Accommodation on the Bellarine

As you plan your visit to the Festival of Glass, you may wish to stay overnight on the Bellarine Peninsula. You may even decide to have a short break of a few days.

To find accommodation on the Bellarine online, here are a couple of options:
The Geelong-Otway Tourism site: www.visitbellarine.org
The Trip Advisor site for Geelong: http://www.tripadvisor.com/HACSearch-g255350-Geelong_Victoria.html

The Festival of Glass doesn't endorse or support either site, so we can't make any recommendations; but we hope that you find somewhere that you like.

A reminder: 'Totally Shattered' Open weekend

Festival of Glass participants Totally Shattered Glass Studio in Point Lonsdale is holding an 'open weekend' this weekend - November 27 and 28.

See hand-made glass plates, platters, bowls and jewellery, plus demonstrations of glass-working techniques.

When? Saturday 27 November and Sunday 28 November, 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Where? 1480 Portarlington-Queenscliff Road, Point Lonsdale (Melway: 485 K8)

Festival workshops taking shape

The Festival of Glass includes a program of workshops to meet its aim of bringing together artists, craftspeople and businesses in the region who are making or working with glass. The program is starting to take shape and if you would like to be involved, please contact us.

We're planning five workshops:

• Glass in Industry
• Glass in the Home
• Glass in Architecture
• Glass in Geelong's Economy
• Local Glass History

Each workshop will feature up-to-date reports about what people are doing with glass, new glass products and new ways to use glass.

On the Monday (21 February) after the Festival of Glass, there will be a forum where artists, craftspeople and businesses can explore possible collaboration in new commercial projects. Each participant in the Festival will receive an invitation to the Forum closer to the date.
(Photo: 'Dancers'. Mosaic by Betty O'Driscoll)

Glass Valuations

At the Festival (20th Feb. 2011) members of the Geelong Bottle and Collectables Club will be in attendance with a magnificent display of old bottles, some with a direct link to Geelong and the local bottling plants. Their members are passionate about old bottles and glassware, and have offered to do an appraisal on old glass objects. If you have something of value which is in your cabinet or getting dusty in some faraway place in your house, get it out, give it a bit of a clean up and bring it along. You might be surprised at the value.

Council invests in the Festival of Glass

The City of Greater Geelong has shown its confidence in the Festival of Glass by investing $6,000 in it. The money will help to pay for the costs of infrastructure, marketing and promotion associated with this unique event.

The $6,000 is the result of an independent assessment of the Festival of Glass by the council's local experts in conference organisation. Their support reaffirms the vision behind the Festival and recognises the Committee's hard work to bring that vision to life. It also gives a tremendous boost to the artists, craftspeople and business who have expressed their confidence in the Festival by agreeing to participate in it.

This 'tick of approval' by experts in conference organisation will increase the Festival's attraction to other potential participants. It shows that although the 2011 Festival of Glass will be the first of its kind in the region, it is being run in a professional manner by a Committee in whom participants can be confident. The experts' 'tick of approval' also shows potential sponsors that this innovative event is already gaining a positive reputation from which they can benefit.

The Festival Committee had asked the council for its support via its Community Festival grant scheme, which is run by the council's Arts & Culture department. In September this year, the Committee submitted to the council a detailed description of the Festival's aims, of its planned outcomes for participants and of its planned benefits for local people and visitors, together with a detailed budget and marketing proposal. In early November, the Committee heard that its application had been successful. Imagine the celebration!