baths, study, 4 car spaces (garage + carport), and pretty where it matters, with mature trees and natural creek lines framing your paddocks. It hits the sweet spot: peaceful rural life minutes to town, with the bones and setting to be your forever “how good is this?” address.
Every good home found for these sweeties changes three lives — the pet who moves in, the one their place frees up, and the human/s who take them in 🐾
South + Bass
Alice — adult Domestic Short Hair (female) Tortie glamour with couch-companion credentials. Alice is a gentle, people-oriented sweetheart who’s traded chaos for calm. She'll love window-sill naps at your place, gives loving slow blinks, and will provide evening TV supervision like a champ. She’s ready for a quiet, steady home that’ll adore her soft-spoken ways. Adopt/Info:Alice on PetRescue (SGAA, Leongatha South/Bass)
Alice is available for adoption
East Gippsland
Delia — 9-year-old Kelpie (female) A wise working girl who’s ready to trade paddocks for pats. Delia’s the kind of Kelpie who’s done her time keeping everything (and everyone) in line. These days, she’s after a softer gig somewhere she can still stretch her legs, and then have a snooze in the shade. She’s affectionate, loyal, and loves company, but would rather skip the chaos of young dogs. A calm home where she can enjoy her golden years (with plenty of cuddles and the occasional game of fetch) would suit her beautifully. Adopt/Info: Find Delia on Pet Rescue (Lakes Entrance)
Delia's ready for her forever home
Hidden Tracks
🕰️ From the Archives — When Sale Dug a Shortcut to the Sea
Before highways stole the limelight, Sale literally dug itself a port: over three "bowler-hat years" (that's years back in the day, when people wore fancy hats I guess!), about 100 workers carved ~2 km of canal by hand, linking town to the Lakes.
The Port of Sale canal opened in 1890, hailed by Alfred Deakin as "nationally important", and suddenly, riverboats could glide freight and passengers straight out to the world.
Heritage nerd note: the canal’s purpose was to provide a navigable connection from Sale to the Gippsland Lakes for goods and people.
🔓 Quiet Study & Wi-Fi Hours (Library Hack, Not a Café Bill)
Need power, Wi-Fi and a calm table, and no obligation to buy a muffin? Local libraries have you.
Myli branches (Baw Baw / Bass Coast / South Gippy) run Open/24-7 Access at select sites so members can use study areas and Wi-Fi beyond staffed hours (e.g., San Remo 8am–8pm, Waterline 7am–8pm). Quick application + induction and you’re all set.
Latrobe City Libraries list free Wi-Fi, PCs, and spaces for study/business/leisure across branches, so you can roll in, log on, and get it (sh*t) done.
East Gippy has free Wi-Fi/PCs, and on-site access to study databases, making it handy for homework, or planning.
🐛 Oddity of the Week — The Worm You Can Hear
Gippsland’s most unlikely celebrity: the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megascolides australis) can grow over 1 metre long (sometimes more), living in tight colonies beneath clay banks.
You probably won’t see them, but after rain you can sometimes hear a soft gurgle/squelch (I know, it seems weird to think of worms making sounds!) underground as they retreat from vibrations.
Please don’t dig; just enjoy the weirdness and keep their habitat intact. (Yes, they’re a legit conservation concern; and also, delightfully and bizarrely gigantic.)
Feast On: Coffee (and a tiny tapas tease)
We’ve been pacing a Gippsland caffeine safari, sipping, breathing, and sipping again (the breaks are so we don’t hit full gremlin mode). Then Twenty20 Tapas in Moe slid a cuppa across the bench and, oof.
My cappuccino had that plush, creamy mouthfeel; absolute perfect full body coffee flavour, withzero bitter after-taste. It was 100% simply a long, deep mmmmmmmm, the kind that makes you slow-blink at the cup like it told you some kind of profound secret (or you know, it just rescued your sleep-deprived brain).
Also: they run a coffee window every day, which frankly feels like a community service announcement and an incredible bonus for the Latrobe Valley.
We didn’t stay for too long but we did grab a light bite, and highly recommend the bruschetta stacked with heirloom tomatoes, feta and a lick of basil pesto. It's fresh, zippy, insanely scoffable with coffee; and the kind of “just one bite" snack that mysteriously vanishes in moments (don’t look at me like that!).
I'd suggest you file this one under: detour-worthy cuppas with easygoing vibes, and food that plays very nicely with your caffeine halo. (If you need us, we’ll be at the window, pretending this is our first cup of the day!)
Check In
🌅 Sunrise / Sunset (using Traralgon as the 'centre-point' across Gippsland)
Sunrise 5:55 am / Sunset 8:00 pm
🌕 Moon & Celestial Events
Last Quarter Moon on 12 November at 4:28 pm AEDT (~50% illumination). New Moon follows next week on 20 Nov → darker skies are rolling in.
Leonid meteors: peak ~night of 17→18 Nov. Best viewing after midnight to pre-dawn as the radiant climbs; Southern Hemisphere gets a decent show (typical rates ~10/hr). Waning crescent means minimal moon-glare.
Taurid meteors: both branches linger through mid-Nov with low rates but the occasional bright fireball. Try late evening to midnight; dark paddock vibes recommended.
Planets:
Saturn: easy evening target, best right after dusk and setting near midnight — a tidy binocular/scope look.
Jupiter: late-night to pre-dawn show-stopper, climbing high before sunrise. Worth a backyard stare if you’re up for a cheeky 1–2 am cuppa
Know about an upcoming market, and think we need to share it? Email us to give us a heads up, or submit a market here
Cue Up: this week's Markets
Here’s our markets roundup for Wed 12 – Wed 19 Nov 2025 (third weekend of the month). Short, sweet, and tote-bag ready!
West
Warragul Farmers’ Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:30 am–1:00 pm | Logan Park, Warragul Accredited growers, producers and live tunes—third-Saturday staple. Warragul Arts Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 9:00 am–1:00 pm | Civic Place, Warragul Local makers and art alongside the farmers’ market—two birds, one stroll. Drouin Craft & Produce Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 9:00 am–1:00 pm | Civic Park, Drouin Rotary-run community market with plants, bakes and crafty finds.
South + Bass
Inverloch Regional Farmers’ Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:00 am–1:00 pm | The Glade, Inverloch Coastal farmers’ market—produce, pantry treats and a seaside wander. Prom Country Farmers’ Market (Foster) Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:00 am–12:00 pm | FWMAC Gardens, Foster Small producers, fresh Gippsland fare—third-Saturday favourite. Rail Trail Community Market (Leongatha) Sunday 16 November 2025 – 8:30 am–1:00 pm | Railway Precinct, Leongatha Makers + growers by the rail trail—easy Sunday browse. Kongwak Vintage Market Sunday 16 November 2025 – 10:00 am–2:00 pm | Main St & Sheds, Kongwak Weekly vintage/collectables market with coffee and live vibes.
Central
Sale Producers’ Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:00 am–1:00 pm | Sale Showgrounds, Sale Local make/bake/sew/grow under one easy loop. Glengarry Market – Makers, Bakers & Growers Sunday 16 November 2025 – 9:00 am–1:00 pm | Main Street, Glengarry Big community turnout: produce, plants, crafts and food vans. Hill End Community Market Sunday 16 November 2025 – morning | Old Hill End School, Paynters Rd, Hill End Third-Sunday country market—handmade, produce and bric-a-brac.
East
Bruthen Christmas Market (Special) Saturday 15 November 2025 – from morning | Main Street, Bruthen Festive edition with Christmas-leaning stalls and small-town charm. Bairnsdale Uniting Church Car & Boot Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:30 am–11:30 am | Great Alpine Rd & Lanes Rd, Lucknow Third-Saturday car-boot classic—rummage heaven. Lakes Entrance Surf Club Market Saturday 15 November 2025 – 8:30 am–1:00 pm | Surf Life Saving Club, Lakes Entrance Foreshore market with beachy energy (third-Saturday program). Occasionally weather events can cause changes to markets, but Facebook is pretty reliable if you want to check that things are going ahead as planned.
Aaaand there you have it, another week packed full of stuff to do, ready for you to make up your very own mix!
Last little bits:
Tell us about events and things you know are happening so we can spread the word (free) - or email us, or message us on socials - whatever works for you.
Email us if you have suggestions, or if you'd love to talk to us about what you do, who you are, or toot someone else's horn so we can feature you (or them) (free)
Share your referral code (at the bottom of this email) with mates/enemies/your favourite local barista below (free, for them, and you).
Have a deliciously good day, and a fabulous week ahead!
If you live in Gippsland..... get the good stuff, no static.🦘🚗🌳
🗞️Original Mixtape is your free Gippsland regional newsletter, landing in your inbox every Wednesday at 7 AM.
Dropping every Wednesday morning, just in time to save your weekend plans. Get local events, new eats, weird gigs, small-town heroes, pop-ups, markets, and the odd wombat fact — all in one inbox hit. Subscribe for free⬇️
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