The school holidays are over, but there are still plenty of leisure activities in the region this week!
Thrill-seekers will love a murder-in-the-dark style immersive theatre experience at the Botanic Gardens.
Museum of the Riverina explores the impact of unionist Jack Mundy and the famous green bans of the 70s.
Those of Scottish heritage can enjoy a night of Robbie Burns poetry, bagpipes and Scottish food at the Riverine Club.
And for those with an appreciation for the darkly weird and wonderful, Junee’s Haunted Doll Museum is an unnerving experience…
The Movies
When: Various Times
Where: A cinema near you
Cost: Various
When it’s freezing outside, the movies offer a good option for some climate-controlled entertainment.
The big screen adaption of US bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing opened this week along with Ethan Hawke’s scary movie Black Phone. Thor – Love and Thunder includes a host of familiar Aussie and Kiwi faces and the Rise of Gru will keep your little minions happy for an afternoon.
Talking Posters: Garage Graphix 1981–1998
When: Until Sunday 28 August
Where: Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Morrow St, Wagga Wagga
Cost: Free
A visual blast from the 80s and 90s, Talking Posters: Garage Graphix 1981–1998 serves up a loud and proud collection of screen-printed works from the renowned “Garage” in Mt Druitt in western Sydney. Exploring how artists can give voice to community concerns, the exhibition is a journey back to the pre-digital era of poster-making.
The Monte Cristo Doll Museum
When: Museum hours, Friday to Monday 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Monte Cristo, 1 Homestead Ln, Junee
Cost: More details can be found on the website or Facebook
If you’re in the mood for something on the spooky side, call into Junee’s haunted doll museum at Monte Cristo – Australia’s most haunted house. Artist Silvia Hesterenyiova will walk you through her expanding collection of weird and wonderful creations. Not one for the faint-hearted!
Jack Mundey Exhibition
When: Friday 22 July 2022 and Sunday 24 July
Where: Museum of the Riverina, Historic Council Chambers, 234 Baylis Street, Wagga
Cost: Free
This exhibition examines the work of unionist and environmental activist Jack Mundy and his impact on Australia’s approach to the environment. As leader of the NSW Builders and Labourers Federation (BLF) in the 1970s, Lundy was instrumental in the green ban movement to protect the Sydney region from overdevelopment.
JamFactory Icon Tom Moore: Abundant Wonder
When: Until Sunday, 24 August
Where: Griffith Art Gallery, 167 Banna Avenue, Griffith
Cost: Free
Tom Moore is one of Australia’s leading glass artists and creates fantastical creatures, objects and worlds that can be both amusing and alarming. This exhibition features animations and a soundtrack by Jonathan Nix.
Storytime at the Library
When: Friday 22 July, from 10 am
Where: Wagga City Library
Cost: Free
If you’re looking to entertain preschoolers ahead of the weekend, why not pop into the library for Storytime? You can pick up your groovy new WWCL card while you’re there and check out some books while you’re at it.
Robbie Burns Supper
When: Friday 22 July, 6 pm
Where: The Riverine Club, Cnr Tarcutta and Sturt Sts, Wagga Wagga
Cost: $100 including dinner, book here
This is one for the Bravehearts who want to warm up with an old-fashioned Scottish cèilidh. The Riverine Club is hosting a night of poetry, pipes and highland dance and will serve traditional Scottish delicacies like Neeps and Tatties with Haggis. There is likely to be a wee dram or two on offer as well. Slàinte mhath!
To Hunt a Killer – Wagga Wagga
When: Friday 22 July to Sunday 24 July, 7 pm – 8 pm
Where: Wagga Botanic Gardens, MacLeay St, Turvey Park
Cost: $34, book here
Find out if you have what it takes to track down a killer at this immersive theatre show. To Hunt a Killer sets you loose to see just how good your fugitive hunting instincts are. You’ll head into the dark with only a torch and your wits to catch a murderer on the run!
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody 50 Years On
When: Saturday 23 July 2022, 8 pm to 10:10 pm
Where: Wagga Civic Theatre, Burns Way off, Tarcutta St, Wagga Wagga
Cost: Adult $79.90 and student/child $49.90, purchase here
If the news that British supergroup Queen is celebrating its 50th anniversary makes you feel old, Australia’s own Freddie Mercury impersonator Thomas Crane promises to wind back the clock with his all-new tribute show. Thomas and his band Bohemian Rhapsody will deliver all the sights and sounds of a Queen concert at the Wagga Civic Theatre.