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Cup weekend, pastry seeking a forever home, and kangaroos in sheets: 29 Oct - 5 Nov
Published about 1 month ago • 12 min read
Good morning and happy Wednesday!
And just like that (oh no, I said it!), we’re skidding fast toward Halloween and the end of the month. October’s been a ride, with wild winds, bucketloads of rain, the odd tease of warmth..... My Tarra plans last weekend got wind and rain-swept into next week; hope your weekend didn’t end with drowned-rat chic like mine did!
We’re almost past the pumpkins-and-skeletons, and hurtling toward tinsel season! FYI, I strongly believe carols in October should be illegal, but I digress.... it's a far better use of our collective attention with this week’s Mixtape.
On deck we have: Cup Day shenanigans, live music wall-to-wall, a sprinkle of comedy, a dash of hypnosis (consent and giggles only), and your favourite markets. Oh, and Halloween lands Friday, with costumes optional, mischief always encouraged.
Dial in, plan your week, and let’s make it a 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
EXPRESSIONS FESTIVAL 2025 (Opening Night) Thursday 30 October 2025 – 6:00 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul WGAC flips the lights for a fresh season showcase—local talent, big stage sparkle.
Kenny Rogers & Friends (Tribute) Friday 31 October 2025 – 7:30 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul “All in for the Gambler”—golden country classics with lush harmonies.
Elvis to the Extreme Saturday 1 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Jumpsuits, swagger and a hit-stacked Presley salute. HANS – Young, Fun & 21 Sunday 2 November 2025 – 3:00 pm | West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Sequins, sass and keytar chaos—pure glitter therapy.
Melbourne Cup Calcutta – Warragul Country Club Sunday 2 November 2025 – 3 pm | Warragul Country Club, Warragul Calcutta draw and auction to kick off Cup week; $5 tickets at the venue, finger food included.
Live Music Sundays (Cup weekend) Sunday 2 November 2025 – 3–6 pm | Warragul Country Club, Warragul Acoustic arvo set—easy breezy pre-Cup wind-down.
Graham Hawes (Cup Day session) Tuesday 4 November 2025 – 1 pm | Noojee Hotel, Noojee Laid-back arvo tunes in the hills to pair with Cup coverage - bookings essential.
South + Bass
Invy Horn Jam Wednesday 29 October 2025 – 1:30 pm | Warrawee Club, Inverloch Brass and reeds blowing spring-clean fresh—bring your horn or just enjoy.
Manna Gum Halloween Spooktacular Friday 31 October 2025 – from 4pm | Manna Gum Community House, 33 Station Road, Foster Family-friendly Halloween celebration at the community house—costumes welcome and community vibes in spades.
Glenn Richards (Augie March) – Solo Friday 31 October 2025 – 8:30 pm | Archies Creek Hotel, Archies Creek Songcraft master in an intimate country room—Halloween with heart.
Jimi Kempsey Friday 31 October 2025 – 7:30 pm | The Wooli Tavern, Cape Woolamai Roots-tinged pub night by the sea. Monday Morning Melodies – Corie Blackley Monday 3 November 2025 – | The Wooli Tavern, 1 Vista Pl, Cape Woolamai Sing-along favourites with Corie Blackley in a warm, all-ages morning session—includes a cuppa for good measure.
Julia Deans & Jonnie Goes To Church Monday 3 November 2025 – 7:30 pm | Archies Creek Hotel, Archies Creek Trans-Tasman indie charm on Cup Eve.
Melbourne Cup Bowls & Lunch Tuesday 4 November 2025 – 11 am–5 pm | Inverloch Bowling Club, Inverloch Social bowls, sweeps and a chicken-and-salad lunch; hat parade encouraged.
Central
Hilarious Comedy Hypnosis Show Thursday 30 October 2025 – 7:00 pm | The Wedge (John Leslie Theatre), Sale Mind-bending, laugh-forward theatre night—bring your best friend, they might be the star.
Delsinki + Brooke Taylor – Live at the Bundy Friday 31 October 2025 – evening | Live at the Bundy (Bundalaguah–Myrtlebank Hall), Bundalaguah Two acclaimed singer-songwriters in a legendary country hall—close-up, unplugged charm. Kenny Rogers & Friends (Tribute) Saturday 1 November 2025 – 7:00 pm | The Wedge, Sale Islands in the Stream and a jukebox of country staples.
The Flaming Mushrooms (Cup Eve coastal run) Monday 3 November 2025 – 8 pm | Woodside Beach Hotel, Woodside Beach Great riffs, mad tunes, chilled bevvies, and all around good vibes.
East
Ryan Shore (Friday session) Friday 31 October 2025 – 6:30 pm | Mingling Waters, Nowa Nowa Acoustic creekside ease to roll into Cup weekend.
Suzie So Blue Friday 31 October 2025 – 7:30 pm | Kalimna Hotel, Kalimna Bluesy Friday with lake views.
Rendezvous Friday 31 October 2025 – 8 pm | Lakes Entrance RSL, Lakes Entrance Classic covers and dance-floor favourites.
Tall Dan & The True Stories Saturday 1 November 2025 – 7 pm | Paynesville Wine Bar, Paynesville Story-rich tunes in a cosy waterside room.
Suzie So Blue Saturday 1 November 2025 – 8 pm | Marlo Hotel, Marlo River-mouth blues on Cup-eve Saturday night.
Pip wants to be your one and only. Will absolutely thrive if she doesn’t have to share her human. Pip’s in Baw Baw Shire’s care and she’s ready for her fresh start. She'll do best as the only pet in the home with full licence to hog the couch, the treats, and your attention. She’s already desexed, microchipped and assessed so won't be walking into mystery chaos.
Flaky pastry name, but with a solid personality. Croissant’s the kind of cat who’ll win you over without even trying, he's curious, confident, and fond of turning everyday moments into a slow blink competition. He’s young enough to keep life interesting, but past the total chaos of kittenhood. He's currently bunking at Animal Aid Gippsland (Sale) and waiting for his forever home (ideally one with warm laps, and the occasional pastry pun).
This is a bushy hideout with real soul: 3 bedrooms on a double allotment right on Noojee’s main drag, just a short stroll for a pie and a flat white at Little Red Duck Cafe, a wander to the picnic grounds, and then you could go salute the old trestle bridge before dinner. Talk about weekender goals with this one. Inside is honest and ready for a freshen up: outside is where it wins, with river-fringe vibes in a setting you just can’t fake.
Meet “The Ridge”: an off-grid, 172-acre sanctuary on two titles with cinematic views over Mt Worth and the Strzeleckis. It's a great (actually, incredible) combination of luxe-meets-self-sufficiency, featuring modern home comfort, absolute privacy, and a totally expansive horizon. If your dream brief is “zero neighbours, 100% wow,” this one is the crown-jewel.
🕰️ From the Archives — The Day Sale’s Swing Bridge Started Swinging Again
For most of the 20th century the Sale Swing Bridge barely budged after regular openings stopped in 1938.
After a highway bypass completed in 2002, VicRoads kicked off a full restoration in late 2003 and wrapped it up by early 2006. With a ceremonial hand-swing done by Ann Synan, the great-great-granddaughter of legendary bridgekeeper Eliza Ball, the region marked the bridge’s return to life.
These days it opens on a set schedule (weekends + a mid-week slot) using a portable hydraulic unit, making it a piece of local heritage theatre that you can time your coffee to.
🔓 Local Life Hack — Your Library Card Is a Streaming & News Pass
Got a Gippsland library card? You’re sitting on a legit home-access bundle.
Movies & docos: Beamafilm is included for Latrobe City Libraries members, ~1,800+ indie films, festival picks, and true-story gems. Log in with your card, watch from the couch.
Newspapers & mags: PressReader (also via Latrobe City Libraries) unlocks thousands of papers and magazines; sign in with card + PIN to read online or download for offline.
Books & audio: BorrowBox is standard across Gippsland services (incl. Wellington Shire Libraries). Install the app, add your card, and you’ve got eBooks, eAudio, even eMags.
East Gippy extra: their eLibrary adds databases like Public Library Complete (on library Wi-Fi/PCs) alongside the usual app suite.
South + Bass + Baw Baw: libraries run via Myli with essentially the same deal: join free, then hit the eResources section for streaming, ebooks and more.
How to unlock in 60 seconds: search your shire’s library site → eResources → pick the service (Beamafilm/PressReader/BorrowBox) → sign in with your library card + PIN → boom, rainy-day gold without paying a cent. (Content varies by service, so check your shire’s list.)
🧩 “What Am I?” — Timber Giant Edition
Clues: I’m all legs, no walls. Built from mountain ash. Steam once tip-toed over me; now weekend wanderers do. I survived flames, floods, and a thousand Instagram proposals. What am I?
Answer at the end of the newsletter.
Air Time: Sunrise & Sunset Spots for Spring Skies
So we were thinking about those “stretch out your legs, pause and breathe deep, and watch the sky put on a show” moments.....there have been some beautiful pastel skies of late (when the clouds actually enhance things, instead of buggering it all up!).
With that in mind, thought it might be nice to hunt for Gippsland’s best sunrise/sunset hangouts. Some of these are ones we've checked out, some are recommended to us (but not yet explored), and of course if you have a favourite spot and you're willing to share, hit reply and let us know!
Cape Woolamai & the Pinnacles — Phillip Island Wild cliffs, sea birds on the wing and those volcanic Pinnacles blazing in late-arvo light. Do the loop track for multiple vantage points and stay for the glow show as Bass Strait goes molten.
Walhalla Goldfields Railway trestles— Walhalla Even off-service days, the Stringers Creek gorge trestles and cuts deliver texture and depth for late-arvo frames.
Whisky Bay — Wilsons Prom An easy 400 m wander over dunes and—bam!—granite boulders framing a curve of sand. It’s one of those rare places on the east coast where you can watch the sun drop into the ocean, with silky reflections across wet sand at low tide.
Mount Tassie Lookout — Tarra-Bulga Highest point of the Strzeleckis; layers of hills toward the Latrobe Valley make classic pink-to-indigo stacks at dawn/dusk. (Access via lookout road; rough in places.)
Metung Boardwalk & Shaving Point — Metung Follow the timber boardwalk along Bancroft Bay for glassy dawns, bobbing boats and pelicans in silhouette. Then wander to Shaving Point for a front-row seat to morning light over the water.
Jemmys Point Lookout & Kalimna Jetty — Lakes Entrance/Kalimna Two of the best vantage points over The Entrance, Ninety Mile Beach and the maze of lakes. Go for sunset when the channels catch orange and magenta.
Salmon Rocks — Cape Conran Wave-sculpted orange granite plus big Pacific light = cinematic dawns. Just make sure to watch out for swells and keep to the tracks. Just make sure to check online to ensure the park is open before you go.
Honorable Mention: Our Dark-sky Darlings Loch Sport, Lake Tyers/Cape Conran, Marlo, Omeo, Buchan and more are part of the region’s astro-tourism push, with low light pollution and extra wide horizons. Check local forecasts and moon phase, then go soak up the sparkle.
That’s your sky-chasing cheat sheet for this week. Pick a horizon, cue up your playlist, and go collect a pocketful of pinks, golds and star-speckled blues....
Check In
🌅 Sunrise / Sunset
Wed 29 Oct: ~6:09 am / 7:44 pm AEDT
🌕 Moon & Celestial Events
First Quarter on 30 October (morning), building to a Super Full Moon on 5–6 November. Expect bright moonlight to wash out fainter targets near the week’s end.
Scorpius & Milky Way core: still visible after dusk in the south, but moonlight increases through the week; your best deep-sky views are earlier in the week, or after moonset.
Southern Taurid meteors: are active 10 Sep → 20 Nov, with a broad peak ~10 Nov. These meteors have generally low hourly rates, but are known for occasional bright fireballs. This week’s bright moon (5 Nov) will reduce visibility; try after midnight and aim away from moonlight.
Planets:
Saturn: still great in the evening (in Pisces) for binocular/scope views.
Jupiter: now up by late evening, brilliant through the small hours.
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
WEST
Jindivick Country Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – 9 am–1 pm | Jindivick Public Hall & grounds, Jindivick Country charm with local makers and grower stalls in the hills. Link: Community listing. (jindivick.org.au)
Trafalgar Farmers Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – 10 am–1 pm | McGregor Park, Trafalgar First-Saturday produce, pantry top-ups and bakes. Link: Baw Baw Shire event page. (bawbawshire.vic.gov.au)
Longwarry Fire Brigade Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 8 am–1 pm | Fire Station grounds, Bennett St, Longwarry Big community market: crafts, produce and treasure-hunting. Link: Council listing. (bawbawshire.vic.gov.au)
SOUTH + BASS
Koonwarra Farmers Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – 8 am–1 pm | Koonwarra Memorial Park, Koonwarra Locavore heaven—growers, makers and good coffee. Link: Market info. (Visit Inverloch)
Churchill Island Farmers’ Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – 8 am–1 pm | Churchill Island, Phillip Island Island breezes and farm-fresh stalls on the heritage farm. Link: Friends of Churchill / Visit Bass Coast. (focis.org.au)
Jumbunna Bush Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 9 am–1 pm | Jumbunna Community Hall, Jumbunna Homestead vibes, handmade goods and a good-old sausage sizzle. Link: Event listing. (southcoastfm.au)
Grantville Community Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 8 am–1 pm | Grantville Recreation Reserve, Grantville 100+ stalls: collectibles, plants, clothing and eats. Link: Event & venue pages. (southcoastfm.au)
Kongwak Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 10 am–2 pm | 1487 Korumburra–Wonthaggi Rd, Kongwak Weekly vintage/collectables favourite with produce and coffee. Link: Event info. (southcoastfm.au)
CENTRAL
Heyfield Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – morning | St James’ Church, Temple St, Heyfield Country-hall variety market—plants, bakes and bits-and-bobs. Link: Visit Victoria listing. (Visit Victoria home)
Maffra Community Market (Rotary) Sunday 2 November 2025 – 9 am–12:30 pm | Island Reserve, McMahon Dr, Maffra Friendly Sunday browse with produce and craft by the river. Link: Rotary / regional event page. (maffrarotary.org)
Boolarra Community Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 10 am–2 pm | Boolarra Memorial Hall, Boolarra Fundraising community market with bric-a-brac and home-grown goodies. Link: Latrobe City notice. (latrobe.vic.gov.au)
EAST
Bairnsdale Farmers Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – 8 am–12 pm | Secondary College Oval, McKean St, Bairnsdale Proper farmers’ haul: seasonal veg, preserves and bakes. Link: Market info. (escapetogippsland.com.au)
Orbost Community Market Saturday 1 November 2025 – morning | Next to the Top Pub, Nicholson St, Orbost Grass-roots stalls run by locals for locals. Link: Market group. (Facebook)
Lakes Entrance Foreshore Market Sunday 2 November 2025 – 9 am–3 pm | Foreshore Rotunda, Lakes Entrance Seaside stroll with stalls; supports the Surf Life Saving Club.
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.
Happy Halloween!! (if you celebrate that sort of thing)
Well I reckon that's a wrap for the week, hopefully you've snagged a couple of ideas, got some grand plans, and will enjoy the crap out of this week ahead!
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).
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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