Wagga Beach on warmer days. Photo: Megan Clark.
We’ve all had just about enough of this miserable weather, but if you’re sick of watching Netflix wrapped in a blanket, there’s still plenty going on in the region this weekend for those prepared to get out and about.
If you manage to peel yourself off your sofa, you can plop straight back down at the cinemas and catch Lee Kernaghan’s new film.
Art lovers can day trip to Gundagai to see the best of the Bald Archies or head to Wagga Art Gallery to see the latest exhibition opening and meet the artist.
Learn a new skill such as painting, basket weaving, or sourdough bread making, or simply take a stroll through one of Wagga’s best-kept secrets – the garden at ErinEarth.
All Weekend
The band smashed out some fan favourites for Victoria Hotel patrons earlier this month. Photo: Victoria Hotel.
Rocket 88 live at the Duke of Kent and the Black Swan
When: Friday 29 July, 8:30 pm and Saturday 30 July, 7 pm
Where: Duke of Kent Hotel, 125 Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga and The Black Swan Hotel, 37 Gardiner Street, Wagga
Cost: Free entry.
Rocket 88 has a busy weekend lined up. The local cover band will play modern and classic pub rock and roll at the Duke of Kent Hotel tonight. Turning it up again on Saturday night, the group will be live at the Black Swan on the massive truck stage. The much-loved Muddy Duck will provide fire buckets, good food and great company – the perfect pairing for four sets of your favourite rock music.
This class accompanies an exhibition of 39 of the Scott sisters’ finest works. Photo: Museum of the Riverina.
Needle Felting Classes at The MoR
When: Friday 29 July, 2 pm – 4 pm and Saturday 30 to Sunday 31 July, 12 pm – 2 pm
Where: Museum of the Riverina, 243 Baylis Street, Wagga
Cost: Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.
Learn the ins and outs of needle felting and create a simple botanical design inspired by the work of two of Australia’s earliest female natural history illustrators, Harriet and Helena Scott. In a class designed for beginners, participants will be provided with A5 felt substrate, wool, alpaca fibre, a felting needle and reference pictures to create beautiful needle-felted artwork. Tea and coffee will be provided. Can’t make it this weekend? Additional classes run from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 August.
All Week
Lee Kernaghan: Boy From The Bush director Kriv Stenders is known for his work on loved Aussie films Slim and I and Red Dog. Photo: Maslow Entertainment.
Lee Kernaghan: Boy From The Bush
When: Limited run, various screening times from Thursday 28 July to Wednesday 3 August
Where: Forum 6 Cinemas, 77 Trail Street, Wagga or click here to find a cinema near you
Cost: Adult $19.50, child (3-14 years) $13.50, concession $15.50, senior $13.50, family (2A & 2C or 1A & 3C) $55.00, book here.
Grab your popcorn, settle in and prepare to jump right back out of your seat to sing and dance to the newest release at Forum Cinemas, celebrating the life and music of one of Australia’s most-loved musicians. Lee Kernaghan: Boy From The Bush is part concert film, part road movie, combining all the superstar’s greatest hits with stunning landscapes, remarkable people and amazing stories from the bush. Don’t forget, the film serves as the debut for a brand-new song performed live with his band at a specially filmed concert.
An installation shot of some of Begg’s exhibits at the UNSW Galleries, at the Sydney Festival in 2019. Photo: Wagga Art Gallery.
Zanny Begg: These stories will be different
When: Saturday 23 July to Sunday 18 September
Where: Wagga Art Gallery, 243 Baylis Street, Wagga
Cost: Free entry.
Hear Zanny Begg in conversation with local filmmaker Helen Grace at the exhibition’s official opening at 11 am on Saturday or view the exhibition during Gallery opening hours. Begg’s work incorporates many mediums, including film, photography, drawing and installation. Her work explores themes that are often highly politicised – marginalised communities, migrants, women and gender – often through a humorous lens. Understated drawings and found cultural artefacts highlight hidden or contested histories, to make the viewer question how we can experience the world around us differently. This exhibition, specifically curated for touring by UNSW Galleries, brings together the artist’s most significant works to date including The Beehive (2018), City of Ladies (2017) and Stories of Kannagi (2019).
Saturday
Located within a half hectare of native garden in the heart of Wagga, ErinEarth is a registered not-for-profit charity with a mix of paid staff and volunteers. Photo: ErinEarth.
The ErinEarth Garden Family Fun Day
When: Saturday 30 July, 9:30 am – 2 pm
Where: Kildare Catholic College, 1 Kildare Street, Turvey Park
Cost: Gold coin donation at the gate.
It’s the perfect Saturday – plant sales, live music, food, fresh espresso coffee, garden tours, house tours, sustainable living workshops and activities for children of all ages. The ErinEarth Garden Open Day is a chance for you and your family to get to know local plants from the Riverina, add them to your garden and learn how to incorporate more sustainable living practices into your life. The grounds are wheelchair accessible and the team welcomes and assists people of all abilities. Take your time to wander through the serene environment, coffee in-hand. The recently renovated Mount Erin Heritage Centre, also located on the site, will be open for tours from 9:30 am to 1 pm.
Sunday
A happy artist with his magical castle painting at Paint and Sip in Malvern. Photo: Lilitha Reviews.
Themed Paint Class: The Boy Who Lived
When: Sunday 31 July, 2 pm – 4:30 pm
Where: Pinot & Picasso, G73A Baylis St, Wagga
Cost: Tickets are $49 and can be purchased here.
The end of July is fast approaching and all Potterheads know what day it is! Celebrate Harry Potter’s 32nd birthday with the team at Pinot & Picasso. This family-friendly session will have you and your fellow witches and wizards painting a beautiful night sky and a magical castle inspired by Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night. Painters are encouraged to come dressed in their Hogwarts best. Wizards and muggles of ages seven and up are welcome at this event. All necessary equipment includes a 16′ x 20′ blank canvas, acrylic paint, brushes, a table easel and a Pinot & Picasso apron.
The Grand Ole Apiary has hosted many previous sourdough baking classes, proving popular with locals. Photo: The Grand Ole Apiary.
Sourdough for Beginners with Alison Carr, The Grand Ole Apiary
When: Sunday 31 July, 10 am – 1 pm
Where: Studio on Sunshine, 89 Lorne Street, Junee
Cost: Tickets are $207 including class and complete sourdough kit and can be purchased here.
At this charming beginners workshop, learn how to make the perfect sourdough loaf in an old-fashioned workers’ cottage. It covers looking after and using your dough starter, the breadmaking process from the first mix to oven shaping and scoring and beautiful and easy designs to make your bread look as good as it tastes. You will also take home your very own sourdough starter, freshly fed and ready to serve you for years to come, a kit with all the equipment you need to get started baking at home and, of course, a dough you have shaped ready to bake or refrigerate and bake the next day.
Basket weaving has been an Indigenous practice in Australia for tens of thousands of years. Photo: Ruby Tuesday.
Weaving Workshop with Kath Withers, Wiradjuri Elder
When: Sunday 31 July, 10 am – 2 pm
Where: Back Event Space (Entry via Cadell Place) Ruby Tuesday, 95 Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga
Cost: Tickets are $149 and can be purchased here.
Aunty Kath, one of Wagga’s most respected Wiradjuri elders, has become a treasured and beautiful friend of the team at Ruby Tuesday. An accomplished artist, Kath creates through painting, printmaking and weaving to tell the stories of her life and Dreaming. In this special workshop you will not only learn how to make your own basket alongside a master of the craft but also connect, learn about this incredible land we live on and “laugh and love with likeminded people”. No experience is necessary for this class, which is limited to 25 people. Light refreshments will be served throughout the day and all materials will be provided.
Monday
Some of the prize winners on show in 2018. Photo: Bald Archy.
The Best of the Bald Archies at the Old Gundagai Gaol
When: Monday 1 August to Friday 26 August, Where: Old Gundagai Gaol, U159 Sheridan St, Gundagai
Cost: Adults $5, concession $3, children free, at the door.
Old Gundagai Gaol will host some of the all-time favourite winners and nominations for Australia’s premier satirical art prize – the Bald Archy. This is one art exhibition that appeals to people from all walks of life and is absolutely not to be missed. After the passing of the Prize’s creator Peter Batey OAM in 2019, the administration of the Bald Archy Prize was handed over to the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga.
Winning subjects have included Kerry Packer, Shane Warne, John Howard, Pauline Hanson, and many other Australian icons. Celebrating the spirit of the Australian larrikin, these portraits embody the light side of art. They make you think, make you talk and most of all – make you laugh!
If you would like to enhance your experience add a self-guided tour of the Old Gundagai Gaol, including detailed audio guides, pop down to the Gundagai Visitor Information Centre to purchase a ticket to both.
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