From early December 2009, the Frankston Waterfront will again be transformed as 3,500 tonnes of sand is trucked in ready for carving the next Sand Sculpting Australia exhibition.  The theme for this season is 'Great Moments in History'.

A team of 19 creative and very talented people from Australia and countries all around the world will descend upon the area and over a period of 3 weeks will bring into being enormous yet finely detailed and lifelike sculptures that depict people, places and events that have shaped our world.  From caveman discovering how to create fire, world wars and crusades, great civilisations, inventions and architecture, through to scientific discoveries and man walking on the moon, this exhibition will recreate those moments from our past that stand out as remarkable and have impacted on or changed the course of history.

Integrated with the sand sculptures will be activities to keep the whole family entertained.  Visit www.sandsculpting.com.au for daily updates and a schedule of what’s on.

Located at the Frankston Waterfront, Nepean Highway, Frankston, ‘Great Moments in History’ will be open to the public every day from December 26, 2009, through to April 26, 2010 and gates open daily at 10.00am.

Get moving with Junior Cats or further develop skills with the Troupe. Manipulation, juggling, aerials, acrobalance, and plenty more. 
Tuesdays, 2 February – 23 March 
Troupe - 13-21 years - 5.45pm-7.45pm
Junior Cats – 8-12yrs - 4pm-5.30pm

Cost: $124 (term 1), or $16 (single sessions)

For over ten years, thousands of people have lost themselves in the walls of corn in The Enchanted Maze Gardens annual Maize Maze. This year we are continuing the tradition of intrigue and fantasy with a Carnival themed Maize Maze with special carnival themed activities for the children over Easter.

Those who love a challenge will delight in the many false trails and dead ends that are all part of the twisting and turning paths. Even the best navigators will be tested as they negotiate their way from the ferris wheel through the balloons and big top, around the carousel and finally exiting after a wild trip along the roller coaster.

Planted in late November, the Maize Maze is created each year using GPS technology and 100,000 stalks of corn in the 2.5 acre field located at the bottom of The Enchanted Maze Garden property.

It was John & Wendy Mitchell’s desire to combine their passion for the arts with their love of nature and growth that was the birth for the Montalto sculpture collection. The growing collection features works from a number of Australian artists including Sebastian Di Mauro, Andrew Rogers, Jason Waterhouse, Michael Needham and David Waters.

Sculptures are sited throughout the property for visitors to enjoy on a meander along the wetlands walk, or to contemplate as they enjoy lunch in the restaurant. In addition to direct acquisitions, the Montalto sculpture collection has also grown by virtue of the Montalto sculpture prize.

As the first comprehensive overview of the career of John Ford Paterson, this exhibition will showcase Paterson’s twilight landscapes and coastal scenes including major paintings of Sorrento, Half Moon Bay, Berwick and Fernshaw. Paterson was much admired by his contemporaries in Melbourne, during the 1880s and early 1900s, for his continued commitment to translating the beauty of nature into his landscapes, which captured ‘something evanescent’ within the poetic twilight.

Many of the works in the exhibition are held in the descendant’s collections and have not been seen in public since 1932. Additional artworks of the talented extended Paterson family will also be included: Charles and Hugh’s designs for their decorating firm created some of the most iconic interiors of the late 1880s, and artworks by Esther and Betty Paterson who were highly successful modernist artists in the fields of society portraits and illustration.

John Ford Paterson: A family tradition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated comprehensive catalogue.

Time: 12noon - 4pm
Venue: Red Hill Showgrounds, Arthurs Seat Road, Red Hill

At the centre of the Peninsula hinterland the Red Hill lunch will highlight the region's specialties of the finest Pinots and the diversity of artisan food producers. Ten celebrated chefs and twelve wineries from across the region will create a wonderful menu with a spectacular dining experience in a beautifully rural location at Red Hill Reserve.

Cost: $95

Time: 1:00pm-11:00pm

Ventana will captivate audiences with its Latin music, dance, delicious food, and arts and cultural attractions; but more surprises are in store. In addition to the famous ‘Lounge’ project, the 2010 event will also feature a Spanish language film festival, interactive cooking demonstrations and a fashion show with a difference.

The music and entertainment will go from 1:00pm to 11:00pm, with Filhos Da Bahia, Riosamba and festival favourites La Cumbiamba, Combo de la Revelacion and much more set to keep the crowd dancing. Craft, fashion, kids’activities, literature, art and food stalls will make sure there is something for people of all ages and tastes.

Entry to the festival is free. 

The award-winning Australian Garden celebrates the beauty of Australian plants, people and places. Join us in enjoying an evening with a five course menu designed by Andrew Blake featuring Australian native ingredients and accompanied by the award-winning Ocean Eight wines. Drinks and canapés overlooking the breathtaking Australian Garden will be accompanied by an Indigenous performance, followed by an exceptional dinner menu using Australian native food and local wines.

The ultimate source of wedding products and services in the Mornington Peninsula area.  Gala Bridal Parade at 1:30pm.

Register online now for your spot in this years' ride. There are 3 distances to choose from; 95km, 35km or the family circuit from Anthony's Nose to Rye. 

Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Location: Monterey Community Park Frankston North
Cost: Free Event

This year will see our eighth community festival day in Frankston North, and the event grows in popularity each year. The day provides an opportunity for local residents and friends to get together, have fun, and learn more about their community. The event Is community and family orientated - on the day there will be roving performers and stage entertainment, an animal farm, pre-school activities, children's activities (including teens), skate park competitions, Information booths, various art and crafts, a sausage sizzle, food stalls and market stalls.

Cost: Free 

Join the St Kilda Football Club’s annual Family Day at Frankston Park.  

Come along and meet all of the players just before the 2010 season gets underway. This is your opportunity to see the boys and wish them well for the year ahead.  

Players will be available for photos and autographs on the oval.  Featuring live music, entertainment, interviews and the 2010 jumper presentation, you will also have the opportunity to pick up brand new merchandise and secure your membership if you have not already done so. 

This is always a popular event, so make sure you’re part of it!

6:30pm
In the lead up to Earth Hour, environmentalist, television presenter and author Tanya Ha is guest speaker at Frankston Library.  Tanya is best known as the Eco Coach in the award-winning SBS reality TV series Eco House Challenge, the author of the acclaimed eco-guide book Greeniology and a media commentator on environmental issues.  Tanya is a passionate advocate for the ways that ordinary people can help save the planet.

Zhongjian: Midway, curated by Jin Sha, is a timely exhibition that reveals the mesh of associations and influences that operate in our trans-cultural world. This exhibition consists of works by fourteen contemporary artists from China and Australia, and features painting, sculpture, installation and video projections.

Five of the artists are Chinese nationals living and working in China, four are Chinese-born artists living and working in Australia, and five identify themselves as Australian artists whose work has been closely informed by Chinese culture. Together, these artists investigate notions of traditions, globalisation and identity in their work.

Caroline Williams Mora is a conceptual artist who focuses upon history painting, politics and portraiture. Her work questions the nature of conventions, memory and authority. This exhibition celebrates the achievements of Victorian women through portraits of twelve significant, contemporary Victorian women, painted by Melbourne artist Caroline Williams.

The women depicted are active in the arts, academia, science and welfare; they are Alison Carroll, Suzanne Cory, Suzanne Dance, Dure Dara, Beatrice Faust, Rhonda Galbally, Helen Garner, Moira Kelly, Joan Kirner, Hilary McPhee, Christine Nixon and Joy Murphy Wandin. The artist, Caroline Williams, addresses psychological and social issues in her work, and in this series she seeks to reinterpret established ideas about perception, image and portraiture.

As the artist states: ‘We are immensely curious about each other and, as the painted portrait is a re-presentation of an individual rather than the “truth” of a photograph, it frees the viewer to look, observe and respond to the sitter in an uninhibited manner.’

Part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Chef, Simon West has devised a "shells and scales" themed lunch featuring fresh seafood and shellfish from cool southern waters, matched with a selection of wines from Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate, chosen by Sandro Mosele.

The cost of the lunch is $95.00 per head

A World Premiere!

 Starring Alan Hopgood, Kevin Harrington, Margot Knight and Kelly Nash, this new family drama by Alison Campbell Rate is about love, war, secrets and reconciliation.
Jonah (Hopgood) has a secret that he keeps hidden under a veil of sarcasm, jibes and humour. When a biographer (Nash) is hired to write Jonah’s memoirs, old war wounds and family secrets are revealed.

Between the Bays Music Festival is back for its 5th Annual Festival on Saturday 20th March 2010 at Penbank, Rickards Road, Moorooduc.

~ TEX PERKINS ~ LIOR ~ THE FAUVES ~ ANGIE HART ~
~ JORDIE LANE ~ THE CASIO BROS. ~ BLACKCHORDS ~
~ COUSIN LEONARD ~

PLUS...heaps of FREE kid's activities, wineries, local gourmet food stalls and the very tasty Red Hill Brewery. Come along for a great family day of music, food, wine and fun!

Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Location: Frankston's George Pentland Botanic Gardens (Melway Ref: 102 E5)
Cost: $12, concession $8, children 12 and under free 

Shakespeare in the Gardens is back!
BYO picnic and picnic rug/chairs
Tickets at the gate
Prepare to be spellbound this Summer with OZACT’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, an exciting encounter with one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, played out in the glorious surrounds of the George Pentland Gardens in Frankston.
Relax and enjoy the irresistible combination of the acclaimed creativity and high performance standards of Australia’s leading outdoor Shakespeare company and the best loved comedy of the world’s greatest playwright.
“Another captivating, enthralling, and totally exciting performance. Thank you for bringing Shakespeare to life in such a moving way."

Teams of Girls from schools from all over the Peninsula and beyond compete in a tag team format. The event has been going since 2001 and is sponsored by Toorak College, Mt Eliza.

Join us for a progressive lunch celebrating the produce of our estate from vineyard and olive grove through to kitchen gardens, orchard and berry gardens. Savour three courses in three separate locations on the estate, matched to our estate grown wine.  Meander through the works of the 2010 Montalto Sculpture Prize, and the beautiful natural wetlands or take a ride in Monty, our tractor-drawn carriage.  The estate meets the plate as Chef Barry Davis creates a lunch to remember from the beautiful abundance of produce at Montalto.
Cost: $130 includes three courses amongst the property with matched wines. 

Visit us at Harvest Festival time to enjoy taste test and displays of unique heirloom fruits and vegetables. Join our knowledgeable gardeners each day between 10:30am and 3:30pm for FREE garden tours and workshops. Learn about;

Mornington Baptist Church, 370 Craigie Road, Mornington

Saturday 10.00am to 3.00pm

Everything free from rides, art and crafts, food, drink, fairy floss. Devonshire teas with scones.  There is no motive, no preaching, no dontation required.  They do this every year as their Easter gift to the community.

Flutter to our activity station to create some magical fairy and elf crafts from gum nuts. String together a gum nut necklace or gum nut bells to make your garden magical.

This activity takes around 15 minutes.

Join us for a delicious bush barbecue before exploring the bushland of RBG Cranbourne at dusk with our experienced guides.

Look out for native wildlife as wombats, wallabies and possums emerge for the evening. Watch the sunset over Melbourne from Trig Point Lookout.

Bring along a torch and dress appropriately for the weather on the day.
This program is subject to cancellation on days of extreme fire danger.   

Cost:   $33 adult
             $28 concession
             $25 Garden Grubs member

Time: 10:30am-12:30pm
Location: Frankston's George Pentland Botanic Gardens (Melway Ref: 102 E5)
Cost: FREE Event 
BYO picnic
The ever popular Children’s Days are back in 2010, bigger and better than ever!  The event offers two hours of jammed packed fun, from art and dance workshops to quality stage entertainment.   Everyone’s favourite Paul Jamieson, will be back with his special show – Jamo and Anastasia along with Geetha Bollywood Arts, giving everyone the chance to get in the Bollywood groove.
Bring a picnic and enjoy quality free art and cultural activities.
This event is ideal for toddlers up to middle primary aged children; all children must be supervised at all times. Delicious Free Trade organic coffee and hot chocolate will be available for purchase.

Come and explore one of Frankston’s most popular natural attractions. Join our local Park Ranger and be amazed by the history, native flora, fauna, geology and scenery right here on our doorstep.

9:00am-2:00pm
Mornington is one of the Peninsula's most appealing coastal towns and its famous Racecourse Market has been a monthly highlight since 1994.The well treed site provides shade in summer and protection in the colder months.There's an undercover area as well, but, regardless of the weather, thousands of regular marketgoers always keep the second Sunday of every month as their 'Mornington day'.  When the market is over, the town's boutique shops and coastal pleasures completes a great day's outing.

Operating each Sunday morning from 8:00am-1:00pm.  Over 100 stallholders in a safe family environment selling a wide variety of bric-a-brac, flowers, plants and trees.  Savour fresh healthy foods, enjoy a coffee at our outdoor cafe or taste the best hot jam donuts around.  This popular weekend attraction draws customers rain, hail or shine.  Come and grab a bargain in a great outdoor atmosphere.

9:00am to 3:00pm.  Entry and carparking are free.
Over 100 stalls with a variety of goods including plants, jewellery, leather goods, ceramics, leadlight, knitted goods, childrens and ladies wear, soaps, lotions, fruit, veges, woodwork, jams, chutneys and much, much more!

The Seaford Farmers Market has a huge variety of produce direct from farmers and other food producers; fresh fruit, free range eggs, vegetables, meats, jams, conserves, breads, pastas, dog treats and much more. Run by the Rotary Club of Frankston, there is a  $2 entry donation.  Proceeds to community projects.

Held on the 3rd Sunday each month 8.00am to 1.00pm.

Operating each Sunday morning from 8:00am-1:00pm.  Over 100 stallholders in a safe family environment selling a wide variety of bric-a-brac, flowers, plants and trees.  Savour fresh healthy foods, enjoy a coffee at our outdoor cafe or taste the best hot jam donuts around.  This popular weekend attraction draws customers rain, hail or shine.  Come and grab a bargain in a great outdoor atmosphere.

9:00am to 3:00pm.  Entry and carparking are free.
Over 100 stalls with a variety of goods including plants, jewellery, leather goods, ceramics, leadlight, knitted goods, childrens and ladies wear, soaps, lotions, fruit, veges, woodwork, jams, chutneys and much, much more!

Operating each Sunday morning from 8:00am-1:00pm.  Over 100 stallholders in a safe family environment selling a wide variety of bric-a-brac, flowers, plants and trees.  Savour fresh healthy foods, enjoy a coffee at our outdoor cafe or taste the best hot jam donuts around.  This popular weekend attraction draws customers rain, hail or shine.  Come and grab a bargain in a great outdoor atmosphere.

9:00am to 3:00pm.  Entry and carparking are free.
Over 100 stalls with a variety of goods including plants, jewellery, leather goods, ceramics, leadlight, knitted goods, childrens and ladies wear, soaps, lotions, fruit, veges, woodwork, jams, chutneys and much, much more!