A new festival is set to chase Queenscliff’s winter blues away. 

The state government has announced $30,000 in funding to help deliver the town’s inaugural Winter Arts Fest this coming June. 

The event, an initiative of the Borough of Queenscliff’s Tourism and Economic Development Advisory Committee (TEDAC), will showcase artists, musicians, performers and local food an wine to “create an indulgent festival of soul-warming entertainment and experiences.”

Illuminated sculptures and light projections linking with the towns’ significant historical and maritime pasts will be also a key feature of the programs.

“The Winter Arts Fest is a great chance for the community to welcome visitors and enjoy a rich diversity of arts and performance in regional Victoria,” said Bellarine MP Lisa Neville. 

“We’re the events capital, and we want to stay that way. Our Regional Events Fund is helping grow our world-class calendar of events.”
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The Borough has pledged close to $20,000 for the event.

All eyes will turn to Queenscliff this month, when one of the state’s landmark mansions goes under the auctioneer’s hammer. 

Lathamstowe, at 44 Gellibrand Street, is fielding enormous buyer interest from both home and abroad and could potentially set a new sales record for the town, according to Fletchers Real Estate Agency Director James Gladman. 

“We have had an excellent response to the early marketing, with loads of inquiries. We are seeing good interest coming from the Melbourne and Mornington markets as well as interstate and internationally.

“We are expecting that it will sell in the $6 million plus range, so we expect it will set a new record for the region.”

The stunning property, built in 1883, is arguably Queenscliff’s most significant  heritage home, although planning approval has recently been given for a modern upgrade. 

“It offers a variety of options. The current approved plans would turn this amazing building into undoubtedly one of the finest homes in Victoria, however it certainly lends itself to other uses and alternatives,” said Mr Gladman.

“Lathamstowe is one of, if not the most iconic residential properties throughout the region and even further afield. It offers all the character and charm of a bygone era, yet has absolutely unrivalled 360 degree views across Swan and Port Philip bays and beyond to Point Nepean, Arthurs seat and the Melbourne skyline. It is absolutely unique,” he said. 

Carlton United Breweries magnate Edward Latham commissioned noted  architect William Ellis to design the Italianate building, as a gift to the Anglican church. 

It is included on the state register of significant buildings, with important heritage featuresincluding original Brooks, Robinson & Co stained glass windows, pressed metal ceilings, marble fireplaces and a cast iron spiral stairway to the peak of the 23-metre tower. 

“Lathamstowe demonstrates the popularity of Queenscliff as a seaside resort in the nineteenth century and the popularity of the ltalianate style for large and prestigious buildings in the late part of that century, “ a Heritage Victoria  Statement of Significance says. 
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The property will be auctioned privately at 3pm on January 31

Some time in the early 1900s Arthur Streeton stood on the cliff face overlooking Queenscliff front beach and painted the beautiful view layed out before him. 

It was a return trip for the artist, who had lived here for a time as a child, while his father was Principal of the local primary school. 

Early next year Streeton will make yet another return visit to our shores, his most significant yet. 

In what is being regarded as a major coup, Queenscliff Gallery and Workshop will exhibit never-before published prints of etchings done by the artist during his travels to England in 1908. 

For eight weeks from March the gallery will exhibit the works in a landmark show, set to draw potentially thousands of visitors to the town. Nine contemporary artists in residence will also be part of the exhibition, demonstrating Streeton's influence. 

By luck, chance or maybe even karma, the Gallery’s Theo and Soula Mantalvanos were entrusted with the precious pieces after meeting Streeton’s grandson, William Streeton early in 2016. 
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“It’s funny how this story all comes together,” says Theo. “William came into the gallery and I just said to him, like I do to any customer, ‘how’s your day, what have you been doing,’ and then I asked if he had seen the lovely exhibition of Streeton’s at the Geelong Gallery.  He said, ‘I have seen the exhibition, I’m his grandson.’” 

When William mentioned he might pop back in, Theo thought little of it until a week later when he returned with the badly damaged plates, wrapped in a blanket. 

“He asked did we want to have a look at them and did we want to have a go at repairing them,” says Theo.
 
“My immediate thought and comment to him was ‘we don’t want to damage them’ and his response was ‘they already are so let’s do something, the worst thing that’s going to happen is they get damaged more so.’” 

The couple immediately turned to highly-regarded Queenscliff-based mezzotint artist Graeme Peebles – an “icon” of printing, according to Theo. 

“We got excited but we realised we couldn’t keep cleaning by hand, it was going to take days and days and that’s when we engaged Graeme to clean them further as best he knows how. 

“Without his help we would not have got as far as we did and he’s humble and he’s genuine and he loves what he does and we love having his work.”

The precious bounty has remained secret for some six months while the trio, with full blessing from Streeton’s remaining family - worked behind the scenes to revive the plates. They managed to illicit his stunning imagery from 11. 

One, used as a putty palette, was unsalvageable. A chunk of copper had been removed from another and used for running plumbing repairs in the Streeton family home. 

Revered the world over for his stunning landscape paintings, the etchings, although never previously editioned printed, reveal Streeton also showed promise in printmaking. 

“They’re beautiful pieces, I’m not just saying that,” Theo says. “Arthur Streeton would have drawn on the plates as a lot of artists do and he would have had another artist doing the technical side of it.”

The significance of the find and its potential impact on Queenscliff is unfathomable. A selection of works by an artist of Streeton’s stature has never before been exhibited here before. 

The Land of Golden Fleece - The Geelong Art Gallery’s recent show of Streeton’s significant works drew thousands. As luck would have it, the Queenscliff show will also coincide with an Australia Post celebration of the artist's 150th anniversary. 

Soula and Theo are hoping local business and the wider community will embrace the event - even take up the chance to be one of a few corporate sponsors.

“We’re about art and we’re about art education as well,” said Soula. “These prints may have gone away and never be seen and we didn’t want that to happen. And we also wanted to show the process behind them, and we don’t think that that’s ever going to be possible again either.

“The plates are going to be up, the prints are going to be up, admission will be free and everybody is going to be able to walk straight in and see that but also the legacy that an artist like that leaves behind.
Any business or individual wishing to become a sponsor can obtain a proposal document by emailing; gallery@qgw.com.au

SAM SHEPPARD is king of the rip yet again, after winning his seventh Point Lonsdale Rip View Swim Classic.

Missing from last year's swim, Sheppard returned in fine style to take out the Men's Open section of the event in 18:42 in what he described as the toughest conditions he could remember in his many years of competing here. 

"I've done maybe 12 or 13 of these and this would have been the toughest one and you can probably see that with the time. The tide had turned and it became really choppy and I just slogged the whole way," Sheppard said. 

Super mum Naantalie Marshall also walked away with another winner's medal in the Open Women's section in a time of 22.00 - just one second ahead of teenage Point Lonsdale surf life saver Annaballe McPhail.

The 41 year old mother of two believed it was around the twentieth time she had contested the swim and had not kept a tally of how many wins she had notched up in Open and age categories.

Rough seas prompted her to ring ahead before leaving Anglesea  to double check the race was still on.  

"It was really really challenging so congratulation to everyone who finished the event, she said. It's very choppy and we're lucky it's a little protected. They always run a very good event here and they make everybody feel very safe. 

"For some reason this swim felt like it went on for a very long time."

"It's really nice to see girls like Annabelle coming through. We've had girld that have been doing quite well int heir twenties,..but to have a 17 year old coming through is really good and I hope she can continue for a long time," Marshall said.  

Earlier in the day future stars Matt Gilling and McPhail won the male and female sections of the 3.8km swim. Like McPhail, Gilling  backed up for the Open 1.4km swim, also finishing second by the narrowest of margins.  

Organisers were forced to move start and finish lines some 300 metres, because of a lack of sand and exposed rocks on Point Lonsdale's front beach.