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| “Just love the White Hat. Keep up the fab work !!!! You're a
credit to Melbourne tourism"
Anna
31st August 2009 |
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The White Hat Guide to Federation Square
Federation Square is in White Hat's opinion one of the most important architectural developments in Melbourne for a century, and has quickly become the "must visit first" attraction in Melbourne. Among the buildings to be found in Federation Square are the Ian Potter Centre (gallery of Australian art), Champions The Australian Racing museum, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the SBS studios BMW Edge (a performance and exhibition space) and the Australian Racing Museum. The Fed Square architects were faced with a particular challenge It is surrounded by a mish-mash of buildings - neo-Gothic, faux Turkish, blood & bandages ,etc. - while leading to the river on the other side. It has met those challenges with originality and flair. Walk up Flinders Street from Elizabeth Street and you will see how Fed Square continues the height of Flinders Street Station creating a sense of continuity. Stand on the far side of the Yarra and you will see how the multi-coloured panels form an integrating base for the large variety of city buildings behind it. Walk down the alleys from Flinders Lane and see how they flow naturally across Flinders Street to the modern lanes and arcades on the other side. Stand on the beautiful Kimberley stone and see what warmth it adds to the city over the road. The space is designed for large and constant public events so grass would soon turn into mud or dust, but it is surrounded by the ample lawns of Birrarung Marr. Walk halfway down the stairs to the visitors centre and enjoy a newly created view of St Paul's Cathedral. Stand at various areas (both inside and out) and note how the structures and openings have been created to 'frame' certain buildings and vistas such as the cathedral and Government House. Note how the feelings of Melbourne's lanes and arcades are continued from the rigid rectangle and formality of the CBD but become more organic as they head towards the river, the park (Birrarung Marr) and the MCG. Note how the lighting is hung from a grid that reflects the overhead tram cabling. Feel how the slatted wooden walkways leading to the river reflect the launching areas of the boatsheds on the far side. Watch how the panels and paving reflect and amplify the changes in light and weather - a feature designed to make Melbourne's famous weather an interactive feature of the design. And watch over the months and years how the zinc panelling slowly oxidizes towards the bluestone hues of Melbourne. You will also notice how the interlocking triangles give a feeling of unity from the smallest to the largest level.  The previous building on the site (the Gas and Fuel Building) was a tall brick biscuit box that blocked the view of the river and showed no sympathy with its surroundings. It was a building designed for bureaucrats and it looked like it. It has been replaced by a project that shows great sympathy with its surroundings and neighbouring buildings (which is more than they ever did for each other).
| Please Note: Parts of Federation Square will be open to the public on 24th & 25th July 2010 as part of Melbourne's Open House. Details of the buildings open to the public that weekend can be found at The White Hat Guide to Open Days in Melbourne. |
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Poetry at Fed Square
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Enjoy free poetry readings at Fed Square. |
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2pm, second Saturday of month |
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Free |
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Car Clubs Showcase
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Featuring a different car club each month. Against the backdrop of Federation Square, lets the most ardent car enthusiast and general public alike to wander through an amazing array of classic, modern and vintage cars. It is a wonderful chance to see these cars up close and meet their proud owners. |
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11am-2.30pm, last Sunday of month |
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Morning Tai Chi session
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Led by Tai Chi Australia |
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7.30-8.30am, Tuesdays |
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Free |
Enquiries: (03) 9655 1900 |
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The Light in Winter
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In its fourth year, The Light in Winter is Federation Square's annual winter festival and celebration of community life for Melbourne centred around light.The Light in Winter brings together artists, designers and communities to explore their ideas of light, enlightenment and hope. |
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4th June to 4th July 2010 |
Federation Square
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Free |
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Classics at Fed Square
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Enjoy your favourite music all year round with Classics at Fed Square. Held
in the stunning surrounds of the BMW Edge, these free monthly concerts offer
something for everyone, from classical and swing to big band, jazz and even
contemporary pop. The program will include old favourites including the
Salvation Army Veteran Band and the Navy Band as well as budding talents from
some of the best creative schools across Victoria. Bring a friend and make a day
of it, with free exhibitions at ACMI and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
and plenty of great cafes open for lunch or coffee. Forthcoming concerts
include:
- Monday 2 August: Police Show Band
- Monday 13 September: Navy Band
- Monday 4 October: Salvation Army Veterans Band
- Monday 15 November: Police Show Band
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1.30 to 2.30pm, selected Mondays |
BMW Edge, Federation Square
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Free |
Enquiries: (03) 9655 1900 |
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Empowering Communities through Design
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This exhibition demonstrates an alternative role for communication design in empowering communities. It shows how design can facilitate engagement, prompt thinking, discussion, awareness and reveal tacit knowledge within a community preparing for bushfires.
Bushfires are a critical and continuous threat to many communities in Australia due to global warming and frequently extreme climatic conditions. This exhibition presents design methods and artefacts that have engaged regional communities in the Southern Otways in Victoria. This community is particularly vulnerable to potentially catastrophic fires. The area is poor in communication infrastructure including radio, TV, internet and mobile coverage, making them more dependent upon their own resources and networks in the face of a bushfire.
This exhibition presents images created by the Otways community. Visualisation and mapping revealed ‘invisible’ site-specific knowledge. Each household and individual’s situation is different. Residents have the expert knowledge of vulnerable people, temporary households, animals, topography, vegetation, potential fire hazards, likely direction of the fire, access routes etc. Through facilitated discussion and interaction, the community visualised and shared their knowledge. It heightened their awareness to potential risks and prompted them to scrutinise and discuss their bushfire plans with one another.
Screened daily on the Big Screen at 12pm |
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noon, 15th to 21st July 2010 |
Federation Square
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Free |
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The ARVB + Melbourne Open House Speaker Series - No 2.
House This! Density in Melbourne
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The second speaker series invites key planners to discuss strategies for
growing our city in a sustainable fashion. Prominent architects will then
present a variety of built housing typologies, from the humble suburban block
conversion to towering city apartments, illustrating clever opportunities to
maintain Melbourne’s character whilst increasing our density. Each speaker will
conclude with their favourite increased housing density project by another
architect, from any period and any country, providing an insight into the works
our design professionals regard most highly.
- 6.00 doors open
- 6.30 Tim Leslie Melbourne Open House - Introduction
- 6.35 Philip Goad Melbourne University - Chair
- 6.45 Stuart Niven, DPCD Government planning approach CADs
- 7.00 Rob Adams, City of Melbourne Linear Growth along tram routes
- 7.15 Geoffrey London, State Government Architect Housing Models
- 7.30 Nick Murcutt, Neeson Murcutt Proposal for Sydney + Zac's house
- 7.45 Shane Murray, Monash University DASH Project Ringwood
- 8.00 Tim Jackson, JCB Architects Coburg Apartments + Abito Apartments
- 8.15 John MacDonald, Design Inc. K2
- 8.30 Karl Fender, Fender Katsalidis Eureka, Hero,
Little Hero
- 8.45 Philip Goad Melbourne University - Chair
- 9.00 Close
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Monday 19th July 2010 |
BMW Edge, Federation Square
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Free |
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Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling with Mikael Colville-Andersen
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Mikael Colville-Andersen is a filmmaker, photographer and urban mobility expert who is also known as Denmark's Bicycle Ambassador. He lectures around the world on how cities can and should re-establish the bicycle as a respected and accepted transport form.
In his presentation 'Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling', Colville-Andersen explains Copenhagen's journey – then, now and into the future – towards establishing the bicycle as a feasible, acceptable form of transport. Colville-Andersen shows how other cities can be inspired by the Copenhagen experience.
The Melbourne Cycling Forum
A moderated panel discussion will lead on from Mikael's talk about the real corridors of influence: our city’s bike lanes. Expert commentators explore the possibilities for redefining our cycling landscape with a focus on city cycling – to and from work – presenting it as a viable and sustainable mode of transport.
The forum brings together advocacy leaders, urban designers and transport planners to openly discuss current and emerging issues and future opportunities. A key focus point is how design in the environment, the office and on our roads can create the necessary behavioural change needed to increase the number of cyclists in Melbourne.
The forum is designed to engage Melbourne’s cycling community and free valet bike parking will be offered. |
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2pm, Saturday 24th July 2010 |
BMW Edge, Federation Square
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Tickets $22 |
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Tim Burton Film Retrospective
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In tandem with Tim Burton: The Exhibition, ACMI presents a season comprising
Burton's body of work as a feature film director, alongside selected highlights
from his early career as an animator and producer. Films include:
- Pee Wee's Big Adventure
- The Fox and the Hound
- Edward Scissorhands
- Big Fish
- Ed Wood
- Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Planet of the Apes
- Batman Returns
- James and the Giant Peach
- Mars Attacks!
- Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- Beetlejuice
- Sleepy Hollow
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Sweeney Todd
- Alice in Wonderland
Fridays, selected Thursdays, Sunday matinees and Kids' Flicks sessions until
10th October 2010. Please visit
ACMI for screening times. |
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ACMI
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All tickets $6 |
Enquiries: (03) 8663 2583 |
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Tim Burton: The Exhibition
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Tracing Burton’s visual imagination from his earliest childhood drawings
through his mature work in film, the exhibition Tim Burton: The Exhibition
brings together over 700 examples of rarely or never-before-seen drawings,
paintings, photographs, storyboards, moving-image works, puppets, maquettes,
costumes, and cinematic ephemera, and includes an extensive film series spanning
his 27-year career.
The exhibition follows the course of Burton’s career, with childhood
ephemera, juvenilia, and amateur short films from his youth in Burbank,
California; cartoons and drawings from his time at California Institute of the
Arts; and examples of his first professional work at The Walt Disney Studios.
Burton’s artistic output includes shorts Vincent (1982) and
Frankenweenie (1984); and 15 feature films including Pee-Wee’s Big
Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward
Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before
Christmas (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996),
Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish
(2003), The Corpse Bride (2005), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(2005), Sweeney Todd (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). |
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10am to 6pm daily until 10th Oct 2010 |
ACMI
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Enquiries: (03) 8663 2200 |
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2010 Building Design Award Entries Exhibition
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View a display of the 2010 Building Design Award Entries.The Awards aim to profile excellence in building design, as well as profiling the importance of the building design profession to both the building industry and to the general public. |
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24 hours, 28 July to 3 Aug 2010 |
The Atrium, Federation Square
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Free |
Enquiries: (03) 9655 1900 |
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Melbourne Writers Festival
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In 2010, Melbourne Writers Festival, the city’s premier literary event,
celebrates its 25th anniversary. This year the festival brings together an array
of talented writers, artists, thinkers and performers from across the globe.
Expect the unexpected as Melbourne Writers Festival opens its doors to all –
celebrating everything from novels to film, from journalism to songwriting, from
comedy to cartooning, and from advertising to politics. Highlights include:
- Eight Writers: Eight Ways to Be Human
- Joss Whedon: From Buffy to Dr Horrible, Infinity & Beyond
- Magazine: 56 rapid-fire free events featuring some of the festival's
favourite guests
- Francis Wheen and Frank Moorhouse on the 70s
- New News 2010: on the future of journalism
- Lyrical: featuring Steve Kilbey, Lisa Miller, Cloud Control and others
- Malcolm Fraser, Waleed
Aly and Judith Brett: On Liberalism
- Peter Beinart on the Failure of the Jewish Establishment
- DBC Pierre and Jonathon Walker on Modern Dystopia
For bookings and the full program visit
Melbourne Writers Festival. |
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27 August to 5 September 2010 |
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Diwali - Indian Festival of Light
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Join in the fun and colour of this vibrant Indian festival which will include Bollywood and traditional dances, variety of Indian food, costumes and Jewellery stalls, dancing & Henna (Hand painting) workshops. The festivities will conclude with spectacular fireworks on the banks of the Yarra in the early evening. |
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30th October 2010 |
Federation Square
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Free |
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Cult Book Group
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Interested in reading and discussing books that have caused a stir, attracted a cult following or simply been banned? Join this group which meets once a month at Café Beer Deluxe in the Atrium at Fed Square. |
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10am, 1st Saturday of month |
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Federation Square
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Federation Square Book Market
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Federation square book market is held in the Atrium every Saturday. It has both new and second hand, as well as collectible books. |
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11am to 5pm every Saturday |
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Enquiries: (03) 9655 1900 |
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Melbourne Design Market
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An event held several times a year showcasing products from a range of Melbourne designers. Entry charges apply. |
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11th July 2010 |
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Carpark, Federation Square
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Melbourne |
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National Gallery of Victoria - Australian Collection
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Racing Museum
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The Australian Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. More information on the Racing Museum. |
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Click on the Federation Square link to the right of the map. Use the controls to zoom in or out on the map or change to satellite view.
More information on Federation Square can be found at www.fedsquare.com Our rating - 5 hats
White Hat works hard
to make information on these pages current and correct. However with
many thousands of entries, much of it changing daily, errors may occur.
Always verify the information by using the phone numbers supplied with
each event or venue before making a special trip or using this
information for any other purpose. If you believe some information is
incorrect, please contact us at
corrections@whitehat.com.au
and we will attempt to verify or change the information
DISCLAIMER: White Hat makes no claim as
to the accuracy of this information and takes no responsibility for
incorrect or incomplete information
or for actions based on the information in these pages, and accepts no
liability to any person or organisation for the information contained in
these pages.
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Subscribe to our
FREE Newsletter 'City Design - the White Hat guide'
Each issue contains articles and news on city planning,
heritage issues, urban transit, urban lifestyle and
architecture. As with all our newsletters it aims to be Intelligent,
Informed, Independent and (occasionally) Irreverent. |
TOURISM NEWS
Qantas In Flight Magazine chooses
White Hat
Cemetery Tour as its featured Australian tour for May
There are many fine historical tours
throughout Australia including cemetery tours. From these, the
prestigious Qantas In Flight Magazine has chosen the White Hat Tour
of Melbourne Cemetery as its featured Australian tour for the May
2007 edition. This tour was also featured by ABC radio on 24 May and
will feature in a documentary series on Burke and Wills to be shown
on European television in 2008. The tour has been operating for many years and has won
praise from a wide range of sources. This is not a dry and stuffy
tour but in keeping with all White Hat offerings it is Informed,
Intelligent, Independent (and occasionally) Irreverent. You can find
details of the tour at White
Hat Tour of Melbourne Cemetery and view the article at
Qantas In Flight Magazine. |
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