Explore The World

Penguins Galore

Phillip Island Nature Parks will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for building the biggest Little Penguin burrow next month.

As part of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the first Penguin Parade. The giant four-square-metre burrow, which will be constructed at Federation Square in Melbourne on March 23, will be big enough for visitors to enter and walk around and will feature displays and educational material about Phillip Island’s most famous inhabitants.

The world record attempt is part of ‘Penguin Month’, a program of celebratory events that will include ranger talks, kids’ activities, seminars and guest presentations. Most of the events will be held around Phillip Island, including Churchill Island Heritage Farm, the Koala Conservation Centre, The Nobbies and at the Penguin Parade itself. www.penguins.org.au

Cafe Culture in Melbourne

Discover Melbourne’s café culture with a new tour
Experience Melbourne like a local and join one of Hidden Secrets Tours’ new Melbourne Café Culture walking tours. Melbourne boasts Australia’s most sophisticated coffee scene and this new tour lets visitors in on the city’s cafe secrets - especially the hole-in-the-wall places Melbourne is famed for. Explore the network of cobblestone laneways in the city centre and discover some of Australia’s most unique coffee houses, from old-school Italian cafes to the growing number of bespoke coffee experiences. The tour runs Monday to Friday from 11am and includes all coffee and food tastings, lunch and a goody bag filled with a reusable coffee cup, maps, local coffee info and tram ticket. www.hiddensecretstours.com

Melbourne's Answer to Masterchef

Masterchef contestants open bar and eating house in Collingwood
Following the huge success of Australia’s version of the Masterchef TV cooking show, Melbourne gets to see how two of its most popular contestants fare in the “real world”. Chris Badenoch and Julia Jenkins, from the program’s first series, have just opened Josie Bones, a new bar and eating house in Collingwood. The menu has a “nose-to-tail” approach, with things like black pudding, lamb tartare, trotter fritters and rolled pig’s head just some of the more unusual selections. There are also a handful of vegetarian and seafood dishes. Josie Bones also has an extraordinary beer list with 160 varieties sourced from emerging ‘backyard’ brewers to acclaimed microbreweries and rare international brews. The adventurous can try Scottish brewery Brewdog’s highly potent ‘Sink the Bismark’ (41% alcohol) or the ‘Beer Geek Brunch Weasel’, a stout made by Mikkeller brewery in Norway that uses civit cat coffee. www.josiebones.wordpress.com

New Aboriginal heritage trail on the Great Ocean Road

Learn about the traditional culture and lives of the Gadabanud people at Cape Otway Lightstation’s new Aboriginal heritage trail on the Great Ocean Road. The new heritage trail features replica stone huts similar to those once used by the Cape’s first inhabitants, a large-scale contemporary mosaic representing a billabong created with the involvement of the local Aboriginal community, a collection of traditional weapons and tools and a “keeping place” featuring a bark canoe and other relics.

The trail has been designed to partly follow an ancient traditional Aboriginal trade and fishing route, which features important archaeological sites and middens. The Gadabanud were highly efficient hunters and gatherers who wove eel traps from grasses, created beach fish traps and had both river and ocean going canoes. People employed at the heritage site are from regional Aboriginal families and share their knowledge of the Cape’s edible plants, once used as food and medicine. www.lightstation.com

 Dates for your diary

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, 4 – 14 March 2011

This is the largest celebration of its kind anywhere in the world. Dazzle your tastebuds at more than 250 epicurean events held across Victoria. This popular festival attracts food and wine experts from around the world, including chefs and winemakers, growers, purveyors, authors, food and wine commentators and critics alongside some of Australia's best food experts. Nigella Lawson will take part in the Langham’s Melbourne MasterClass series on 12 and 13 March 2011. www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, 18 – 20 March 2011

Each year this historic event gathers car lovers and drivers from around the world to compete, celebrate and relive the gallant traditions of motorsport. Watch as more than 500 international and local cars compete in 45 races over two days, culminating in a 20-lap race between sports cars. This year the festival celebrates several anniversaries including 60 years of Porshe cars in Australia, hosting special guest curator of the Porshe Museum in Germany, Klaus Bischoff. www.vhrr.com

L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, 14 – 21 March 2011

L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is the largest consumer fashion event in Australia. Lovers of fashion can enjoy a week of runway shows, business forums, performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, retail events and of course plenty of glamorous parties. www.lmff.com

2011 Formula 1™ Qantas Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, 24 – 27 March 2011

The Australian Grand prix is one of Australia’s biggest international sporting events offering an action-packed extravaganza of on-track and off-track activities for people of all ages to enjoy. Celebrate motor sports with four days of world-class car racing, festivities and food at Albert Park Lake and see sporting greats including Jenson Button and Australia’s Mark Webber vie for the second chequered flag of the season. www.grandprix.com.au

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, 30 March – 3 April 2011

The largest horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere, The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show brings together Australia’s top floral and landscape designers for a stunning showcase of displays. Staged at the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, this event is a must-see for garden-lovers. www.melbflowershow.com.au

Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 30 March – 24 April 2011

Australia’s largest festival and one of the three biggest comedy festivals in the world, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival boasts an enormous program of stand-up comedy, cabaret, theatre, street performances, film, television, radio and visual arts. Great value laughs are dished out by the most popular of local comics and international guests. The festival also includes an extensive free program. www.comedyfestival.com.au

Images by kind permission of:

Lighthouse image - Cape Otway Lightstation

Penguins on Beach image - Tourism Victoria