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Herald Sun
17-07-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Melbourne house built around tank seeks $3m sale
A house in Melbourne's northeast featuring a sunken lounge built around a 72,700-litre water tank is ready to make a splash with a $2.75m-$3m sale. The 6.88ha property at 255 Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Rd, Kangaroo Ground, is owned by former T2 Tea director Derek Muirhead and wife Lisa. The couple's five-bedroom abode was originally designed by the late acclaimed architect John Baird of Cuthbert and Partners. RELATED: Saving an iconic Toorak home designed by Arts Centre architect Eltham: Former Australian cricket player Adam Dale and wife Nickie farewell family home Wonga Park house featuring infinity pool, outdoor pizza oven, mountain views up for sale According to the architectural firm Built Heritage Pty Ltd's online Dictionary of Unsung Architects, Mr Baird's projects included several residences across Victoria, an arts and crafts centre at the Beaumaris North State School, a Beaumaris teahouse and the information centre at Newhaven, Phillip Island. Mr Baird established his own housing company, Fairweather Housing, specialising in energy- and cost-efficient kit homes that won industry acclaim including an Australian Design Award and National Energy Award during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1984, he published a book titled By Design: Changing Australian Houses. Barry Plant Eltham's Kathy Purcell said that the Kangaroo Ground house's sunken lounge, wrapped in stacked stone, features a curved wall that backs onto the water tank. The renovated abode also has raked cedar-lined ceilings, large windows, and polished concrete floors throughout the open-plan living and dining spaces. Stone finishes and black-coloured cabinetry are showcased in the kitchen. A wine cellar, gym, decks, an open pergola and a tennis court surrounded by landscaped gardens and bushland are among the other highlights. 'The views are spectacular especially the sunset vistas and Melbourne CBD views,' Ms Purcell said. 'One of my favourite features is the entrance to the home, you walk in to see a beautiful calming designer space and look down the hallway to see a glass-roofed area like an atrium with plants growing inside.' Visitors can access the home via automatic gates and a long driveway. Elsewhere, the outdoor area boasts a dam-fed irrigation system, chicken coop, four-vehicle carport, single garage and barn. Ms Purcell said the house would suit families wanting a retreat-like lifestyle, downsizers and buyers seeking a treechange. 'Kangaroo Ground is still an undiscovered area for Victoria, and is only 45 minutes from the CBD,' she added. The home is close to the Yarra River, park lands, wineries, shops, schools and restaurants. Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: $3.75m Eaglemont auction shocks buyers Melbourne houses tipped to hit new high by Christmas Inside Royal family's most scandalous vacation spots
Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Renowned blues singer film a blast from the past
Thirty-four years ago, Derek McCullough was in Memphis as a judge for the World Barbeque Championships. At the time he owned Double D's Bar and Grill and operated in the Arts Centre. It was a memorable time in Memphis, the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll – he got the opportunity to meet legends BB King and Ruby Wilson. McCullough, who is now chair of the Mt Pleasant Memorial Community Centre and Residents Association, asked Wilson if she would perform at the first Blues, Brews and BBQs which he was organising at Hagley Park in 1993. To his amazement she agreed and the rest is history. 'She was great, she was a blues diva of the first ilk, knew exactly what she liked,' he recalls. 'Just stunning, in a club setting she had the audience in the palm of her hand, a real professional performer with an amazing voice.' Now a slice of that memorable day resurfaced last week with footage of her performance which has never been played before, McCullough says. CTV filmed the festival and it was played on Friday as a fundraiser for the Mt Pleasant Community Centre 'Raise the Roof' campaign. It helped pay for a louvered roof for its front deck costing $130,000. So far more than $35,000 has been raised. McCullough was clearing out his attic, looking for items to use for the community centre's Art in the Attic fundraiser earlier in the year when he came across a VHS copy of the festival. He transferred it to a USB stick and played it on his TV to make sure it worked. 'It just took me right back to those days, those heady days,' he said. As part of the trip to the barbecue event in Memphis in 1991, McCullough was invited to the opening of BB King's Blues Bar on the iconic Beale Street, where Ruby Wilson was the featured singer. He had grown up listening to blues music, so when he had the opportunity to meet BB King, it was a surreal moment for him. 'Incredible, a little boy from Nelson meeting BB King was a real treat. He was very humble, a great guy and charming,' said McCullough. Wilson toured and sang in Beale Street clubs for almost 40 years, until she died in 2016 from a heart attack aged 68. She took to the stage at Hagley Park for Blues, Brews and BBQs on January 31, 1993. 'Before long she had them (crowd) all up right up the front. 'When you see the film, you'll see why she was considered the Queen of Beale Street,' he said. She was backed by Christchurch band The Coalrangers. Wilson toured New Zealand when she was out here. Her opening act was at Turangawaewae in Ngaruawahia, the official residence of the Māori monarch. She performed for Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikahu, who Wilson also met and befriended in Memphis, said McCullough. 'That was a real honour (for Wilson) to be invited to that,' he said. Wilson did not charge a performing fee at the Hagley Park event, McCullough instead paying for her accommodation, expenses and transport while on tour. He had a sponsorship from Continental Airlines to fly her to New Zealand and back. 'She just appreciated the opportunity to come to New Zealand,' said McCullough. She also spent a night at a blues club in Manchester St, two nights at the famed Gluepot in Auckland and one night in Wellington.
ABC News
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
MSO: An Evening of Fairy Tales
Cruel witches, beautiful princesses and gallant princes abound in this overview of fairy tale favourites. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra offers a curated collection of fairy tale excerpts from Humperdinck, Prokofiev and of course Tchaikovsky, led by young British conductor Alpesh Chauhan. Recorded live in concert at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Narrm/Melbourne, on May 17, 2025 by ABC Classic. Producer Jennifer Mills. Engineer Alex Stinson. Program Engelbert Humperdinck: Prelude from Hansel and Gretel Sergei Prokofiev: Cinderella: At the Ball (Act II highlights) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Dramatic highlights from Sleeping Beauty Artists Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Alpesh Chauhan (conductor) Find out more Read MSO programs here
RNZ News
06-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Bid for Christchurch Arts Centre to receive historic landmark status
Christchurch Arts Centre. Photo: RNZ Christchurch Arts Centre is an obvious candidate for national historic landmark status, the Christchurch City Council has been told. The Arts Centre and Heritage New Zealand provided a joint update to the council on Tuesday outlining their plans to designate the centre as an historic landmark. Work on the necessary documentation was already underway with hopes the proposal could be approved by the end of the year. Heritage New Zealand southern director Christine Whybrew told the council the process for designation could be expedited. "These are usually a two-to-three-year process to get through. We're doing this in a single calendar year basically because we can, because the Arts Centre is such an obvious candidate," she said. "It is the largest and most cohesive collection of Gothic Revival architecture in New Zealand, being the former Canterbury College buildings, but most importantly through sustained adaptive reuse, those buildings have remained functioning for the people of Christchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand, as well as international visitors." There were several criteria to be eligible for the designation, including identification on the New Zealand Heritage list, owners and registered interests needed to agree to the designation and suitable legal protection for the site. Whybrew said the public would be notified of the proposal in October and before approval was sought from Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith. "We can't put a timeline on that because that, of course is up to him and his advisers," she said. "Once we do have approval, then we'll celebrate. I anticipate that that could happen at the earliest December 2025. It could be longer, but then again that's up to the minister." The only designated national historic landmark at present was the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland. A proposal for the National War Memorial in Wellington was with the Heritage Minister. Work had begun on two further proposals - Oamaru's historic town centre and port in Otago and Kerikeri Basin in Northland. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 1News
Christchurch's Court Theatre makes grand return to the CBD
Christchurch's Court Theatre has made its grand return to the city, more than a decade after losing its home due to damage caused caused by the February 2011 earthquake. The original theatre, founded in 1971, was housed in the Arts Centre. A new location was found in Addington following the quake. Today, people queued to get a look at its brand new forever home, that cost $61 million to complete. The first reactions as people walked through the doors were all very positive. 'It's beautiful. I'm really excited to see lots of shows here,' one theatregoer said. ADVERTISEMENT 'It's just magical. It's such a moment for the city," another added. The state of the art facility on Gloucester St houses two theatres – one large auditorium that seats 377, and a more intimate space that seats 150. One of Christchurch's newest residents, days-old Elias, stopped by with his family to give it a once-over. "We thought we'd pop down and see the new opening, and I'm quite interested in architecture and was quite excited to see the building," his father said. Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger described the project as a turning point for the city. 'Its return to the CBD is more than symbolic – it's a celebration of what we can achieve when we work together," he said. With the opening of its new home, the theatre is expected to grow significantly. It currently produces 20 shows annually with a combined audience of 120,000. ADVERTISEMENT Court Theatre executive director Gretchen La Roche said the new building "represents a transformative moment for the city's arts scene'. The first production in the new building, The End of the Golden Weather, opened last night. Artistic director Alison Walls called it symbolic and stirring. 'It feels beautifully fitting we open our new home with this deeply personal national story."
