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Castlemaine Created – be transformed

By
Castlemaine Mail
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The 50th anniversary event will feature a host of performances, exhibitions and events including new 'Castlemaine Created' work the 'Australian Archive of Play Memories' at the historic Castlemaine Market Building in the heart of the CBD featuring 16 portraits of local creatives including Kyan Laslett O’Brien and Dion Brownfield, pictured. Photo: Marylou Verberne
The 50th anniversary event will feature a host of performances, exhibitions and events including new 'Castlemaine Created' work the 'Australian Archive of Play Memories' at the historic Castlemaine Market Building in the heart of the CBD featuring 16 portraits of local creatives including Kyan Laslett O’Brien and Dion Brownfield, pictured. Photo: Marylou Verberne

The Castlemaine State Festival kicks off tonight, March 20, with Castlemaine’s Mostyn Street set to transform to mark the festival’s 50th anniversary.
Music, art, food, and dance take over in a joyful and powerful public event that kicks off 10 days of celebration.
The night opens at 6pm with a Welcome to Country by Uncle Rick Nelson, followed by The Nalderun Song Project, Castlemaine Secondary College band, and Castlemaine Circus.
Then the energy shifts: Heartical Hi-Powa with Stryka D bring pulsating reggae and dub, Jungle City deliver high-octane dancehall, Cho Karin defy gravity with acrobatics, and Amaru Tribe close with genre-blending Colombian-Australian electronica.
After the main event the focus will move to the official sold-out ticketed after-party, which transforms two iconic Castlemaine spaces into parallel clubs, each with its own take on contemporary electronic music. The Maxi IGA underground car park becomes a one-night-only venue, while across the road, Theatre Royal opens its doors. Featuring Harvey Sutherland (DJ Set), Intermood, Pjenné, Millú, and Tom Barker.
Meanwhile, over at the Castlemaine Town Hall from 8pm tonight, Genesis Baroque brings the vibrant music of the 17th and 18th centuries to life with fresh intensity, joined by the illustrious Choir of Trinity College for their debut performance together.
Expect radiant Baroque masterworks by Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi — grandeur without distance, a dialogue between centuries made intimate once again.
The concert opens with Festival Fanfare by Australian composer Peter Charles Rorke, commissioned by the Festival and premiered in 1976. A full-circle moment for the 50th anniversary.
Festival Club
The Festival Club will be the place to be throughout the festival, with eight nights of entertainment at the Castlemaine Goods Shed from March 21 to 28. The festival’s after-dark home base. Every night, the Goods Shed transforms into a space for dancing, discovery, and connection, with Main FM’s finest DJs and special guests spinning wildly eclectic sets. No two nights sound the same. This is where you gather post-show, have a drink, meet new faces, and let the night stretch out.
Youth Sessions
There will also be youth sessions held on March 26 and 27, in the early evening. Before the late-night program begins, the festival club opens for two special sessions for younger audiences. Local youth DJs, movement, creativity, and a welcoming space to explore music before the Goods Shed shifts into its after-hours rhythm.
Castlemaine Created
A host of ‘Castlemaine Created’ exhibitions and events will take place throughout the festival. Photographer Marylou Verberne began talking with people about play to understand how childhood is changing. Her ‘Australian Archive of Play Memories’ exhibition at the Market Building is an ongoing project comprising photographic portraits of Australians, recorded interviews and play memory maps.
Festival Finale
The Festival Finale – the traditional Garden Party will take place on Sunday, March 29, at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens.
The festival’s most beloved tradition: a family-friendly afternoon of food stalls, markets, roving performers, and live music. Perfect picnic vibes to close out 10 days of celebration. Featuring Super Mandé Percussion, Belly Savalas, Gusto Gusto, World Kitchen, Uncle Ron Murray, Dandyman, Castlemaine Hot Rods, Main FM, and Castlemaine Circus.

Dancers rehearse in The Good Shed for the 2017 festival. The newly transformed space will be the site of this year’s ‘Festival Club’ and host eight nights of dance events. Photo: Julie Millowick

Friday, March 20, 2026

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Castlemaine Mail
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Stan Munro – Secrets of a Showbiz Dame

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Castlemaine Mail
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Dame Stan Munro will visit Castlemaine this Friday to launch his new memoir. Photo: Jodie Harris.
Dame Stan Munro will visit Castlemaine this Friday to launch his new memoir. Photo: Jodie Harris.

Former Chewton resident and beloved Aussie entertainer Stan Munro is set to return to Castlemaine this Friday March 20 to launch his new book Stan Munro – Secrets of a Showbiz Dame.
From the grey streets and isolation of the Welsh valleys to the glittering stages of Sydney’s Kings Cross, Stan Munro has lived a life larger than any spotlight could capture. Secrets of a Showbiz Dame is a dazzling memoir of survival, reinvention, and unapologetic authenticity told with the wit, warmth, and wicked humour of a true drag legend.
After a launch in his hometown of Kyogle last week, Stan will launch the new book co-written with William Brougham at Stoneman’s Bookroom this Friday afternoon, and Hares & Hyenas at the Victorian Pride Centre in St Kilda on Saturday ahead of the Australia-wide launch on March 24.
Stan said he is thrilled to be returning just in time for the highly anticipated 50th anniversary of the Castlemaine State Festival.
“Not long after first arriving here in Castlemaine I actually put together a show for the Castlemaine State Festival and this spearheaded five years of work. So the event holds a special place in my heart,” Stan said.
Stan said the memoir has been 10 years in the making.
“William travelled up from Sydney to my current home a Kyogle (in the Northern Rivers region near Byron Bay) to visit me on three or four occasions and even travelled to Castlemaine with me making video and sound recordings and documenting my story. However, we were unable to find a publisher. Everyone kept saying the subject was too ‘niche’,” Stan said.
A chance meeting with one of Kyogle’s newest residents and independent publisher Leanne Murne of Planetary Press and Publishing catapulted the long held project into reality and in just nine short weeks it went from a manuscript to a beautiful realisation.
“The image on the cover was taken by Jodie Harris and was a finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra which is currently touring the country,” Stan said.
The book details the challenges and trials of his early childhood and his first performances singing at 13 with the Francis Langford Singing Scholars through to the dazzling heights at the pinnacle performing with the original Les Girls cast in Sydney and the golden drag scene in Melbourne, his time in Castlemaine and everything beyond.
Stan has performed across the globe and also starred in the 1970 Jeff Bridges film Yin and Yang of Mr Go, and Alvin Purple featuring American actor Burgess Meredith (of Batman and Rocky fame) where Stan was one of the first female impersonators to be featured in an Australian film.
“I was estranged from my family long ago. But here in Australia I found my home and a created a new family. I love mixing with people.
“I recall when I was leaving Chewton around 17 years ago a gay man approached me a thanked me for making the community ‘more acceptable’ he said ‘We have a lot to thank you for’ and that really brought a tear to my eye,” Stan said.
“On my last visit to Caslemaine 18 months ago we played a packed show at the Theatre Royal and it was such a special moment. A homecoming.”
At 85 Stan is still sparkling.
“Life’s too short not to shine, darling so grab your heels, your crown, and your courage, and get ready to strut.”
You can catch Stan at Stoneman’s Bookroom at 3pm Friday. He will be conducting signings and a Q & A.

My Castlemaine with Jennifer Howe – Part One

By
Jade Jungwirth
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Jenny's parents met in the Air Force in their early 20s. After complications with their firstborn son, they were told they could only have one more child. Five years later, in 1952, Jenny was born, an...

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Petrol prices soar – Independents and farmers worst hit

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Castlemaine Mail
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Fuel pump Dispenser close-up photo on Australian service station

As the impacts of the war in the Middle East filter through to Australia, soaring fuel costs and scarcity fears are at the forefront of most conversations around the country this week.Locally, petrol ...

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Movie Soundtracks, big band energy and community courage

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Castlemaine Mail
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Annie (MainFM), Jane, Emmaline, Mark (Lot19 founder), Toby, Ramona, Azzy (Fringe) and Zephyr gear up for IDYLL 2026 earlier this week! Photo: Lisa Dennis
Annie (MainFM), Jane, Emmaline, Mark (Lot19 founder), Toby, Ramona, Azzy (Fringe) and Zephyr gear up for IDYLL 2026 earlier this week! Photo: Lisa Dennis

Castlemaine IDYLL returns to Lot19 this Saturday March 14 for its sixteenth-ish year, bringing together locals, live band complete with big horns and serious sound.This year’s theme celebrates movie s...

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FOCAL farewelled

By
Lisa Dennis
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Friends of Castlemaine Library (FOCAL) members and local librarians toast the end of an era.
Friends of Castlemaine Library (FOCAL) members and local librarians toast the end of an era.

The Friends of Castlemaine Library (FOCAL) has wound up after 30 years of providing friendship, advocacy and fundraising support to the Castlemaine Library.FOCAL members and local librarians past and ...

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Inclusive playground on the way for Chewton

By
Jade Jungwirth
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Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards celebrated the announcement with Chewton Primary School last week.
Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards celebrated the announcement with Chewton Primary School last week.

Students at Chewton Primary School will benefit from an upgraded, outdoor, inclusive learning space from 2027.Principal Bernadette McKenna said the small school has a high population of neurodivergent...

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Come and Try Baseball

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Castlemaine Mail
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The Central Victorian Rangers Baseball Club invite interested community members to come along to their Come and Try Days.
The Central Victorian Rangers Baseball Club invite interested community members to come along to their Come and Try Days.

The Central Victorian Rangers Baseball Club will be running two ‘Come and Try Days’ in March.
If you have ever thought about trying your hand at baseball this is your golden opportunity!
The first session will kick off tonight, Friday March 13, at the Elphinstone Recreation Reserve, Olivers Lane, Elphinstone. The session will run from 5.30pm-8pm.
A second will be held on Sunday March 29 from 11am-2pm at Elphinstone Recreation Reserve.
CV Rangers are looking to field four teams in this year’s Bendigo Baseball Association winter season. They are seeking players of all ages and genders as they are hoping to field two junior and two senior teams in 2026.
CV Rangers member Ben Walter said they are also on the lookout for supporters, officials, coaches, sponsors and volunteers.
“All equipment is supplied and no experience is required. Players of all ages are welcome. Come along and play baseball with people from across Castlemaine and surrounds,” Ben said.
“It’s the perfect way to keep your cricket skills sharp over winter. Try something new – give baseball a shot!”
For more information about the ‘Come and Try Days’ or getting involved in the club as a player or supporter check out their website at www.centralvicrangers.com.au or visit their Facebook page.

Castlemaine girls come out to party

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Castlemaine Mail
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From March 21-29, a selection from the Castlemaine Costume Gallery will be on display at the Anglican Church Hall.
From March 21-29, a selection from the Castlemaine Costume Gallery will be on display at the Anglican Church Hall.

After 12 months locked in a storage unit, the amazing collection of the Castlemaine Costume Gallery will once again be on show to the public from March 21-29 at the Anglican Church Hall in Castlemaine...

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Man Out of Time

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Castlemaine Mail
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The life and legacy of the legendary Broderick Smith will be celebrated on March 21. Photo: Franklin Image.
The life and legacy of the legendary Broderick Smith will be celebrated on March 21. Photo: Franklin Image.

Celebrating the Broderick Smith Songbook on Saturday, March 21, is a once-only event, performed as part of the Castlemaine State Festival.Across two stirring sets, musicians will perform the songs tha...

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Friday, March 13, 2026

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Castlemaine Mail
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