Hotel Blog

CASTLEMAINE GUITAR WEEKEND

Duration: 6-8 FEBRUARY 2026

A weekend of music making the guitar, with musicians with hundreds of years of experience playing guitar and maintaining an active career. Weekend includes: The Long Road Home: Mick Pealing, Nick Charles, Ed Bates, Tony Bonnici, Paul Jonas. Kitchen Table Tour: Bill Jackson, Frank Jones, Dave Steel In Concert: Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo. Tickets to Castlemaine Guitar Weekend: bit.ly/cgw2026

FRI 6 FEB 7.30-9.30PM C1: THE LONG ROAD HOME`
CONCERT A powerful blend of blues, country, soul and roots – soulful, timeless, authentic, and played from the heart. Mick Pealing Vocals & Guitar; Nick Charles, Guitar; with Ed Bates, Pedal steel guitar; Tony Bonnici, Bass; Paul Jonas, Violin.

SAT 7 FEB 2-4PM W1: SONGWRITING with KITCHEN TABLE TOUR
WORKSHOP special, intimate workshop with experienced songwriters Bill Jackson, Frank Jones, & Dave Steel to explore the fundamentals of songwriting for guitar before an extended Q/A. BYO Guitar.

SAT 7 FEB 7.30-9.30PM, C2: KITCHEN TABLE TOUR
CONCERT It’s all about the song. Expect back catalogue songs, new ones, duets, classic Australian folk songs, storytelling and instrumental brilliance.

SUN 8 FEB NOON-2PM, W2: MODERN BLUES GUITAR WITH HUGO RACE and MICHELANGELO RUSSO
WORKSHOP  Get insights to the musical innovation and brilliance of Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo, two top notch blues musicians followed by Q&A. BYO Acoustic Guitar.

SUN 2 FEB 2-5PM FREE SECRET GUITAR MOVIE HOSTED BY BILL JACKSON
FILM Join Bill Jackson to watch a movie about a world class guitarist over a drink amongst fellow guitar enthusiasts. The Coolroom Cinema is a room full of comfy eclectic lounges + chairs.

SUN 8 FEB 6.30-8.30PM C3: HUGO RACE and MICHELANGELO RUSSO
CONCERT A mesmerising fusion of traditional blues elements with contemporary electronic beats, taking listeners on a sonic journey through different eras and genres.

GOLDEN GUITAR TICKET
Immerse yourself in the Weekend with a Golden Guitar Ticket for all 3 concerts plus 2 workshops that’s only $105, a saving of $30. To book a Golden Guitar Ticket visit the first concert Link: bit.ly/cgwconcert1

ACCOMMODATION FOR WEEKEND?
Spend the weekend with us and save 15% with a 2 or 3 night accommodation package in our unique boutique Hotel. Book with us via bit.ly/cgw26 and use Access Code CGW26

THE COOLROOM & BAR NORTHERN ARTS HOTEL
Djaara Country | 359 Barker St Castlemaine

Tickets to Castlemaine Guitar Weekend: bit.ly/cgw2026

 

WImble St Wall

Duration: September 2025

 

The Wimble Wall [Another Roadside Attraction] is a space for projections that play each week outside the Northern Arts Hotel.  This project was started by Frank Veldze and features the work of other local artists including Matt Rolfe, Phoebe Robinson and Nicky Syst3m.

The most recent work is by Matt Rolfe and includes some footage of local landscapes as well as edits that combine different footage from the Prelinger archive.   Keep an eye out for more work over the coming months including work by Nicky Syst3m.  Works by Nicky will be up on the wall from 11/9/25.

The Prelinger archive [https://archive.org/details/prelinger] is a collection of films about cultural and social life in  America.  The films date from the 1920s to the 1970s and include home movies, educational films and films about US society and industry.  Most of the archive is in the public domain and is available to anyone to edit and rearrange.

To be Updated.

 

Limitless Possibilities: A One Day Puppetry Workshop + Show

Duration: 1 November, 2pm-8.30pm

A One day Adult Workshop to Tell a Story using Puppets
Create• Make • Rehearse • Perform

Saturday 1 November
Workshop 2-7pm. Show & Q&A: 7.30pm

A one day workshop to create a story, make simple newspaper puppets, rehearse, and then perform for an audience of family and friends.

Background: Based upon Bunraku Japanese form of puppetry, the workshop begins with an introduction to puppet theatre. The workshop then looks at the limitless possibilities of story creation and examines the seven basic plot lines, and  groups of 4 or 5 develop one plot line to tell a story. With the help of Helen, you then create the puppet characters and the world of puppets using newspaper and tissue paper, and tell your story. The stories are finally presented to a live audience.

Helen Sandercoe (Stories That Matter) has been a Drama/Theatre Teacher much of her life including a passion for puppetry including newspaper & shadow puppetry.  She has shared her extensive drama and performing practice over many years.

Requirements: Over 18yo only. Willingness to play, imagine, collaboratively create and perform. No previous experience needed. Comfortable clothes and shoes/runners to move in. It is great to have black pants & top for the performance. Only adult participants as the storytellers need to be able to consider stories that include adult themes.

Workshop Cost: $35/$30 (Commitment from 2pm-8.30 pm) for the day’s workshop. Includes workshop notes, refreshments and dinner. Your confirmation email will include further information. The workshop is not designed for children.

Performance: 7.30pm $15.(Included in workshop price) See the original stories with visual theatre and newspaper puppetry. [warning the stories may involve adult themes.] Afterwards there will be a Q&A led by Workshop leader Helen Sandercoe.

To book just for performance go to https://bit.ly/news-puppets

The Coolroom welcomes Tough Guy Book Club

Duration: 2025

The Coolroom is pleased to welcome the Tough Guy Book Club which meets the first Wednesday every month and has chapters all over Australia and elsewhere.
reading the same book each month.
Join us for the Castlemaine Chapter of Tough Guy Book Club.
You can find out this month’s book here https://toughguybookclub.com/books
If you have the chance, try to pick up the book and read a couple of pages before the night. If you haven’t, come anyway, no one gives a damn. We are not your boss.
If you got one, make sure to bring your copy of the books down, it’ll help you talk about bits of it, we suggest underlining stuff that sticks out to you as important.
Also like all months, we will be announcing next month’s book at the meeting and handing them out to those of you who were wise enough to pre-order last month.
See you there.
Want to know more about Tough Guy Book Club? Read this –
http://toughguybookclub.com/about-us

Good Grief Lounge

Duration: First Saturday of the month, 3 May and then from 5 July 

GOOD GRIEF LOUNGE
Conversations about life, death and dying

First Saturday of the month, 3 May and then from 5 July 
Special event Friday 8 August [No August 2]

11AM-1pm, Northern Arts Hotel
359 Barker Street, Castlemaine

A safe, embracing place to talk about death and dying, to listen, learn and share with people who care in a relaxed environment with music, morning tea and a couple of talks. There with be one with an experienced Death Doula and and another on how to make a will.

This is a follow-on from the Good Grief events at the 2025 Castlemaine Fringe Festival and will be held monthly on the first Saturday of each month. 

July Event:
In the July Lounge, lawyer Vesna Pocuca of Roberston Hyatts will explain how to make a will and Arts Therapist Marita Jacobsson will lead a poetry writing experience using pre cut words, block out texts, short Japanese Haiku poems and listening to poems connected to grief, as  an introduction to living with grief.  Feel free to bring a poem to share.

Call Jill Rivers 0n 0418 389 189 for information or email hello@art-fullliving.com

 

 

 

 

Liminal Slide: Stories for a Friend

Duration: 60 minutes Monday 31 March at 7.30pm | Thursday 3 April at 7.30pm

Monday 31 March at 7.30pm
Thursday 3 April at 7.30pm
The Coolroom, Northern Arts Hotel

 

In this original work lasting about 60 minutes new group Liminal Slide, comprising composer/musician/writer, Paul Ryan, and composer/musician, Victor O. Circumstances uses digital piano, and recorded sounds to explore original poems and musical landscapes based on a range of related themes, traversing fanciful, poignant and sometimes surreal spaces of imagination.

Long time friends Paul Ryan, and Victor O Circumstance aim to reinterpret the notion of song. Unknown pianist and lyricist Ryan emerges from obscurity to present his own works, and accompaniment for the words of Circumstance, one of Australia’s most widely unpublished authors. Be prepared to laugh at, cry foul, experience involuntary emesis, and take part in mass walkout.  An experience guaranteeing eternal happiness and life’s fulfilment, as travesty becomes pleasantly redefined.

Bar Open. The members of Liminal Slide will join audience members for a drink after the show.

Tickets: $20/$15 | Until sold out

Limitless Possibilities: Visual Theatre & Newspaper Puppetry

Duration: Wed 26 March & Wed 2 April Workshop 2-6.30pm. Performance from 7.30pm-8.30pm

Castlemaine Fringe Festival 2025:  The Coolroom at the Northern Arts Hotel presents Limitless Possibilities: Visual Theatre & Newspaper Puppetry

Create, make and perform a story in a day with newspaper puppets.

2 Sessions: Wednesday 26 March & Wednesday 2 April
Workshop 2-6.30pm.
Performance from 7.30pm-8.30pm

Background:

Based upon bunraku Japanese form of puppetry, the workshop begins with an introduction to puppet theatre and a process of getting to knowing each other. The workshop then looks at story creation and examine the seven basic plotlines, and each group develops one plotline to tell a story. With the help of Helen, you then create the puppet characters and the world of puppets using newspaper and tissue paper. The stories are presented to a live audience.

Presenter:
Helen Sandercoe [Stories That Matter] has been a Drama/Theatre teacher much of her life. One of her focuses is puppetry ranging from newspaper puppets to shadow puppetry. She has shared her practice over many years for Drama Victoria, Drama Australia Conferences, and several IDEA Congresses. One of the great pleasures, is to give participants a rich experience in drama and/or performance which is grounded in skill development and collaborative creativity.

For several years, she has been lecturing in Drama, Dance and the other Arts for Primary Pre-service Teachers and teaching Secondary Drama Method at three universities, after many years of Secondary Drama teaching.

Contact: Mob: 0431 747 504   E-mail: helen.sandercoe@bigpond.com

Requirements:
Willingness to play, imagine, collaboratively create and perform. No previous experience needed. Comfortable clothes and shoes/runners to move in. It’s and great to have black pants & top for the performance. Only adult participants as the storytellers need to be able to consider stories that include adult themes.

Performance
See the original stories with visual theatre and newspaper puppetry. Performance 7.30pm Adult $10 [warning the stories may involve adult themes.] Afterwards Q&A led by Workshop leader Helen Sandercoe.

Workshop Cost: $55.00 (Commitment from 2pm-8.30 pm) for the day’s workshop. Includes workshop notes, refreshments and dinner.

FROM A PREVIOUS WORKSHOP

More From Helen Sandercoe

Articles from ADEM [Australian Drama Education Magazine] Magazine

Whale Dreaming: an approach to ‘Teaching in an Aboriginal Way>>

‘I wish I could Fly’: A process drama based on ‘Circle’ by Jeannie Baker>>

It’s time for Agit Prop Theatre! Reviving Political Theatre>>

 

 

Summer of 2025 : Coolroom Jazz

Duration: Saturday 25 January - Saturday 22 February

Summer of 2025 : Coolroom Jazz

From Castlemaine’s home of Cool live jazz we bring you five great concerts, from a new tradition of starting the year with The Anticlinal Fold [25 Jan], and return of Jack Pantazis Trio [1 Feb] during the Castlemaine Guitar Weekend, to the world premiere of a new live sound track to accompany Greta Garbo’s last silent film, The Kiss [8 Feb]. Then Gianni Marinucci returns with a band and his sublime trumpet playing to celebrate the music of Louis Armstrong [15 Feb]. Finally recent graduate and rising star Greta Williams [22 Feb] brings her intimate, collage-like lyrics to create songs with evocative specificity + fearless honesty. Greta is joined by her band three fantastic musicians from Melbourne.

Tickets from: https://bit.ly/coolroomjazz

Sat 25 Jan 7.30pm, The Anticlinal Fold
A big evening of modern jazz and song. This event will include world premieres, jazz favs & music from the band’s leader, Jem Challender.

Sat 1 Feb 7.30pm, Jack Pantazis Trio
The JPT will again be presenting original music of Jack’s along with a selection of other great tunes and even a few new originals. 

Sat 8 Feb 7.30pm, Sun 9 Feb 2.30pm,
A world premiere! Greta Garbo’s The Kiss with live music by Maggie Jackson NY Jazz Trio, composed by band leader, Castlemaine’s Maggie Jackson

Sat 15 Feb 7.30pm, Swing that Music: Louis Armstrong. Gianni Marinucci & Band
A truly stellar band will showcase the music of one of music’s most loved performers + many of his hits.

Sat 22 Feb 7.30pm, Greta Williams Jazz Quartet
Greta Williams is an emerging performer whose work pairs intimate, collage-like lyrics to create songs with evocative specificity + fearless honesty.

Supported by the 10,000 Gigs Program from Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund & Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.

 

Castlemaine Guitar Weekend 

Duration: Friday 31 January - Sunday 2 February

We have recently announced the inaugural  Castlemaine Guitar Weekend to be held from Friday 31 January to Sunday 2 February and includes three concerts – [blues & roots; jazz; and rock], three workshops – [acoustic blues guitar, acoustic jazz guitar, and songwriting for guitar] featuring the guitar talents of Geoff Achison, Jack Pantazis, and Eric McCusker [Mondo Rock], and Gerry Smith. Jazz Pantazis will also host our Free Secret Movie Matinee on Sunday.

Cost for each Concert is $25, and workshops $25. And we are pleased to announce a special Golden Guitar Ticket for $95, a saving of $55. Tickets can be obtained at: https://bit.ly/maineguitars

Concert and Workshop details
Fri 31 Jan 7.30pm Geoff Achison in Concert
‘Geoff is one of the finest blues guitarists I know with a completely individual style’ Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna).

Sat 1 Feb Noon Acoustic Guitar Workshop – Geoff Achison
Geoff will discuss & demonstrate his approach to acoustic guitar including fingerstyle /flat-pick techniques plus tips on arranging & songwriting. Learn trade tricks, crafty chords + lightning riffs! BYO Acoustic Guitar.

Sat 1 Feb 3pm Jazz Guitar Workshop – Jack Pantazis
This workshop aims at unlocking a few skills & tools that can help beginners or intermediate guitarists on their jazz guitar journey. BYO Acoustic Guitar.

Sat 1 Feb 7.30pm Jack Pantazis Trio in Concert
The JPT will again be presenting original music of Jack’s along with a selection of other great tunes & a few new originals that will be premiered. Stay tuned!!!

Sun 2 Feb Noon Songwriting for Guitar Workshop Eric McCusker & Friends
In this special, intimate workshop, experienced songwriters Eric McCusker, Jessica Paige & Gerry Smith will explore the fundamentals of songwriting for guitar before an extended Q/A.

Sun 2 Feb 2.30pm Free Secret Guitar Movie Hosted by Jack Pantazis
Join Jack Pantazis to watch a movie about a world class guitarist over a drink amongst fellow guitar enthusiasts. The Coolroom Cinema is a lounge type room full of comfy eclectic lounges chairs.

Sun 2 Feb 6.30pm Eric McCusker (Mondo Rock) & Gerry Smith’s Well-Oiled Machine in Concert
Eric McCusker is an award-winning iconic songwriter & musician who showcases his incredible guitar & bass skills. Gerry Smith is a Melbourne disabled singer-songwriter whose indomitable spirit & positive energy is an inspiration to all who meet him.

Supported by the 10,000 Gigs Program from Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund & Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.

The Anticlinal Fold ASRC Fundraiser

Duration: 6 December 2024


The Anticlinal Fold is coming back to The Coolroom at the  Northern Arts Hotel in Castlemaine on the 6th of December for another big evening of modern yuletide jazz and song, and this time, with another very important ingredient — Christmas spirit. Proceeds from the gig will be donated to the Asylum Seeker’s Resource Centre so come down and join a bunch of local jazz musos in supporting a great cause. 

Featuring Jo Huf, Jem Challender, Ben Gibbons, Arron Light  and special guests: Gretas Williams, Pip Avent, Thomasina Challender, Mary Challender, Matt Colin and many more …

There will be the quartet’s usual complement of swinging standards and their own contemporary Jazz compositions. But the event will pivot around one particular piece of Yuletide genius that has been fascinating them for more than one festive season and that’s the “Carol of the Bells”, written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.  

The band welcomes back Jo Huf to the fold. Jo is a Castlemaine-based singer and guitarist, and a Brazilian music wiz. Jo has featured in Triple J’s Unearthed and is making an impact everywhere she performs with her virtuosic skill and raw talent.  Jem Challender on piano is the Anticlinal Fold’s MD and a past winner of the Australian Songwriters Competition. 

The lineup boasts the remarkable talents of Bendigo-based double bassist, Ben Gibbons, known for his time with the folk band The Waifs, and the exceptional jazz drumming virtuoso, Arron Light, whose work with the band Husky has been shortlisted for an ARIA. Plus, there’s a huge list of special guests including violin star Thomasina Challender, tuba virtuoso Pip Avent, crooner and country singer Matt Colin plus many more.  Expect some brand new Jazz compositions and some progressive jazz arrangements of the most swinging Christmas songs, and a lot of surprises besides. 

Tickets will sell fast so make sure you fold this event into your plans for the silly season. 

Tickets $25  Preshow order 2 tickets and bottle of wine $65 [saving of $15] 

Tickets can be purchased here:  https://events.humanitix.com/taf-asrc

All proceeds to Asylum Seeker’s Resource Centre

if You wish to make a direct donation then you can do so: 

The Anticlinal Fold will perform two sets on stage. Doors open from 7pm. 
The Coolroom at the Northern Arts Hotel, 359 Barker St Castlemaine
Friday 6 December at 7.30pm.

Links: ————–