Enter the Dragon

Friday 27 January 2012, 1:42 PM
By The Team | Posted in Events and Places and Uncategorized

Gong xi fa cai, or Happy Chinese New Year!

2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon and it’s predicted that, much like the dragon’s personality, this year is the time to be bold, ambitious and enterprising.

The Chinese New Year festival runs from 23 January to 6 February. Traditionally, families and friends gather to celebrate and give gifts symbolising prosperity and good luck, and of course there’s a whole lot of feasting!

This weekend the city has plenty of options for you to celebrate Chinese New Year with all the fun, excitement and flavours of this colourful lunar festival.

Melbourne Chinese New Year celebrations
Head to Chinatown this Sunday to see the New Year celebrations in full display. See the dragon parade at 12.30pm as it makes its way down Little Bourke Street to the beat of Chinese drummers and firecrackers. Browse through bustling market stalls, sample tasty street food and immerse yourself in Chinese culture for one day. Don’t forget to spot your Chinese zodiac sign in the laneways of Crossley Street, Market Lane and Liverpool Street.

Celebrate the Year of the Water Dragon at the Chinese Museum
Discover where the 63 metre-long Millennium Dragon – the largest in the world – lives, as he awakes from hibernation in the Chinese Museum to participate in the annual New Year celebrations. Visitors will be able to enjoy free entry to the museum, where they can learn about the history of Australians of Chinese descent, from the Gold Rush to today. 

Dishing up tradition
Chinese New Year would not be complete without food. Traditionally, families and friends gather for large and elaborate feasts made up of many dishes that represent good luck, wealth and wellbeing. Here is a list of some of the dishes that you can eat during the New Year and what they represent.

Dumplings – silver ingots
Spring rolls – gold bouillon
Noodles – uncut, these represent long life
Oranges – good luck
Fish – abundance
Whole chicken (including its head and feet!) – family togetherness

By Lucy Perera

Summer QR codes around town

Wednesday 18 January 2012, 2:06 PM
By The Team | Posted in Competitions and Events and Places

There is so much to do in the city this summer it’s hard to keep track. That’s why we’ve turned to QR codes to help people explore the city and discover more about all the great things on offer.

The QR codes are scattered all over Melbourne and look a lot like a randomly pixelated black and white box – see left.

To find out what’s happening, all you need to do is scan one of the QR codes (QR stands for quick response) with a smart phone  such as iPhone or Android, and information about the area, things to do and available offers will be delivered right to your phone.

Offers include special retail promotions and dining offers at a range of city venues.

Where can you find the QR codes?
The QR codes are located on Snap me t-shirts worn by staff at Flinders Street and driving mobile billboard scooters around the city, as well as at fixed locations along the Yarra River to Docklands.

How do I download a QR code reader or app?
Through iTunes app store or via the web. These are free and easy to download.

If I don’t have a smart phone, can I still find out what the offers are?
You can only access the QR codes using a smart phone, however there is plenty of information on the City of Melbourne What’s On website listing things to do in the city this summer, catering for all age groups.

How long are the offers valid?
The offers will be available during the 462 summer campaign and will change from time to time as new offers become available.

Explore Melbourne’s heritage buildings

Tuesday 10 January 2012, 11:29 AM
By The Team | Posted in Events and Places and Style

Tour groups already zigzag around our streets and laneways, learning about the city’s history, shops, chocolates and other charms, but a new series of tours is hitting the pavement, this time celebrating Melbourne’s architecture.

Architect Esther Sugihto, landscape architect Mark Skiba and urban designer Andy Fergus run Melbourne Architours. The tours are split into three time periods: Settlement to Marvellous Melbourne, Federation to Art Deco and Modernism to Contemporary.

Federation to Art Deco is running this Sunday morning, covering both well-known buildings and some that are off the beaten track. One of the guides’ favourites is Mitchell House on Elizabeth Street. ‘It’s quite prominent, it’s been well restored and it was quite progressive at the time it was built,’ says Esther Sugihto.

Another signature Art Deco building on Melbourne’s skyline is the Manchester Unity building on the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets. The tour takes in the timber and brass features inside this stunning building – the first in Melbourne to have an escalator.

As well as covering design features, the tour guides talk about the architects behind each building and put them into a historical, political and economic context.

Esther Sugihto reveals that the guides and tour groups find there is so much to talk about that they usually continue the conversation over a drink or coffee.

‘After the tours we sit around and discuss what everyone’s thoughts are and how the city is progressing,’ she says. ‘It’s such a design-rich city, and the tours are really about creating awareness of how the built environment is changing and evolving.’

At the moment this dedicated trio of archiphiles is running one tour per month, with only 15 places available for each. However, private tours can also be arranged. Full details are at Melbourne Architours.