By Richard Cornish
We Wish You A Merry Christmas …
Brass bands were common before recorded music took hold. Many towns, suburbs, unions and factories had a band. The western suburbs had a number, but over the decades many folded and reformed before merging in the 1960s. A creation of this process is the Footscray-Yarraville City Band, which performs tonight at the 23rd annual Yarraville Carols in the Garden. This year's program will also showcase performances by the Hyde St Youth and Western Brass, a mass choir and local community groups. Popular actor Kevin Harrington will MC, a fat man in a red suit will appear and, later, the sky will light up with fireworks.
Yarraville Gardens.Credit: Richard Cornish
Saturday, December 17, 7pm-10.30pm, Yarraville Gardens, Cnr Whitehall St and Harris St, free entry, fycb.com.au
Sun Cinema
The Sun in Yarraville.
Built in 1938, the Sun Theatre (8 Ballarat Street, 9362 0999, suntheatre.com.au) seated 1050 and had a pram room where mothers left babies and were given a number. When babies started crying, their numbers were flashed on the big screen. Today the theatre has eight smaller cinemas screening blockbuster, arthouse and children's films. The old candy shop next door is now Sun Bookshop (10 Ballarat Street, Open daily, 9689 0661, sunbookshop.com) where the stock is quintessentially 21st century Yarraville, with Karen Martini's new cookbook not far from Charles Bukowski's On Writing.
Parks and gardens
Yarraville Gardens were laid out in the Victorian manner, with formal beds and mature European trees and palms. They are also home to the Barbara Beyer Reserve, a dedicated dogs-off-leash area. By the banks of Stony Creek is McNish Dinosaur Reserve (Court Street). In it is the three-metre high and six-metre long Mimi the Muttabuttasaurus made by local artists at BiGfiSh Workshop in Footscray. This beautiful and fun representation of an Australian dinosaur is hollow, creating a great playing space for children.
maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
Kindred artist studios, Yarraville.
Kindred Studios
This privately owned warehouse has been converted into a community art space. It boasts a large band room complete with bar and lounge. Out back are a TV studio, band rehearsal rooms, recording studios, Victoria University's music department, a drop-in shared workspace and dedicated artists' and architects' studios. Out front is a cafe, while inside are the table tennis room and an atrium performance space. Call if you're after creative space. Playing on Friday, December 23, is the Melbourne International Peace Concert, which features theatre, music, African dance, stand-up comedy, salsa dancing and reggae music.
Stony Creek Backwash under the West Gate Bridge.
Kindred Studios, 212a Whitehall Street, 9689 9859, kindredstudios.com.au
Pies, pasties and empanadas
Antonio Jimenez at the Heather Dell Bakery. Credit: Richard Cornish
When Antonio Jimenez and his sister bought the 61-year-old Heather Dell Bakery in Anderson Street they had an eye to turning the old bread shop into a trendy cafe. For generations this had been the place for neenish tarts, sausage rolls, sliced white pipe-loaves and the occasional fruit mince tart. Just as they were about to demolish the sagging floors and trash the coin scratched glass cake cabinet, brother and sister fell in love with the place. "We saw what the locals saw," says Antonio. "People born here who live OS or interstate return and buy a pie and tell their life story," he says. "It is a place with so much history." Antonio's background is El Salvadorian, so there are two concessions to his family's culture. Along with a coconut tart and white bread, customers can also get good coffee and a beef, olive and boiled egg empanada.
5-7 Anderson Street, Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm, Sat 9am-2pm, 9687 1721
Yarraville playground.
Stony Creek Backwash
This is one of Melbourne's hidden little parks where hardly anyone goes, except for the odd pair of blue herons wading at the water's edge. Despite the muted roar of the West Gate Bridge, this shallow estuary teems with fingerling fish and lace-winged dragonflies. It also contains the mangrove stand closest to the CBD. The park is easy to access via Hyde Street.
Yarraville Carols in the Garden.
parkweb.vic.gov.au
Next Week: Eildon
6reasons@richardcornish.com.au. Twitter and Insta @Foodcornish