Good News Bill - October 2011

It is October already, and the good news this month is surely Cadel Evans.

October will see preparations for the Suit Up and Ride day that is scheduled for Friday, November 25. This starts and finishes at the Waterfront City Piazza and runs up and down the NewQuay Promenade.

The great Cadel Evans, who participated last year, will be here again in November! Make sure you come down to NewQuay Promenade  and enjoy that Friday afternoon. This great event is for teams of cycling enthusiasts to Suit Up and Ride on one of the many blue Melbourne share bikes to raise money for Orygen Youth Health. Orygen do magnificent work raising funds for youth mental illness.

So why not organise a team and get your company behind this great event. The bars and restaurants will be making you very welcome with some great deals and entertainment to be had. More information on how you can join in can be found at http://www.suitupandride.com.au.

For your further entertainment, Claire Bowditch will be performing on the day. You might like to watch this space for further announcements – the Docklands community is gearing up to make this a great event in Docklands. Don’t miss it!

And speaking of the Waterfront City Piazza - have you been wondering what is going on inside the tent that is located there? You may have noticed water trickling out into the street from inside. I asked to have a sneak peak and what a surprise met my eyes! City Snow Park has built a giant ski slope complete with man-made snow. Derek Nicholson is the inspiration behind this operation and he believes he has come up with the perfect park design. He tells me they have their very own snow making facilities located on site. This means they make as much snow as they like. It is open to the public now, so for more information check out their Facebook page.

For tourists coming to Docklands there was some really great news last month. There has been much conjecture that the free tourist shuttle bus service would either be cancelled or a fare structure put in place for each journey. Thankfully councillors of the City of Melbourne listened to the people of Docklands and voted in favour of keeping the bus as a free service. This means that this vital transport link to ferry tourists to Harbour Town is maintained.

Other good news items include the network evening put on by the Docklands Chamber of Commerce. This was held at the Medibank Icehouse on Tuesday, September 20. The invitation was open to everyone and those that were fortunate to attend heard a great speech from guest speaker Chris Buckingham – CEO of Destination Melbourne. He told us how we can work together positively for a greater Docklands. Chris was inspirational as he talked about some of his real life experiences as he dealt with challenges outside of his control. A remarkable speaker, and a man who is willing to share his enthusiasm to succeed. On my travels, I have met a number of business owners who would have benefited from hearing what Chris had to say.

The team at the Medibank Icehouse made us all very welcome as we enjoyed a few drinks and finger food in the upstairs bar offering great vantage points to the ice hockey action and skating rinks below. Guests were all invited to have a try out on the ice. About a dozen or so brave souls ventured out on to the ice and after some sound instruction from friendly staff members were soon skating confidently unassisted!

If you have never tried ice skating, Medibank Icehouse is a great place to start. Have a look at its website for more information – http://www.icehouse.com.au. If you are a Facebook fan, have a look at the Medibank Icehouse page – it is full of great information.

Consider joining the Docklands Chamber of Commerce if you run a business in Docklands. Membership is inexpensive and you will have a voice! Join today.

Last month I told you all about the great walking experience if you crossed over the Webb Bridge to Yarra’s Edge and explored that part of Docklands. Ok, so who has taken advantage of the glorious September weather and gone out there and had a look?

To see the original article, visit the Docklands News website.

AFL Grand Final - Melbourne Docklands

Image from triplem.com.au

It's finally here!
After weeks of faithfully following AFL matches on TV, you finally have a chance to watch the best teams play at Etihad Stadium. Geelong and Collingwood are bound to give us a spectacular game.

AFL Grand Final Week Activities. From Wednesday 28th September, several events will take place as Grand Final Day edges closer.

HARBOUR TOWN, DOCKLANDS

Wednesday 28th September
- Handball Competition 12pm - 4pm
- Face Painting 12pm - 4pm
- AFL Mascots 1pm - 3pm

Thursday 29th September
- Handball Competition 12pm - 4pm
- Face Painting 12pm - 4pm
- Roving Entertainment 1pm - 3pm

ALL AROUND MELBOURNE
Thursday 29th September 2011
- 12.30pm - AFL Premiership Cup on display at Federation Square.
- Noon - 9pm - Grand Final experience at Crown Riverside.

Friday - 30 September 2011 
- Footy on Parade
Noon - AFL Grand Final Parade as it makes it way through the city from Victorian Arts Centre (St Kilda Road) travelling along Swanston and Collins Streets before finishing at the Old Treasury Building (Spring and Collins)!

GRAND FINAL DAY

Saturday 1st October 2011
- 2.30pm - Grand Final at the M.C.G. Meat Loaf will headline the entertainment before the big game.
Federation Square

- 2.30pm - Join in the excitement of the 2011 Toyota AFL Grand Final live on the big screen at Federation Square.

Win a $2000 Phillip Island Family Getaway & a $5000 Harbour Town Shopping Experience!

Sign up to be a VIP member online or in the Harbour Town Tourism Lounge and receive a FREE Child 3 Parks Pass to Phillip Island Nature Parks!


A Child 3 Parks Pass includes entry to:

• Penguin Parade

• Koala Conservation Centre

• Churchill Island Heritage Farm

Also go into the running for a chance to win a $2000 family getaway to Phillip Island.

Hurry! Valid from 24 September – 9 October 2011 and there are only 2000 Child Passes to giveaway.
Join VIP Program to enter

Plus, buy a 3 Parks Pass and you could WIN one of five daily $50 gift vouchers and or the major prize of a $5000 shopping experience in any store at Harbour Town Docklands!

Also, enter the draw to WIN a fabulous family getaway to Phillip Island valued at $2000.

Hurry! This offer valid from 24 September – 9 October 2011 and only 2000 Child Passes to giveaway
Buy 3 Parks Pass to enter


For information about Harbour Town and this competition, please visit www.harbourtownmelbourne.com.au

For more information about Phillip Island Nature Parks visit www.penguins.org.au

Royal Melbourne Show

Melbourne Show Logo

The Royal Melbourne Show is a great start to the school holidays if you ask us!

Take the kids to the Melbourne Showgrounds between Sat 24th Sept - Tues 4th Oct for a fun day of carnival rides, discovery of animals, exhibitions, live music and more.

What's at the show:

1. Showbags

Who doesn't like them? 370 showbags to choose from this year, full of confectionery, food products, wine, magazines, vouchers and many other goodies!

2. Rides 

 

Carnival rides

Carnival rides for the whole family can be enjoyed at the show. This year the carnival areas have been sponsored by Quit and are all smoke-free zones - what a great initiative!

 

3. Animals

 

The kids can discover all sorts of farm animals and more. Cattle, sheep, alpacas, a FREE dog show and FREE access to the animal nursery! Visit the Animal Nursery daily at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 7pm to feed lambs, calves or kids either from bottles or from hand.

• Dog show: 24 September – 2 October
• Horses show jumping: 1 October to Tuesday 4 October 

4. Fireworks
As the day comes to a close and the sun sets, the Show will continue to be a hive of activity with a dazzling fireworks display. The fireworks show will start on each night of the Show at 8.15pm, and will depend on weather conditions.

5. FREE activities for the kids

- Milk a cow at the Milking Barn
- Meet and Greet Angelina Ballerina
- Fifi and the Flowertots™ - Rock with the Tots Live Show
- Disney/Pixar Cars Trucks Tour
- Rio Dance Party Live Show

The Melbourne Show is taking place at the Melbourne Showgrounds

Date: Sat 24th September - Tuesday 4th October
For more information about the Melbourne Show 2011, please visit the Melbourne Show website.

Marine biologists baffled by unusual whale behaviour

Dear readers, today we are reblogging an article from ABC News about the odd behaviour of our whale friends this year.

The article was published on September 09, 20112 and is by Melissa Brown.

Marine biologists are baffled by a change in the behaviour of whales visiting Victorian bays this year.

The Dolphin Research Institute says a number of humpback whales remained in Western Port and Port Phillip bays throughout the migration season instead of travelling north.

Institute spokesman Jeff Weir says scientists are unsure what has caused the change in their migration pattern.

He says they also saw the animals competing for the first time off Mount Martha and Mornington.

"These are big animals, the size of tourist buses, playing demolition derby under the water and then sometimes reaching the surface banging into each other jostling for position in the pod," he said.

Mr Weir says it is the kind of behaviour normally seen when the animals are mating in northern Australia.

"I mean, it possibly is simply numbers of whales are picking up again and the populations are increasing," he said.

"Maybe they're just spreading themselves more evenly around our coast. The critical thing will be to monitor it in the years to come."

The Spring Graze

From the makers of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival comes the Spring Graze. This culinary festival takes place across Victoria and is comprised of 60 events that will take place this September.

The event is part of the Put Victoria on Your Table initiative which tries to encourage Victorians to buy local produce and explore restaurants and wineries throughout the state.

The Spring Graze finishes at the end of September 2011, so head to the website and browse through  the list of restaurants and wineries which will open their doors to the public for this festival. To see a list of all events, visit the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website.

We, at LooknBook, think this is a great initiative! There are so many wonderful restaurants, wineries and farmer's markets to visit around the state. The Docklands and Phillip Island are great examples of those places which need to be explored by food lovers.

Learn more about restaurants in the Docklands. We promise you will not be disappointed! You can also read about good food and wine in Phillip Island. Tempting, isn't it?

2011 Suit Up and Ride

Dear Readers,

We bring you some more info on the 2011 Suit Up and Ride. Please find the event description below (we spruiced it up with some pictures)!

The LooknBook Team

Tour de France Winner Cadel Evans joins Orygen Youth Health’s Suit Up and Ride Again in 2011

Cadel Evans, winner of the 2011 Tour de France, has confirmed he will be attending Orygen Youth Health’s corporate team cycling event Suit Up & Ride again this year on Friday 25th November 2011.

Cadel will join FOX FM’s Matt Tilley in a challenge the whole community can get behind, more details will be posted on our website in coming weeks: www.suitupandride.com.au

And it gets just as exciting off the bike.

The wonderful ARIA award-winning Australian singer songwriter Clare Bowditch will be performing! And participants, supporters and spectators will be able to enjoy culinary delights from our Maggie Beer Gourmet BBQ.

Suit Up and Ride is Melbourne’s quirkiest cycling event. Teams of five compete in a time trial on Melbourne Bike Share bikes, around a short course at Waterfront City in the Docklands, the catch is they must wear their suit, or regular office attire. Last year we had miners, fire fighters, a Melbourne Storm team decked out in purple, and someone in a gorilla suit!

Last year's gorilla participant

Thanks to the wonderful support of last year’s participants, Orygen Youth Health, led by 2010 Australian of the Year and Suit Up and Ride Patron, Professor Patrick McGorry AO, raised over $47,000 allowing us to directly support approximately 700 Year 10 students to go though the Headsmart program in three schools in the North and West of Melbourne.

Places are limited and expected to sell out quickly, so if you are planning to register a team, get on your bikes and visit our website: www.suitupandride.com.au

We look forward to seeing you at Suit Up and Ride on Friday, November 25th 2011.

Good News - Cadel Evans IS Coming to Docklands

Friends,

It is with excitement that we learn the Great Cadel Evans has determined to return to Docklands on 25th November in 2011 to ride in the Suit Up and Ride event he supported last year.

 

Cadel Evans, winner of the Tour de France

 

The Suit Up and Ride event itself is underway and the organisers have everything under control. 

The opportunity for us as a group is to show our full public support of this event and start by spreading the word to our collective networks to generate maximum interest that is within our collective capacity. Here is a rare opportunity to use the high profile of Cadel Evans to generate the biggest possible visitation to Docklands. 

See below for a description of the 2010 Suit Up and Ride

Suit Up & Ride held on 19th November 2010 would not have been the success it was if it were not for the support of sponsors and partners including Melbourne Bike Share, operated by RACV, VFL Club, City of Melbourne, MMG, E3 Energy Drinks, NAB and Waterfront City. Thank you also to all the teams who got involved and a huge thank you to our celebrity relay race participants: Prof Pat McGorry, Chief Commissioner of Police Simon Overland, Cadel Evans, Chiara Passerini, Brad Hodge, Robbie Kearns, Matt Goss, Wes Sulzberger, Shane Kelly and Matt Rice. We look forward to seeing you at Suit Up and Ride in 2011.

Website: www.suitupandride.com.au

 

Corporates may enrol teams - cost is $1000 per team of 5 riders.

 

Watch this space for more details.