Hawthorn Arts Centre — Attraction in Melbourne

The Witch Market at Hawthorn Arts Centre was a delightful and charming experience overall. The exposition was thoughtfully curated, with a particularly impressive effort put into the shop front decorations and individual stall designs clearly, a lot of creativity and care went into creating a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere and the right magical ambience. However, for those unfamiliar with the area or coming from outside Hawthorn, navigating to the correct entrance can be a bit confusing. Clearer signage or guidance would make a big difference, especially for first-time visitors. The same applies once inside the venue, the layout isn’t immediately intuitive, though thankfully, the staff were incredibly kind and helpful in directing people to where they needed to go. All in all, the market is well worth visiting. If you can get past the minor challenge of finding your way in, you’re in for a lovely experience. On another note, It’s disappointing to see that the recent edition of Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch claims a first publication date of 2021. This is misleading and does a disservice to both readers and the legacy of the book. The Worst Witch was originally published in 1974 and went on to become a beloved series long before the Harry Potter books appeared. This misrepresentation is troubling, especially given the long-standing discussions about the significant similarities between The Worst Witch and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, similarities which have fuelled allegations of plagiarism. It has been reported that Rowling faced legal consequences and reached a settlement related to this issue. If so, efforts to obscure or revise the historical publication timeline only compound the problem by diminishing the originality and priority of Jill Murphy’s work. I found that disturbing. Publishing houses have a responsibility to honour literary history with transparency. Revising dates in a way that distorts authorship chronology not only misleads readers but also undermines literary integrity. I am sorry for being so firm about that but as a writer I find it unacceptable and yes, it did spoil the...

Hubby and l visited the Hawthorn Arts Centre to enjoy the Jack Earl Big Band. We arrived 90 minutes early and were warmly welcomed into this beautiful building; a lovely blending of historic with contemporary architecture. We were free to wander through their gallery, an inspiring prelude to a great night of music. The staff are an asset with their friendliness and helpfulness. The bar was a nice touch, too, for those wishing to imbibe/quaff, but l would have (almost) killed for a tea! Perhaps a coffee machine would be an...

google (my lack of caps) lists HAC as being closed on Saturday and Sunday. Here's clarification: HAC is a complex consisting of offices, bookable function rooms, a gallery and a hall that is often used for concerts in daytime or evening. The offices are open approximately 9-5. The gallery is open all business hours, plus Saturday /Sunday 11-4. If there is a concert, say on a Sunday arvo (which there often is) , the doors won't close until all concert goers and performers have left the building, which may be...