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Stringbusters, spring gardens, and a recipe for the aurora: 19-26 Nov
Published 17 days ago • 9 min read
Goood morning ratbag!
So, unless you've not been paying any attention, there's been a whole damn lot of aurora activity over the last week. And as we're still in the new moon period, this is still a good time for it if we have more solar flares (and things align again).
SO here's my aurora 'recipe', before we resume our regular programming:
Ingredients:
Dark skies (moonless, or v. little moon, and not in city/towns)
Clear skies (clouds, begone!)
Space weather (we need strong solar activity for the aurora to happen)
Aurora app or similar to help forecast aurora
Method - when aurora is forecast:
Go outside when it's dark (but clear). Towns and lights are not good for aurora spotting.
Face South, and be South (the further south you are, the better).
Bring a camera (in case you can't see it with your eyeballs - often it's not visible to the naked eye, especially when it's not very strong)
Tips:
There's some excellent Aurora Hunters groups on Facebook with loads of free information on auroras.
The most reliable app for aurora forecasting is the Glendale App.
Watch the weather and moon phases - there's no point going out aurora chasing if the skies have packed it in, or the night sky is too bright!
Best of luck, and let us know if you spot any stunning night skies!
NOW onto this weeks' mixtape:
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
Sharing some of the things coming up across Gippsland this week....
Chamber Series Masterclass with Eliza Shephard Wednesday 19 November 2025 – 4:00 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Player pick-me-up: tone, technique, and pro tips with a leading flautist.
Open Mic – The House Thursday 20 November 2025 – 7:00 pm | The House, Yarragon Easy, supportive stage—bring a mate and a song.
The Mandolin Muse Thursday 20 November 2025 – 6:30 pm | The Irish Bar, Trafalgar Plucky Thursday session in a cosy room.
Sing-A-Long ABBA Saturday 22 November 2025 – 8:00 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Sequins, earworms, and a hall full of Dancing Queens.
INXSIVE + Gold Chisel (double tribute) Saturday 22 November 2025 – 8:00 pm | The Wedge, Sale INXS vs. Cold Chisel—wall-to-wall Aussie anthems in one night.
Regurgitator + Laura & The Hell Cutz (festival arvo) Saturday 22 November 2025 – from 1:00 pm | Live at the Bundy, Bundalaguah Alt-rock legends in a country hall—Gippsland magic (sold out but there's a waitlist)
Latrobe Orchestra – This Is Us Sunday 23 November 2025 – time tbc | GPAC, Traralgon Local orchestra in full voice—cinematic program, hometown pride.
Strzelecki Stringbusters – Album Launch Wednesday 26 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | Yinnar Hotel, Yinnar Big choir of banjos and beards—beloved local super-stringband.
Kitty Flanagan – Glad Game Wednesday 26 November 2025 – 8:00 pm | GPAC Main Theatre, Traralgon Deadpan queen brings the fresh hour—15+ only.
East
Vintage Folk (Friday Session) Friday 21 November 2025 – 6:30 pm | Mingling Waters, Nowa Nowa Warm harmonies by the creek to start your weekend soft.
Psychedelic Fugitives Friday 21 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | Lakes Entrance RSL, Lakes Entrance Classic rockers with a fuzz-kissed edge; dance floor encouraged.
🔍 Heads up: Event details sometimes change without notice — always double-check with an organiser or official event page before you head on out!
This one is absolutely delivering on "summer-in-a-bottle" vibes. It's a freshly spruced up 3-bed beach cottage, sitting on a tidy ~624 m² block right in the village, so your weekend mornings could look like a coffee run, followed by slinging your towel over a shoulder and taking a short amble down to Ninety Mile Beach for a saltwater reset. Inside, this place has had the "unsexy" jobs already handled, so you can get straight to the fun bits styling sunlit corners, firing up the barbie on the front deck, and stashing boards/fishing rods where you can grab ’n’ go.
Why it’s a quiet achiever: you’re just walking distance to the Seaspray SLSC (patrolled beach + casual bistro), the Merrimans Creek boat ramp for estuary paddles, and gateways into Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, for long dune walks and sunset fishing. This one has a low-maintenance footprint, for high-impact lifestyle.
This one is a crest-of-the-hill sanctuary, set on ~4,522 m² (≈1.1 acres) at the quiet end of a cul-de-sac. This 3-bed, 2-bath, and 4-car coastal homestead does the whole "big-sky" thing pretty darn well, with incredible uninterrupted sea views, wraparound outdoor living, and enough lawn for backyard cricket, followed by stargazing after dinner. Inside living flows the way you want "weekender-to-forever" homes to flow, with generous open living and a deck that keeps drawing you outside whenever the light goes golden.
What makes this one reign: you’re perched between ocean and estuary, minutes to patrolled surf at the Surf Life Saving Club, or creek paddles at Merrimans, and the endless ribbon of Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park. Plus, add the privacy of a court position and the space to host without tripping over everyone, and you’ve got the Seaspray dream dialled to “perfection".
8 Ocean View Rd, Seaspray
Track Down: Gippsland Gardens
We've got a little green pick-me-up after early November's utterly soggy sagas, with three Gippsland gardens that are absolutely primed for a late-spring wander (sounds wild, doesn't it, calling this 'late spring' already?!). The sun’s been peeking back out and hopefully it continues that trend, the trails are begging for a stroll, and the benches might be calling your name. Lace up, take out your keep-cup or drink bottle (hydration is important!), and let’s go for a wander....
If “country-estate daydream” is your mood, Broughton Hall definitely serves it up by the acre. This place is a stunning gem in Jindivick with sweeping terraces tumbling towards Tarago views, lush planting “rooms” that change colour as you turn a corner, and a genuine sense that you’ve wandered into the pages of a fancy garden book. It’s in seasonal glory right now, with spring open days running through mid-December, and the on-site nursery is stacked with rare and unusual temptations for the car boot afterwards. Highly recommend you make plans to visit, and make sure you give yourself some time to linger here.
Lakeside breezes, grand old trees, and a peafowl or two strutting like they’re on the payroll, yep, it's gotta be Sale’s botanic gardens. These are the effortless “anytime for a quick wander” choice. The paths here are generous and well-mapped for accessibility, there’s a self-guided Significant Tree Walk you can do if you like a little mission, and the light along Lake Guthridge at golden hour is a little bit of a show-off. Crucially for impromptu plans, the gardens never close and entry is free, so you can swing by for a pre-dinner lap or a post-school run reset, and still feel like you’ve had a good outing. (Walking Maps)
When you want the full perfume cloud, this is the hit. More than 3,500 roses are massed in lovely manicured beds across two hectares, which means volumes of colour, geometry and scent doing a three-part harmony for your enjoyment. This is perfect for a slow wander along the central paths. It’s wheelchair-friendly, it’s free, and apparently it’s open 24 hours, so you can time your visit for sunrise softness, or twilight glow if you like, and you might even feel like you’ve got the place to yourself. Peak late-spring is when it really turns it on, just follow your nose and let the petals do the rest.
Have some other gardens you highly, highly rate? Let us know, we love plants!
Check In
🌅 Sunrise / Sunset (Traralgon)
Sunrise 5:50 am / Sunset 8:08 pm AEDT
🌕 Moon & Celestial Events
New Moon on 20 Nov at 5:47 pm AEDT (0% illumination) → the darkest skies of the month. First Quarter arrives 28 Nov at 5:58 pm AEDT.
Leonid meteors: still active through ~30 Nov, with peak just passed (17–18 Nov). Thanks to the New Moon, pre-dawn windows remain nicely dark; try ~2–5 am, face NE–E from a dark paddock. Expect modest southern-hemisphere rates, but the occasional fast streak is on the cards.
Taurid meteors: lingering into late November with low rates but occasional fireballs. Best chances late evening to midnight on moonless nights early in the week.
Planets & highlights:
Uranus at opposition on 21 Nov — brightest for 2025; a fun binocular/small-scope challenge under New-Moon skies.
Jupiter owns the late evening → pre-dawn sky; easy naked-eye showpiece all week.
Saturn sits comfortably in the evening; rings pop in any small telescope.
Constellation snack: Orion and the Pleiades (M45) lift higher by late evening — perfect bright-star targets for beginners while the deep-sky crew feast on New-Moon darkness (first half of the week).
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 19 – Wed 26 Nov 2025 (fourth weekend of the month) - which one/s will you get out to?
Yarragon Community Craft & Produce Market Saturday 22 November 2025 – 9:00 am–1:00 pm | Waterloo Park/Public Hall, Yarragon Fourth-Saturday village market: fresh produce, crafts and easy country vibes. Kongwak Vintage & Collectables Market Sunday 23 November 2025 – 10:00 am–2:00 pm | Kongwak General Store & Sheds, Kongwak Weekly retro/collectables favourite with live tunes, plants and good coffee.
Traralgon Farmers’ Market (Lions) Saturday 22 November 2025 – 8:00 am–1:00 pm | Kay Street Gardens, Traralgon Fourth-Saturday growers’ market: produce, pantry treats and handmade goods.
Sale Sunday Market Sunday 23 November 2025 – 7:00 am–1:00 pm | Thompson River Canal Reserve, Sale Classic car-boot + stalls—rummage, plants, preserves and more.
Paynesville Farmers’ & Makers’ Market Saturday 22 November 2025 – 8:00 am–12:30 pm | Paynesville Foreshore (Gilsenan Reserve), Paynesville Fourth-Saturday lakeside stroll with local produce and handmade finds.
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 on that note, please go forth and do all the coolest things this week!
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 bloody good one, and catch you on the flipside!
P.S Trivia Answer - Biggest Inland Water Maze. D: Gippsland Lakes. That's right, it's got the grand honour of being the largest inland waterway in Australia.
A$5.00
Smashed Avo Fund
We’re hunting down Mrs. T’s secret lamington stash🔎 and eavesdropping on the pub’s latest buzz — so you don’t have to. ... Read more
If you live in Gippsland..... get the good stuff, no static.🦘🚗🌳
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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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