Who would have thought Geelong’s city centre, empty as a pauper’s pockets for so long, might be finally starting to rev up – and as an entertainment precinct?
For years the Little Malop St arts precinct has been in name only, a cannon could easily be shot along it of a weekend without hurting anything more than tumbleweeds.
Suddenly, however, music’s talking off there as new bars open and bands start pumping.
Punters will now find the old faithful Eureka but also Pistol Petes blues cave, the new Geelong Workers Club, a piano bar about to open, Beav’s Bar and its regular tunesmiths and reports of another music venue being resurrected around the corner in James St.
Throw in a few pop-up evening bars and smart cafes and it’s looking like there’s some life in the old girl yet.
Farewell to Bernie Slattery, well-known former Geelong journo, news snout for the Indy after leaving town and an all-round good guy.
He was also a one-time moderator of Australia’s most widely read blog and successfully operated one of his own in semi-retirement
Slats passed on to a higher masthead this week after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Today’s Friday the 13th, a day for all things superstitious.
Double Take’s tips to watch out for include: Cunningham Pier breaking apart and slipping into Corio Bay on top of an unannounced visiting cruise ship; Cats training – cancel it or risk a repeat of last year’s catalogue of knee woes; and a Zombie apocalypse in the mall.
Hold on, that last one might already have happened.
And who was the Geelong artist whose work featured recently on TV’s top-rating The Block?
The giant feather-crested native American figure made for an arresting wall display but, shhh, he can’t say too much about his work, according to family minders.
Something about commercial reasons.
Curious. First time we’ve ever struck an artist unwilling to talk about his work.
Hoped we haven’t been framed.
