May, 2026
the season of beautiful chaos
Welcome to The Bright Raclette, a monthly community newsletter where we will be sharing upcoming local events, announcements, initiatives and haikus to brighten your day and help you plan your month.
If you keep finding out about fun stuff after it’s already happened… well, that’s exactly why we’re here.
If you came to witness how compost, art and baked goods tie together, this is definitely the place for you.
👇 Enter your email for monthly issues
Calling for contributions
The Bright Raclette is open to submissions. We’ll consider pretty much anything at this point, but to give you a bit of a steer please share: pictures of your favourite cheese, worldly advice, election promises, love letters, and reviews of anything you have experienced recently.
We can’t promise we’ll include your theories on the best treatment for leaf litter, but we promise we’ll consider it.
**If that button isn’t working, email us at bright.raclette@gmail.com
THIS MONTH
It’s happening again folks! The leaves are feeling the effect of gravity, and gardens of the southern hemisphere are once again falling asleep. Or are they? While the world turns from green through yellow to red and brown, spare a thought for all the good work the worms, mushrooms and other critters are doing, and the beautiful, inevitable chaos of decay. Without it we wouldn’t have… well, a whole lot of things… like truffles, or this extremely cute documentary about aging truffle hunters and their dogs.
Today marks the end of the Autumn Festival’s open gardens, so if you’re feeling especially brave and waterproof don’t forget to head out to see the season in all its glory. Read on to discover Marj’s own dirt-related discoveries, and a recipe for deliciously named compost cookies (they are actually delicious, we promise), as well as all the usual beautiful and chaotic things going on in the valleys this month.
On the theme of decay, don’t forget to floss.
👉 Jump to stuff from us: SEE | DO | WATCH | READ | EAT | FYI
👉 Jump to stuff from you: Marjorie Beavis-Warren grows a green thumb; Compost Cookies - a tooth-rotting good time.
SEE
—one-offs—
May 6-7 | Witness the auto-tune rock opera AUTO-TUNE at Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga, where a teenage Silverchair fan discovers he can time-travel to fix his mistakes. 7:30pm. Tickets from $18.
May 7 | Survive the worst wedding reception ever at Confetti & Chaos, The Vine Hotel, Wangaratta. 6pm seating, 7pm show. $120.
May 9 | Hear Noongar soul artist Bumpy at Old Stone Hall, Beechworth, fresh from Sydney Opera House with her soul, funk, jazz and folk debut album Kanana. Tickets limited.
May 13 | Settle in for Steinway on Stage with Emma Lang on piano and a violin-piano duet, and string quartet featuring works by Rowland, Chopin, Debussy, Brahms and Dvořák. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 6pm. From $15.
May 21 | Be blown away by adventure shorts at Banff Mountain Film Festival featuring fearless explorers, climbers and adventurers from around the world. Albury Entertainment Centre, 7pm, 3 hours. From $27.
May 22-23 | Follow Mandela Mathia’s extraordinary journey from South Sudan to Australia in Lose To Win at Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga, with live music from Yacou Mbaye. Friday 7:30pm, Saturday 2:30pm and 7:30pm. From $20.
May 25 | Search for the green sheep (spoiler: probably asleep) in Where is the Green Sheep? where puppetry and animation bring Mem Fox’s beloved book to life for ages 12 months and up. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 5:30pm. $22-25.
May 28 | Laugh along with the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow hosted by Justin Hamilton with Alexandra Hudson, Nat Harris, Hannah Camilleri, Nick Schuller and Rowan Thambar. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 8pm. From $22. 15+.
May 29 | Listen to Weddings Parties Anything legend Mick Thomas at Old Stone Hall, Beechworth, for his first solo tour in a decade with two sets of old and new material. 6:30pm doors, 7pm show.
May 30 | See Tom Lawler's second solo exhibition featuring works created since his 2025 accident that gave him "a curiosity to view life differently." Expect commissions, memorial pieces, and quirky ideas. Open 30 May to 15 June, Bright Art Gallery.
May 31 | Soak up rich Welsh music tradition as the Victoria Welsh Choir sing hymns, ballads and Celtic favourites. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 2:30pm. From $12.50.
—sneak peak—
OK it’s not strictly this month, but you probably need to book it soon, so we’ve included it:
Jun 11 | Hear acoustic duo Dylan Wright: Songs & Stories at Old Stone Hall, Beechworth, across two 40-minute sets of nostalgia and storytelling. 6:30pm doors, 7pm show.
Jun 14 | Turn the sounds of nature into music at Sonic Youth Project, Bright Courthouse. A workshop where you'll record birds, rivers, crunchy leaves (whatever you find) then work with composers Miriama Young and Zoë Barry to make something beautiful and wild. Ages 10-14. 10am-3pm. Register: sonic-youth@unimelb.edu.au.
Jun 19 | Sing along with Vika & Linda and The Bullettes at Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre celebrating their new album Where Do You Come From? 7:30pm. $89.
Jul 4 | Watch Alexandr Misko, the fingerstyle virtuoso dubbed “the future of guitar,” bring his percussive, loop-free soundscapes to Yack. Yackandandah Public Hall, 7.30pm.
Jul 10 | Sway to country folk-rock from Cut Worms (USA) with special guest John Andrews at Old Stone Hall, Beechworth. 6:30pm doors, 7pm show.
—weekend regs—
FRIDAYS
The Star | Trivia and Joker Poker. Good vibes from 6pm.
SATURDAYS
Don Mungo’s | Mungo Disco every Saturday from 10pm with DJs from near and far.
SUNDAYS
Bright Brewery | Join Sunday sessions with Tracy Hamilton & Rudi Katterl (May 3), The Bad Knees (May 10), Chango Tree (May 17), The Kat (May 24) and Josh Campbell (May 31).
👇 Did we miss any gigs? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com for upcoming gigs or venues we should contact for June/July/August.
DO
May 2-3 | Race unlimited runs across four categories at Enduro Jam, Mystic Bike Park, with uplift-assisted racing, Saturday whip-off and live music.
May 3 | Discover which Bright locals met their untimely demise on the Murders and Mysteries Tour with the Bright and District Historical Society. A local historian reveals the town’s darker tales on a walking tour of the CBD. Meet at Alpine Visitor Information Centre, 119 Gavan St, 6pm. 1 hour. $10, kids free. Rain cancels.
May 3 | Browse clothing, jewellery and car-boot wares at Freeburgh Bush Market, Freeburgh Community Hall, plus coffee and home-baked treats. 9am-1pm. Free.
May 9 | Tackle mountain running up Mystic and Goldmine Ridge at Wandi Cross in Wandiligong with four distances from 26km to 2km kids’ run. Supports Wandiligong Primary.
May 9 | Punkah Market Day!
May 9 | Back up a day of Wandi Cross and Porepunkah markets with a boot-scoot at Ladies Day, United Bright Football & Netball Club, a country hoedown with line dancing, DJ Zabi, canapés and silent auction. 18+ only. 2:30pm-5:30pm. $55.
May 9-17 | Explore nine days of outdoor activities at Mount Beauty Adventure Week across the Upper Kiewa Valley including 4WD, mountain biking, horse riding, rafting and golf. Pick a few or tackle the week.
May 10 | Submit your work to Bright Art Gallery’s annual contemporary exhibition “Ephemera” curated by Daniel A’Vard, exploring the beauty of the brief and fleeting. Open to all Alpine region artists working in any medium, featuring time-based narratives, natural materials, or works designed to change and decay (extremely on theme for this month’s edition, well done Art Gallery). Exhibition runs 27 June to 3 August with opening night 27 June.
May 15-17 | Celebrate Italian culture at La Fiera Italian Festival in Myrtleford with regional food, Alpine Valley wines, Italian movie night, culinary events, kids’ activities and La Fiera Cup soccer.
May 16 | Wander through local makers and growers at Market Day, Howitt Park. 8.30am-12.30pm.
May 16 | Run four distances from 3km to 21.1km or tackle the 18km trail at Mt Beauty Running Festival with School Challenge offering $250 prize. Les Peart Oval.
May 17 | Rally for mountain communities and climate action at POWFest, Bright Brewery, with a panel on winter sports post-Milano Cortina 2026, workshops, stalls and raffle and live music from Hypnotic State and changoTRee. 12pm-6pm. Free.
May 20 | Climb at the first of three beginner bouldering sessions with AMSG x Buffalo Boulders Women’s Bouldering, building confidence and technique with a female coach in groups of max 10. Free for members. 6pm-7pm, free shoe hire. Continues 17 June, 15 July.
May 22-23 | Gear up for winter at Bright Snow Gear Sale with new and pre-loved ski, snowboard and cross country equipment. Drop off Friday 4pm-7pm, sale Saturday 9am-11am, Railway Ave. Supports Bright College Snowsports.
May 23 | Stroll a cruisy 9km loop from Bright to Porepunkah and back on AMSG Social Hike with Mt Buffalo views. 3:30pm. Free.
👇 In the know about an upcoming event? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com
WATCH
Cinema | Choose from Bright’s Sun Cinema May releases:
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Miranda vs Emily Round 2), The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton’s classic remade), Project Hail Mary (Ryan Gosling wakes up in space with amnesia), Michael (origin story produced by the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Bowser Jr. attempts a jailbreak), The Sheep Detectives (Hugh Jackman's sheep become sleuths), Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (Baby Yoda hits the big screen).
Star-watch | With May the Fourth officially heralding Star Wars Day, our suggestion for star watching firmly begins and ends with the Death Star.
Weather-watch | Is that rain or is someone eating McCain’s frozen corn on the cob? Only time will tell.
👇 Saw something you liked? Or didn’t? Submit your own review below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com
READ
The bit you really came for: contributions from locals about life and times in the valley.
Myrtleford Marjorie’s Monthly Musings
— Marj gets green fingered at Myrtleford Gardeners Library Plant Swap
This month, join the Alpine Shire’s favourite only local reviewer, Marjorie Beavis-Warren for ‘dew-bious’ puns galore as she tends to her ever growing love of gardening and reminds us not to take life so seriously at the Myrtleford Gardeners Library Group monthly plant swap.
Well hello there loyal readers. Thanks for joining me for another month of reviewing the goings on in the Alpine Shire.
The theme of this month’s Raclette is Beautiful Chaos, which fits perfectly with my approach and attitude to gardening (and life more generally) i.e. chaotically throw some seeds around, see what grows, smile at the beautiful things that grow, laugh at the many failures (once the tears have stopped), and so it seems fitting to finally get around to giving you the low down on one of the best ways to spend a Saturday morning in our beautiful Shire; Myrtleford Library Gardeners Group: Food and Plant Swap.
As the Autumn nights begin to get ‘chilli’ and cheeks get ‘rose-y’, it’s the perfect time to pop along to the plant swap so you can start planning out what your Spring garden will look like.*
*I’ll be very honest, the majority of my time writing this review was spent coming up with gardening puns rather than worrying about the trifling issue of content, structure or narrative so let’s just hold the idea of ‘beautiful chaos’ in our minds like it’s intentionally informed these wild ramblings, ok? Good, now back to the review.
I’ve been a dedicated plant swapper for 18 months now, ever since I learned of this magical place where people bring food and plants to give away to other people with no expectation of anything in return. Even better, I can pick up and drop off my library books at the same time.
Taking place right outside Myrtleford library one Saturday a month, it’s a free community event run entirely by passionate local gardeners and held together by the incredible Suzy of Myrtleford Library fame who radiates warmth and positivity whatever the weather.
You’ll be greeted with a cup of tea and a garden of treasures ranging from succulents and cuttings through to seed trays, pots, garden furniture, bunches of cut flowers, garden furniture, home baked sweet treats, spare buckets of homegrown fruit and veg, and more packets of seeds and buckets of bulbs than you’ll be able to grow in a lifetime.
Whatever questions or queries you have about gardening, there will be someone who can give you an answer. I’ve learned a lot from these ladies that has helped me improve my gardening skills, but the most important lesson I never knew I needed was to learn that, like life, gardening never goes as planned. You will fail, and sometimes it will be your fault, but most of the time it will probably only be a little bit your fault and in reality it will mostly be down to things you can’t control and other things you don’t even know about so stop taking it all so seriously.
Likewise, you will also succeed, and sometimes that will also be your fault, but most of the time it will probably only be a little bit your fault and in reality will be because of a bunch of other things that have nothing to do with you and that you’re not even aware of.
Whether you’re a green-fingered goddess or you’ve ‘bean’ wondering how to keep a houseplant alive for more than 6 weeks, this group will have the right plants and advice to keep you on track, along with a very welcome reminder that success and failure in life are totally subjective and mostly outside of your control. All you can do is scatter some seeds, smile at the beautiful things that grow and laugh at the things that don’t work out.
So ‘mow-sey’ down to Myrtleford Library on Saturday 16th May, 9.00am for May’s plant swap. If you’re a first timer then just come along for a cup of tea (and hopefully some delicious zucchini cake) as well as the chance to rub shoulders with yours truly in the wild, see what treasures you pick up, and figure out what you can contribute be it big or small.
Join Myrtleford Gardeners Library Group on Facebook to keep up to date with monthly plant swap dates: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YUxkKwmo/.
Next month: Who knows what Marj will be doing next month! Let’s embrace the beautiful chaos and see what grows. If you’re thinking ‘she’s got no clue and is trying to hide it’, congratulations you are correct. See you next month!
EAT
May 14 | Celebrate La Fiera with a pedal on the Rail Trail then roll your own gnocchi at Salute Italian Restaurant on Rolling Gnocchi Bicycle Tour before enjoying your handmade meal with vino. 11am-2pm. $115 (BYO bike) or hire available.
May 18 | Feast your eyes (below) on a few treats you can expect to find at La Fiera, alongside (hopefully!) a return of delicious arancini, gnocchi, Italian donuts and generally more snacks than you can poke a stick at… or through, in the case of the arrosticini. Revisit Marj’s review of Arancini Roulette last year.
May 29 | Dine through four of Bright’s finest venues on Fork in the Road, a progressive dining event with one course at each location paired with local drinks, finishing with live music and dancing. Dress sharp. 5:30pm-11:30pm. $200.
COMPOST COOKIES
Not just edible. Also tasty.
160g all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely crushed potato chips
1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels (mini pretzels even better)
1 cup chocolate, white chocolate or caramel baking chips (or a mix)
1/3 cup oats
1 tablespoon coffee grounds (yes, grounds, not instant granules)
225g unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt, and mix by hand until just combined.
Add in your chips, pretzels, chocolate, oats, coffee grounds and whatever else you feel like (see note!). Mix again by hand until just combined.
Roll into balls, and chill in fridge for at least an hour and up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 190º celcius. Place cookie balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (not too close together), and bake for ~15 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Note: The point of a compost cookie is to chuck in whatever delicious salty or sweet snacks you have in the cupboard. Nuts, crackers, leftover chocolate, m’n’ms, peanut butter, crushed oreo cookies, Allen’s lollies, tortilla chips… go crazy, get your compost on. We won’t judge you.
👇 Are you feeling some kind of feelings for someone (or something)? Have a burning desire to tell them via Love Letter? Send one through to us via the button below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com
FYI
Keep an eye on the Alpine Shire’s Youth Hub for more events like their recent Creative Series, a series of free workshops designed to teach participants aged 12-18 a range of creative skills including digital garment printing, painting, photography, pottery, and sewing.
Unsure if you’ve caught on yet, but we’re big on the idea of waste and decay this month. Happily, so is the council! Have your say on glass recycling in the Alpine Shire — does kerbside pickup or dedicated drop-off station make the most sense to you? And if you’re clearing out the garden (or attic) before winter sets in, remember to sort your waste before visiting the tipping stations.
👇 Do you know something we don’t? Drop us a line below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com