February
Step aside, Punxsutawney Phil
Welcome to The Bright Raclette, a monthly community newsletter where we will be sharing upcoming local events, horoscopes, announcements, initiatives and horse-related paraphernalia 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’ve been wondering when Bill Murray would make an appearance here, wonder no more.
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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 chickens, worldly advice, snacks, love letters, and reviews of anything you have experienced recently.
We can’t promise we’ll include your essay on your neighbour’s midnight lawn watering habits, but we promise we’ll consider it.
**If that button isn’t working, email us at bright.raclette@gmail.com
THIS MONTH
Anyone who lived before the advent of Foxtel (/Austar, for the true believers) will be aware of the 1993 classic film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, which in a form of ironic self-fulfilling prophecy seemed to play every Sunday on free-to-air TV from the late 90s to early 00s. For those following along, February is the month Phil the groundhog appears in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to predict whether winter will last for another six weeks or if spring is just around the corner.
The TBR team is seeking a local equivalent of Phil the groundhog to let us know when the heat will break, and just how far away we are from the cool breezes of autumn. Perks of the job:
Fame
Potential snacks and pats, depending on cuddliness of animal
Slim but not impossible chance of inspiring a Groundhog Day sequel, in which Bill Murray will no doubt once again star.
Responsibilities:
Determining, by a standard both silly and arbitrary, whether we have another six weeks of 30 degree days ahead of us.
Please send all suggestions for Bright’s Phil-the-groundhog-equivalent to bright.raclette@gmail.com — photos encouraged.
👉 Jump to stuff from us: SEE | DO | WATCH | READ | FYI
👉 Jump to stuff from you: Marj dips into rivers and cheesecakes
SEE
—one-offs—
Feb 13 - 15 | FEASTIVAL Falls Creek, a three-day extravaganza of food, drink, live music, comedy and general merrymaking. Headliners The Jungle Giants will feature during the ‘Feast de Resistance’ on Saturday, but why not make a weekend of it with a bunch of events throughout Falls Creek village, including the comedy night, yoga, pilates and sauna. Grab your tickets online and get stuck in!
Feb 15 | Join local musos Jack Raymond, Angus Montaigne and Benny Williams at The Bright Courthouse for what’s sure to be a stunning afternoon of guitar-led musical goodness. One not to miss! From 4pm, ticketed event.
Feb 21 | Perfectly timed for the beginning of the Year of the Horse (Feb 17), celebrate all things equine at the Dederang Picnic Races — with horse racing, the mile footrace, tug-of-war, children's activities, live bands, food and drink stalls and fashions on the field. Go all-out and order a picnic box, because truly who has the energy to make sandwiches?
—sneak peak—
OK it’s not strictly this month, but you probably need to book it soon, so we’ve included it:
Mar 6-8 | More horses! Daryl Braithwaite will be attending Brighter Days Festival in March, alongside Leo Sayer and Kate Ceberano. Come along, belt out a few rounds of ‘that’s the way it’s gonna be little darling’ and support children’s charities.
Queen of Hearts, the all-female powerhouse redefining mariachi at the Spring Ditch in Stanley next month. March 7 | Grab your tickets for a day packed with great music, food, drink, golden boot tossing, sack races and general family fun at Spring Ditch in Stanley. A tip of the hat to the much-beloved and long running Stanley Sports Day, with a modern spin and soundtrack to match — ft. Queen of Hearts, Buddhadatta, Amaya Laucirica and many more!
Mar 20-22 | Head to the Yackandandah Folk Fest for a weekend of folk music. It’s worth getting early bird tickets to catch acts like Ella Hooper, Scott Cook & the Little Rippers, Dallahan and many more.
Ella Hooper aka Killing Heidi , Violet Town native turned country songstress extraordinaire
—weekend regs—
FRIDAYS
The Star | Trivia and Joker Poker. Meat trays and good vibes from 6pm.
SATURDAYS
Myrtleford Summer Series | Free live music on balmy summer evenings in the Piazza. Umbrellas and chairs provided, BYO picnic rug.
Don Mungo’s | Mungo Disco every Saturday from 10pm with DJs from near and far. Groove on down to Decx (Feb 7), DJ 1am (Feb 14), Saucy (Feb 21), Banoffee (Feb 28).
SUNDAYS
Bright Brewery | Join Sunday sessions with Sanfona (Feb 1), Michael Ward (Feb 8), Szara Fox & Andrew Darling (Feb 15), and Bev Parker (Feb 22). 2-5pm.
Wandi Pub | Ride out for a lazy Sunday afternoon in the beer garden with The Troubadour (Feb 1). From 12.30pm.
👇 Did we miss any gigs? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com for upcoming gigs or venues we should contact for March/April/May.
DO
Feb 2 | Alpine Multi Skill Group is back, once again trying to teach you something new and introduce you to a better version of yourself. Join them at The Alpine Hotel for their first AMSG x Imperfects Club of 2026 — a monthly "podcast club" where ladies gather to discuss life’s messy bits, inspired by The Imperfects podcast. The podcast episode in question is snappily titled ‘Sleep Your Way to the Top’ (don’t worry, it’s more about making z’s than babies). 6-7pm, RSVP required.
Feb 5 | Get inducted at the Bright United Men’s Shed (BUMS) to learn the subtle art of welding and woodwork, unlock the mysteries of turning equipment and more with help from the Alpine Multi Skill Group. First Thursday of every month (unless the shed is too hot, in which case it will be closed). Feb 5th is also the beginning of AMSG’s 8-week Beginner’s Welding Course, from which you should emerge with your own custom-built fire-pit. Places are limited, bookings essential.
Feb 7 | Grab some handmade goodies or local produce at the Mount Beauty Markets. 9am-1pm. (Conveniently en route to the Enduro Tour…)
Feb 7-8 | The Victorian Enduro Tour returns to Falls Creek, challenge your downhill skills on some of the most beautiful trails in the region.
Feb 12 | Unleash your inner theatre kid, with workshops via Bright Theatre Club. Become a BTC member ($50) for access to eight weeks of theatre workshops. No experience necessary! 7-8.30pm.
Feb 12 | Put on your boots and head to Myrtleford Savoy Club for Thursday night line dancing. You don’t have to only go on the 12th, it’s every week from 6pm. $5 entry at door.
Feb 18 | Demystify superannuation at AMSG’s Wealth for Life! event, designed to instil financial confidence across superannuation, estate planning and investing. Tickets are free, but make sure you register here.
Feb 21 | Head to the Pavillion at Pioneer Park to support stroke research at the Summer Soiree Ladies’ Night Out. This event was inspired by the passing of Jane Folley and Jenny McNaught, two passionate local women heavily involved in the community. This is a night of Celebration and The Bright Art Gallery have kindly donated items for our Silent Auction. 7-11pm.
Feb 28 | Myrtleford Farmer’s Market is always a vibe.
Feb 28 | Yet to climb Victoria’s highest mountain? Why not really challenge yourself and do it as part of the Mt Bogong Conquestathon. Stunning views guaranteed, new friends quite likely.
Feb 28 - Mar 1 | If your interest was piqued by the Enduro Tour, be sure to check out Downhill Mountain Biking National Series in Falls Creek. The event will make history in 2026 with the first-ever downhill event on the resort's brand new Union Cycliste Internationale-spec trail.
👇 In the know about an upcoming event? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com
WATCH
Cinema | Choose from Bright’s Sun Cinema February releases… it’s a goshdarn good month for cinema, folks (and the concurrent air-conditioning):
Hamnet (did Shakespeare wear a silver neck chain? This particular cinematic release has been circled on our Mescalendar for a while now), Wuthering Heights (#blessed to have literary period adaptations from both Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal in the same month. Get hyped! Channel your inner Margot Robbie and throw a bachelorette party for Cathy!), Sentimental Value (Elle Fanning’s Oscar-nominated role sees her dropped in the middle of a complex family dynamic when she agrees to play a part in the charismatic but estranged father’s ‘comeback film’), Addition (Grace, a Melbourne-based mathematician, is governed by her obsessive-compulsive need to count — until a chance encounter sees her world start to unravel), Blue Moon (legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence), Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert (Elvis sings and tells his story in a new cinematic experience from Baz Luhrman), Crime 101 (an elusive jewel thief eyes the haul of a lifetime).
Star-watch | Whether intentionally or otherwise, Bright & Surrounds is super on trend for the Year of the Horse 🐎 with both the Dederang Picnic Races and Daryl Braithwaite’s appearance at Brighter Days falling during the Lunar New Year celebrations (from Feb 17). To learn more, and discover if your zodiac is lucky, visit this link.
Weather-watch | The Vic Emergency app has been doing all the work for us, lately. Heat, heat and more heat.
👇 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 crosses borders to swim in new rivers
This month, everyone's favourite Raclette Reviewer Marjorie Beavis-Warren emerges from December hibernation and crosses the border straight into enemy territory (the Indigo Shire) and learns that life doesn’t always have to be a project.
Happy 2026 wishes dear reader, and welcome back to a new year of Marj. After collapsing in an exhausted heap at the end of 2025, I spent December in horizontal recovery and competitive sofa testing, but am thrilled to be back and ready to see, try and do new things in our beautiful little corner of the world.
Loyal readers may recall that in October I grandly declared this would be my ‘Year of Failing’; a noble quest to learn new skills through deliberate, constructive disaster. Reader, I have already failed at failing. During my little end of year hibernation I came to the conclusion that competitive failure is actually very bad for the soul and ultimately have declared the whole thing to be a failure (which I think somewhat ironically means I think I may have succeeded…?).
Rather than persist with this nonsense, I suggest we chalk it up to end of year fatigue driven delusion and get back to just reviewing the events and activities across the Alpine Shire…
…which leads us neatly into mid January 2026, when Mr B-W and I decided to kick off the year gently with a small outdoor based adventure. The motivation was threefold: Marj has high cholesterol, Mr B-W needs to lose some weight and we both needed to swim in a new river.
I'll be honest. I woke up that morning grumpy, tired and really not wanting to go anywhere. Luckily for me Mr B-W being the decisive little soul he is, simply decided we needed to get out the house, picked Yackandandah and bundled me into the car before I could object. This is the beauty of a partner that doesn’t agonise over every tiny (and mostly pointless) decision; sometimes you end up in a pretty heritage village in the Indigo Shire before you've even finished complaining.
Our destination was the Yackandandah Gorge Walk, a lovely trail that winds along a historic tail race built by gold miners armed with picks, shovels and enthusiasm for gun powder. The gorge itself is in Dhudhuroa country and the Aboriginal word ‘Yackandandah’ means one boulder on top of another at the junction of two creeks, which is both poetic and geologically accurate.
We had the whole trail to ourselves: shady trees, gentle cascades, twisting paths beside the creek. The top section is steep and requires moderate fitness, which we pretended to have. No platypus sightings near the tennis courts sadly, but you can't have everything.
The real highlight was the swimming spot carved into the rock at the gorge. The water was freezing – significantly colder than our home base river at Nimmo Bridge, in my expert opinion. Mr B-W disagreed, but Mr B-W is wrong. We dipped, we squealed, we emerged feeling very alive and slightly smug.
Afterwards, we wandered into Yack for iced coffees and cheesecake, which did absolutely nothing for my cholesterol or Mr B-W’s waistline, but it did do wonders for immediate happiness levels - and sometimes that’s all that matters.
So here's to discovering new things in 2026: a year for small adventures, different rivers and radically accepting that not every outing needs a redemption arc - sometimes you just need a cold dip and a slice of cheesecake.
Next month: Who knows - this is a whole new Marj! Just going with the flow and seeing what happens. Just in it for the vibes. But it probably will involve physical movement and no cheesecake because my cholesterol levels do not respond positively to vibes. Or cheesecake.
👇 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
The Community Awards have been announced. Congratulations (and thank you for your efforts in our communities!) to Lifetime Achievement Award winner Lorraine Hughes, Local Achievers Steve Gardiner, Belinda Ramia and Evelyn Neidzwiedzki, Community Event of the Year Celebrating 180 Years of Tawonga, and Community Organisation of the Year the Bright Food Co-op.
Do not, repeat, do not go swimming in the river in Bright or Porepunkah this week. E-coli has once again reared its ugly head - stand by for further information via noticeboards on the river.
How good is the environment? Have your say on tackling climate issues in the Alpine Shire with the community engagement phase of Community Climate Action Plan development.
👇 Do you know something we don’t? Drop us a line below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com