1. LATIN FESTIVAL
Sandown Racecourse will be swamped by visitors this weekend for the annual September Latin Festival. This two-day dance, music, food and cultural festival, expected to draw 20,000 people, showcases the 20 countries that make up Latin America. This friendly event is always vibrant and, at times, even exhausting. This year expect spectacular dance competitions, carnival processions and heartfelt displays of national pride. Features will include a Mayan cultural celebration from the people of El Salvador, an exhibition of the balletic Brazilian martial art Capoeira, a tango workshop and mariachi band Sin Fronteras.
September 24-25, Sandown Racecourse, 591-659 Princes Highway. Adults $15 one day, book at septemberlatinfestival.com.au
Alex Wilkie nature reserve. Photo: KYLIE GRINHAM
2. FROGS AND FLOWERS
In 1950, when Springvale was a collection of small farms and market gardens on the verge of being subdivided for housing, the Springvale South Community Association bought four hectares of remnant eucalypt forest on Mackay Street. This was fenced off 17 years later to create a tiny sanctuary for the original plants and animals of the area. This little patch of bush is home to the usual phalanx of suburban marsupials and to the beautifully onomatopoeic Pobblebonk frog. A special guided tour on October 16, from 10am to 5pm, offers a good chance to learn more about local wildflowers, which have been prolific this year. Call 8571 1702 to book a place.
Mackay Street, Springvale South. Open to the public every Fri 9am- 3pm and the third Sunday of every month 10am-5pm.
The City of Greater Dandenong holds regular Sensational Springvale Food Lovers' Tours. Photo: Supplied
3. FOOD TOUR
Waves of immigration – from the Greeks, Italians and Yugoslavs after World War II to the refugees from the Indochinese wars of the late 20th century – have produced one of the most wonderfully delicious and intense food experiences in Melbourne. To the uninitiated, the shops and markets – with selections of meat, crawling crustaceans and hanging ducks dripping with fat – can be overwhelming and confusing. The City of Greater Dandenong holds regular Sensational Springvale Food Lovers' Tours to help explain this amazing cornucopia. The next is on October 20 from 10am to 12pm. For bookings, call the Drum Theatre on 8571 1377 or go to greaterdandenong.com/visit.
Bright Moon Buddhist Temple, Springvale. Photo: Richard Cornish
4. BIG TEMPLE
The Bright Moon Buddhist Society's new $15 million temple, which opened last year, is testament to the strength of the local community. In front of the temple, built in ancient Chinese Imperial Palace style, visitors are greeted by a statue of Goddess of Mercy Guan Yin standing by a fountain. Upstairs, in the main temple, sit three massive golden Buddhas in ornate surroundings. This is just one of nearly a dozen Buddhist and Hindu temples in Springvale. Visitors are welcome but are asked to respect tradition by removing hats and shoes where applicable.
Bright Moon Temple, 536-540 Springvale Road, Springvale South
5. FAST CAR
You're in the driver's seat of a V8 Supercar, on the grid at Sandown. You're wearing a helmet and racing gear, and you've had training sessions on braking and overtaking. Now the light is about to turn green. With an instructor in the passenger seat talking you through the turns, you are about to drive as fast as you can for six laps. V8 Race offers this experience at Sandown with regular weekend sessions and various packages.
Cost is $349. v8race.com
6. PORK ROLL
Banh mi is one of the most interesting examples of the post-French colonial Vietnamese global cuisine. It literally means "wheat bread" but has become known as a crusty single-serve baguette slathered in (sometimes) butter and pork pate and layered with different types of charcuterie. This delicacy is followed by julienned carrots and (sometimes) Asian white turnips, cucumber, some chilli and coriander. The bountiful bakeries in Springvale are famous for their banh mi. Possibly the best in Melbourne is made by Minh Duc Bakery, which specialises in the dish. Try the cinnamon pork roll, tendon pork roll or the Special House – a mix of different Vietnamese pork sausages.
Shop 33C Buckingham Avenue
Next Week: Newstead
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