Latest news with #Grampians
ABC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
New Wildlife Art Museum of Australia opens next door to Grampians National Park
Nestled in the foothills of Victoria's towering Grampians mountain range, also known as Gariwerd, is a new, world-class art centre. The new Wildlife Art Museum of Australia (WAMA) at Pomonal in western Victoria is a celebration of environmental art. The venue is an Australian first, combining an environmental art gallery with a native Australian garden. Chief executive Pippa Mott said the 16-hectare project was 14 years in the making. "[WAMA is] a gallery and garden precinct that exists in proximity to beautiful Gariwerd Grampians National Park, which is a place of such amazing geological, cultural, and ecological significance," Ms Mott said. The gallery opening on July 5 featured an exhibition called End & Being by Jacobus Capone, exploring the concept of climate change through pre-recorded performance art created on the glaciers of Mont Blanc in France. Ms Mott said the installation was the newest addition to the environmental art movement. "[Environmental art is] a really broad genre and it's not a new thing," Ms Mott said. "It's been really accelerating since the 1960s. Artists have forever responded to the environment and the natural world. "But I suppose in the past few decades, they're responding with a little bit more agency, are often informed more by science, and often speaking directly to some of the issues facing the natural world." Botanical gardens on the site contain 500 native Australian plants including 20 of the 40 plants endemic to the Grampians. WAMA director Jill Burness said the plants were protected by a feral-proof fence. She said the plants could be used as a seed bank to revegetate the Grampians after bushfire, and, if the site itself were affected by fire, seeds could be brought in to regenerate it. "[The protected endemic plants are] not only here, they're at Halls Gap and they're certainly protected at the Cranbourne botanical gardens," Ms Burness said. "If a bushfire came through here … we could duplicate these plants again from Cranbourne." The art gallery is a privately funded venture. Ms Mott said the board was still fundraising to support future developments. "[This is] stage one of the centre and the endemic garden is just the beginning," Ms Mott said. "We rely on giving or philanthropy alongside grants and sponsorships." Tickets to the venue are free for children, and $12–18 for adults. "Obviously, we are a ticketed destination," Ms Mott said. "We have a retail space, we have a cafe, but we are essentially a not-for-profit at the end of the day, and so we hope that what we're doing inspires people."
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
John Clarke to Fred Dagg to dad. A daughter's documentary tribute
John Clarke and daughter Lorin Clarke Photo: Lorin Clarke Comedian and satirist John Clarke made audiences laugh over 40 years. From beloved characters like Fred Dagg, a parody of a New Zealand sheep farmer, to his brilliant political satire with long time performance partner Bryan Dawe. Born in New Zealand, he quickly made a name for himself after a move across the Tasman in the 70s. John Clarke died in 2017 while hiking in Grampians National Park in Victoria. Now an intimately produced doco tells his story in his words. Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke has been produced by Clarke's daughter Lorin, herself a writer, broadcaster, director, podcaster and satirist, and features in this year's New Zealand International Film Festival.
The Age
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Myers family drops long legal fight against ex-footballer's Grampians build
The family of prominent barrister Allan Myers has ended a prolonged legal fight against ex-Hawthorn footballer Brad Sewell's plan to build four holiday cabins beneath the Grampians. The children of Myers, KC, a rich-lister from Dunkeld, objected to the development near the family's homestead in Victoria's west five years ago, arguing it would ruin their views of Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt. Clare Myers, Cecilia Myers and John Myers – directors of Dunkeld Pastoral, which Allan founded – planned to have their appeal against Dunkeld Property Holdings, directed by Sewell's wife Louise Smith, heard in the Court of Appeal last month. However, court documents released to The Age reveal the Myers' filed a notice of discontinuance on May 15, ending the long-running legal battle. The Sewells bought land off Fairburn Street in Dunkeld in 2019 for $300,000. The Southern Grampians Shire Council approved their plans to turn the site into tourist accommodation in April 2021. But the wealthy Myers family appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), and eventually, the Supreme Court of Victoria. Justice Michelle Quigley found at the time: 'The proposal is a modest one, comprising four detached cabins, along with a pool, sauna and other works to accommodate 10 people in total.' Though the Myers' appeals were rejected, Sewell and Smith's development remained stalled pending the Court of Appeal proceedings.
Sydney Morning Herald
23-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Myers family drops long legal fight against ex-footballer's Grampians build
The family of prominent barrister Allan Myers has ended a prolonged legal fight against ex-Hawthorn footballer Brad Sewell's plan to build four holiday cabins beneath the Grampians. The children of Myers, KC, a rich-lister from Dunkeld, objected to the development near the family's homestead in Victoria's west five years ago, arguing it would ruin their views of Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt. Clare Myers, Cecilia Myers and John Myers – directors of Dunkeld Pastoral, which Allan founded – planned to have their appeal against Dunkeld Property Holdings, directed by Sewell's wife Louise Smith, heard in the Court of Appeal last month. However, court documents released to The Age reveal the Myers' filed a notice of discontinuance on May 15, ending the long-running legal battle. The Sewells bought land off Fairburn Street in Dunkeld in 2019 for $300,000. The Southern Grampians Shire Council approved their plans to turn the site into tourist accommodation in April 2021. But the wealthy Myers family appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), and eventually, the Supreme Court of Victoria. Justice Michelle Quigley found at the time: 'The proposal is a modest one, comprising four detached cabins, along with a pool, sauna and other works to accommodate 10 people in total.' Though the Myers' appeals were rejected, Sewell and Smith's development remained stalled pending the Court of Appeal proceedings.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef stars' secret relationship revealed: Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary share details about their romance
It seems love is in the air at the MasterChef Australia kitchen as two contestants from the Back To Win season have fallen head over heels. Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary, who have been battling it out on screen, have come clean about their secret romance, revealing that they have already moved in together following the high-pressure show. Speaking to this week's Stellar Magazine, Declan revealed that the pair 'instantly got along', which saw them spend lots of time together behind the scenes. However, it wasn't until 38-year-old Sarah landed in an elimination challenge that Declan's feelings became apparent, and he knew he needed to tell her how he felt. 'As she's walking into the elimination [challenge], I said, "Sarah, can I ask you something? Would you like to go on a date with me?" And she just looked at me and said, "You're a bloody idiot",' he said. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. While the poorly-timed invitation didn't land the way he thought it would, Sarah eventually came around to the idea of them together. 'After I got through the stress of the elimination and had a couple of days to recover, I realised it made sense,' she said. For their first date, the pair visited Grampians National Park for a romantic weekend away, exploring markets, eating at picturesque restaurants and going for walks in the central Victoria highlands. Now, after wrapping filming on the show, Declan has made the move from Sydney's Northern Beaches to Melbourne - along with his dog Sol - to be with Sarah and her 14-year-old son Phoenix. The romance comes after a supposed spoiler revealed the winner of the current Back To Win season, sending fans into a frenzy. Taking to Reddit, one fan of the beloved cooking show pointed out on Tuesday that the promotional picture on the network's streaming service 10Play featured mostly eliminated contestants, leading them to wonder whether it shone a light on who the winner would be. 'Has anyone noticed how many contestants on this advert for Masterchef on 10Play app has already been eliminated??' the Reddit user captioned the screenshot. 'Darsh, Steph, Sav and Tim all eliminated... could this be a sign?' they asked. The fan then went on to predict who may be facing the chopping block next based on the poster. 'Maybe Laura and Declan will be out the door soon too??' Other MasterChef devotees flooded the comments of the Reddit post with their takes on the theory. One person noted that the adverts were probably made before filming had commenced and therefore randomly fronted. 'Think someone mentioned it already but [by] the time they made this [ad], they haven't finished their filming. Thus they just putted [sic] random people on the pic. ' Another person theorised that they used the most popular faces of the show for the poster. 'I think they just use whoever is most popular / easy to attract viewers in rather than based on who makes it far (plus it's already mentioned these are done before filming is done). Steph has a huge IG following so makes sense why she's front and centre.' 'Laura definitely won't go before top 10,' another person confidently predicted.
