Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Local 2022 #3/25 - Wheeler Place




Christmas Countdown 3/25 

Right in the centre of the CBD in Newcastle NSW stands a towering Christmas Tree...  Newcastle's Wheeler Place  ( Civic Theatre, Hunter Street) will play host to festive fun as the  City Civic precinct comes to life with an 11-metre-high Christmas tree and family-friendly activities.

The tree’s lights were switched on  a few days ago by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes with the help of Santa and his elves, signalling the start of festivities for families to enjoy in the lead-up to Christmas.

 I visited the Christmas tree last Wednesday and while there were very few people around during the day, it still looked magnificent  against the backdrop of the iconic round building of the Crystalbrook Kingsley, a five star hotel which was formerly the City Council Administration offices. 




 Cr Nelmes said the City’s signature Christmas tree and free program of activities will help activate Wheeler Place and draw people into the city centre this Christmas.

"We hope that the sight of our Christmas tree and the free, fun activities will help spread joy amongst friends and families, while also encouraging visitors to support our city centre's local businesses,” Cr Nelmes said.

"There is no better time than the lead-up to Christmas to shop locally, enjoy a night out at one of our city’s local bars or restaurants and show your support for Newcastle businesses, both in the city centre and surrounds." 

from Latest News City of Newcastle 



On Sunday 4 December before the Christmas festivities take place, thousands of passionate football fans are expected to descend on Wheeler Place  to watch live the Socceroos take on the might of Lionel Messi and his Argentinian teammates in a World Cup sudden death match in Qatar.

City of Newcastle will host an open-air broadcast of the World Cup thriller, offering Novocastrians a chance to cheer on the Australians in their round of 16 clash with the footballing heavyweights. The live site will bring all the action of the World Cup to Newcastle, offering a family-friendly way for locals to enjoy the atmosphere and cheer on their football heroes from home.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Lilly Pilly

Today is Australia Day. I chose a photo of some Lilly Pilly berries as a celebratory image for this national day. Lilly Pilly is  a common name for a plant, Syzygium smithii which grows mostly in Eastern Australia, from the northern  rain forests of Queensland, throughout NSW to the southern Wilson's Promontory in Victoria. In New Zealand it is called "monkey apple, but other names used in Australia, besides lilly pilly, are Eungella Gum and Coast Satinash. The largest Lilly Pilly recorded was found in Dingo Creek Flora Reserve, near Tenterfield where I once lived.  The tree now growing in my garden was once a small seedling which I was gifted when I left Woolgoolga, a small coastal town in northern NSW. Its name  is said to come from the Aboriginal word 'weelgoolga' describing the lilly pilly which grows in profusion there. It is probably no surprise that the lilly pilly berries are edible as bush tucker, and make a beautiful jam or jelly. I have even seen re...

Ethereal Threads : Textile Art

Meredith Woolnough is a beautiful talented young artist. Her current work is exquisite, stunning, engaging and awe inspiring. As you can see from the images, Meredith reproduces the beauty of nature in stitch – literally thousands of metres of embroidery thread stitched onto a background which is later dissolved. What remains is like a delicate “skeleton", but somehow with depth of colour, movement and strength. I think what is conveyed in Meredith’s work is overwhelmingly the love and reverence for her natural subject matter and her intimate knowledge of its structure.      Meredith’s latest exhibition is called “Ethereal Threads”, superbly presented at Timeless Textiles.  It is a collection of framed fine art which demonstrates Meredith’s attention to the details of presentation – each of the large pieces is pinned to archer paper and the play of shadow on the paper enhances the beauty of each.  There are  finely detailed delic...