Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Deal

Visiting Melbourne for one of the many conventions or exhibitions? 

This great value deal has you covered with complimentary WiFi and bottle of water .

Experience the excitement of Melbourne when staying in your very own serviced boutique apartment in the CBD with trams and public transport within easy reach.

Book this Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Deal at Metro Apartments on Bank Place

View Metro Apartments on Bank Place, Melbourne

About Metro Apartments on Bank Place

Metro Apartments on Bank Place boasts 45 well-appointed guest rooms, 36 of which are fully contained, 1-bedroom apartments; other categories include 4 studios and 5 queen rooms. The apartments contain a queen size bed with ensuite bathroom and separate living/dining/kitchen area. 

The kitchen comes equipped with hotplates, convection microwave oven, fridge, dishwasher, cutlery, crockery, cookware utensils, and toaster. There is also a combination washer/dryer, a flat screen LCD television, and remote control, reverse cycle air conditioning. Maximum occupancy per apartment is 3 guests (charges apply for extra bedding).

Harlem Globetrotters - The 2015 Australian Tour

• Sydney game: Thursday 18 June 2015
• Melbourne game: Saturday 20 June 2015
• Perth game: Sat 27 June 2015

Following on from the hugely successful 2013 tour of New Australia, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters are back by popular demand for a seven-city tour in June 2015.

The Harlem Globetrotters features some of the greatest athletes and entertainers on the planet, and they are bringing their unrivalled family experience to New Zealand and Australia as part of the Harlem Globetrotters 2015 “Washington Generals’ Revenge” World Tour.  

The Globetrotters will face a great challenge this year, as the infamous Washington Generals are more determined than ever to match the franchise’s historic last victory over the Globetrotters in 1971.  It has been five years since the Globetrotters and Generals have faced off, as the Generals have been searching far and wide for the best players to retool their roster and have been preparing for one thing: victory over the Globetrotters.

We know there will be another positive response to the tour. They are great athletes and great ambassadors to sport for the whole family and word has got around about how entertaining they are. We are going to some new venues which will also be a buzz too,” said Suzanne Cannell, Tour Organiser from On The Road Events.

Sydney will put on its own glitz and glamour for the Globetrotters team with the game being held in the centre of the city at the Qantas Credit Union Arena on Thursday 18th June, followed by Melbourne on the 20th of June and Perth on the 27th of June.

Buy Sydney tickets: http://www.qantascreditunionarena.com.au/Events/Events%20Detail/Harlem_Globetrotters.aspx

Buy Melbourne & Perth tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au/The-Harlem-Globetrotters-tickets/artist/806223


Review:

Absolutely amazing!!!

State Netball Hockey Centre

 - Parkville

 - Fri 18 Oct 2013

Posted 21/12/2013

by SamTez 

This Fan's Reviews

This show was so great! My girlfriend has wanted to see these guys since she was 9 and it was such an awesome experience to be able to fulfill that dream and take her to such an amazingly talented show! We loved it!!!

Cosentino | The Grand Illusionist Tour Australia

Cosentino | The Grand Illusionist Tour Australia

Australia's world-renowned entertainer, Cosentino the Grand Illusionist, will be taking his spectacular new live show 'TWISTED REALITY' across the country in April - May 2015.

Join Cosentino as he performs never before seen death-defying escapes that will thrill your senses, mind boggling stage illusions and cutting-edge street magic that twists your view of reality.

Cosentino's trademark blend of dance and magic with a touch of hilarious audience participation will take you on a journey that will captivate fans, new and old, until the very last mind-bending moment.

"I've been working on my new live show 'TWISTED REALITY' for over a year. It's going to have even bigger stunts, crazier escapes and the best magic I've produced so far. I'm really proud of what we have created and I can't wait to hit the road and perform it live for my fans across the country", said Cosentino.

Tour Dates:

Thu 23 Apr Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast, QLD

Fri 10 to Sun 12 Apr The Palms at Crown, VIC

Sat 18 to Sun 19 Apr The Star Event Centre, NSW 

Fri 1 to Sat 2 May Regal Theatre, WA

Melbourne General Cemetery Tours Bring Life to the Graveyard

Melbourne General Cemetery

It's twilight in the graveyard. Large bats circle lazily overhead.

In the gloom, folks gather around the tomb of actor Frederick Baker, whose ghost (legend has it) haunts a theatre not far from where his remains lie. The last rays of light disappear behind the headstones, as the visitors recall his final moments.

Baker, known as Federici, died while playing the Devil.

The people here are not mourners, ghost hunters, vandals or fans of Baker. Rather, they're tourists, participating in one of the Melbourne General Cemetery's popular night tours.

There's a spine-tingling sense of daring walking in a graveyard at night, even in the herd safety of a tour group with flashlights. In the velvety darkness, death's mystery seems to brush against them.

The spicy scent of a peppercorn tree wafts through the still night air, as multiple feet crunch across the fallen peppercorn sprigs. (Such trees were traditionally planted in graveyards as a sign of religious fervour.) Pencil pines are also among the monuments, a soaring tree favoured in the belief they elevated the souls of the dead to heaven.

"If you ask people what is the most frightening thing to do, they say, 'Walking in a cemetery at night.' There's a real mystique about it," says Melbourne's cemeteries trust historical and cultural director, Celestina Sagazio, explaining the tours' popularity. "I think it's that fascination with the spirit world, the fear of death, and confronting that fear. It's that courage aspect: You've got the courage to do it."

As the historic grounds host fewer funerals and some graves fall into decay, the Melbourne General Cemetery is reinventing itself as tourist spot and picnic park. The most popular night tour is on Halloween, when visitors in ghoulish costumes troop between the graves. But the Friday the 13th, Midsummer and Full Moon tours always sell out, often turning dozens away.

Sagazio, who believes graveyards are for the living as much as the dead, recently announced plans to cater for a range of social functions, including pre-death wakes (for people who want to be at their own wakes), philosophical lectures and weddings (a sure way to reinforce the message, " 'Til death do us part").

That said, the night tours began several years back "almost as a bit of a dare," Sagazio says. Someone suggested the idea, half joking, but Sagazio decided to give it a try. "Some people thought it was unusual, even ghoulish. But it's got to be respectful." The tours took off.

"It's demystifying death, because we have this great fear of death and cemeteries. By visiting them, our fear diminishes. Exposure decreases fear," says Sagazio during an interview at one of the trust's newer cemeteries, Springvale Botanical, which has a restaurant with a French chef, regular jazz bands, theatre and children's playgrounds.

With fear and taboo surrounding death, cemetery management the world over faces a problem: How to maintain historically important monuments when no one wants to walk through the front gate?

"We are trying to come up with a tourism strategy, because it (the Melbourne General Cemetery) is coming to the end of its natural life," Sagazio says. "We think we are ready for some of these more adventurous cultural activities, but respectful.

"Some people want a spooky experience, let's be honest about that, but a lot of people are interested in the history."

A consummate tour guide, she spices the night tours with quirky historical facts, tidbits about grave monuments, hints of scandal and juicy stories of the departed (and at least five jokes). But there also are poignant moments, stories of long-forgotten city heroes who perished tragically or beloved stars who died too young.

View the Melbourne General Cemetery Tours Website

Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Rock icon BILLY IDOL is returning to Australia and New Zealand for his first concert tour of Australia since 2002.

Billy Idol’s tour announcement coincides with a flurry of new Idol projects that have fans around the globe in a heightened state of excitement!

Idol’s long-awaited and riveting self-written autobiography Dancing With Myself was released worldwide on October 7 via Touchstone/Simon and Schuster and his first album of new material since 2005, Kings & Queens of the Underground, is out on October 17 on BFI Records/Kobalt Label Services.

Written by Idol himself, in his inimitable, searingly honest voice, Dancing With Myself offers an all-access pass to Billy Idol’s journey to fame. 

His tale is an extraordinary one, from a transient childhood divided between the United States and England, to Idol’s time as a seminal member of the 1970s London punk scene fronting the band Generation X, to his meteoric rise to stardom, propelled by a distinctive sound combining punk’s energy and ethos with a danceable, driving beat.

Beyond adding his uniquely qualified perspective to the story of the evolution of rock, Idol is a brash, lively chronicler of his own career. Delivered with the same in-your-face attitude and fire his fans have embraced for decades, Dancing With Myself offers eye-opening anecdotes full of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll that only Billy Idol can tell.

Idol’s new album Kings & Queens Of The Underground was primarily produced by Trevor Horn, with Greg Kurstin also contributing as producer to two songs, including the anthemic lead single, ‘Can’t Break Me Down’.

Special guests are Cheap Trick.

Tour Dates

MARCH 14 (SAT)	PERTH, WA	AN EVENING ON THE GREEN KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDENS
MARCH 18 (WED)	WOLLONGONG, NSW	WIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
MARCH 19 (THU)	SYDNEY, NSW	QANTAS CREDIT UNION ARENA
MARCH 21 (SAT)	YARRA VALLEY, VIC	A DAY ON THE GREEN ROCHFORD WINES
MARCH 22 (SUN)	FLEURIEU PENINSULA, SA	A DAY ON THE GREEN LECONFIELD WINES
MARCH 24 (TUE)	MELBOURNE, VIC	MARGARET COURT ARENA
MARCH 28 (SAT)	HUNTER VALLEY, NSW	A DAY ON THE GREEN BIMBADGEN WINERY
MARCH 29 (SUN)	MT COTTON, QLD	A DAY ON THE GREEN SIRROMET WINES

Incubus Australia Tour With Special Guests Antemasque & Le Butcherettes

Iconic rock gods, Incubus are unparalleled in their ability to shift moods and textures at the drop of a dime, proving that they have become a rare thing: a modern rock band that actually grows and improves with each album.

Through their double decade-long rise to the top, Incubus have notched up over 13 million album sales and have amassed an arsenal of sing-a-long hits including Drive, Nice To Know You, Wish You Were Here, Are You In?, Pardon Me, Megalomaniac, A Certain Shade Of Green... come on, you know you're guilty of belting out any one of these tunes on a drunken Karaoke night!.

The musical genius of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala formerly of At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, needs no introduction! During the 90's, as members of At The Drive In, the pair raised the bar on the post hardcore genre with the release of their third (and final) album Relationship of Command to critical acclaim; an album now regarded as one of the most influential rock albums of the 90's.

In 2001 they teamed up again and the Prog-rock experimentation of The Mars Volta was unleashed! The band went on to release 6 studio albums with the single Wax Simulacra earning the band a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Fast forward to 2014 and the creative collaboration appears in its newest incarnation, ANTEMASQUE. With the release of their debut self-titled album mid 2014, ANTEMASQUE again proved themselves as the masters of musical diversity. The band spent the latter half of the year touring the US and Europe, bringing their unmistakable live intensity and a vibe that's virtually unmatchable!

"the performance thrived with punk energy like a bull in a china shop playing 70s prog." - consequenceofsound
"Like true rock stars, ANTEMASQUE left the stage with fans wanting more." - examiner.com

Mexican garage-punk trio Le Butcherettes are like the brilliant offspring of surrealist Luis Bunuel and intrepid rock icon PJ Harvey with the band's songs and wildly cathartic live shows often drawing comparisons to Karen-O, Patti Smith and Bikini Kill.

Renowned for their electrifying and anything goes live performances; they have toured the US with The Flaming Lips, Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Jane's Addiction and performed at countless festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Fun Fun Fun Fest and many more.

"Le Butcherettes are never to be missed and are heretofore not to be ignored. Utterly stunning." - sfweekly

Incubus Events:

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Brisbane

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Sydney

27 Feb The Enmore Theatre Sydney

25 Feb  Forum Melbourne Melbourne

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Adelaide 2015 Adelaide

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Melbourne 2015 Melbourne

Australian Open 2015 countdown: Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams and other big names fall to shock defeats and injuries

Lleyton Hewitt was thrashed by compatriot Sam Groth

by EMILY BENAMMAR - The Daily Telegraph

The Australian Open is still 11 days away yet the top seeds are dropping like flies. Early defeats and injury setbacks have blown the opening grand slam of the season wide open.

What’s going on at the top?

OK, let’s start with the ever-growing list of early round casualties in the lead-up tournaments ... get comfy.

World No 3 Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open preparations are in tatters after he was ousted in the first round of the Qatar Open overnight by Michael Berrer ... ‘Who?’ I hear you ask ... he’s a German player ranked 127th in the world and is due to retire at the end of this season, so we reckon this 1-6 6-3 6-4 win might just be the highlight of his year.

What did Rafa have to say about it?

Nadal lost his opener in Qatar

Williams was beaten by Bouchard

-

“These things happen after a long time without being on the road, being on rhythm, being in competition,” he said afterwards.

“I was playing with more nerves because after a long time away I wanted to win. My motivation and my hunger to keep doing things well is still the same.”
Also suffering a shock defeat was 18-time grand slam champion and current world No 1 Serena Williams who struggled to hold serve throughout her Hopman Cup clash with Eugenie Bouchard.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so tired,” Williams said after the match. “It’s weird. I can’t get my body to move. I feel like I’ve got no energy.

“It’s a little frustrating because I know I can play two thousand times better.”

Williams can take comfort in the knowledge that she is not the only top flight womens player struggling in the early stages of the season with Victoria Azarenka, Sam Stosur, Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic, Dominika Cibulkova and Garbine Muguruza all out of their respective events after two days.

The situation worsens if you look at the goings-on in Auckland where Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sara Errani and Mona Barthel have all suffered early defeats.

On the home front, there are doubts over the fitness of Aussie Matt Ebden who succumbed to a calf injury during his 3-6 7-5 6-0 loss to Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz at the Hopman Cup.

Over to the injuries now and it looks like the Australian Open will go ahead withoutcrowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and US Open champion Marin Cilic.

The Frenchman is struggling with the same arm injury that forced him out of the Hopman Cup while Cilic continues to suffer from problems with his shoulder.

Other notable absentees in the men’s draw include Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagro and there are doubts over the fitness of Juan-Martin del Potro.

In the women’s draw Czech Petra Cetkovska (hip) and Great Britain’s Laura Robson (wrist) are confirmed to be out.

Jo Wilfred Tsonga is unlikely to feature in the Australian Open

Changing of the guard?

In case you missed the late action in Brisbane last night Australia’s Sam Groth overcame veteran Lleyton Hewitt, signalling a potential shift in hierarchy when it comes to homegrown talent.

As defending champion Hewitt would have been hoping for more than a first-round bow but it was not to be.

He suffered a 6-3, 6-1 mugging at the Pat Rafter Arena in his first ever encounter with Groth.

Aussie men in form

While much focus has been put on what’s going on with Sam Stosur and whether Bernard Tomic is a reformed man, a host of other Australians have been impressing on the circuit.

While Tomic has joined Groth in the second round in Brisbane, so too have Thanasi Kokkinakis, John Millman and James Duckworth.

Sharapova an early favourite

OK, given the performance of her closest rivals so far this year this might appear an obvious statement, but Sharapova is in fighting form coming into the Australian Open and would appear to be worth a punt to claim her second title in Melbourne.

The world No.2 well and truly dispatched Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0 6-1 at the Brisbane International yesterday.

It seems a few months off have done the Russian no end of good.

“I really just kind of got away from it all. I didn’t check anything. It was nice not to have to check any scores or who you’re playing against,” she said after her win in Queensland.

“But when you do come to a tournament, of course you’re very well aware of what’s going on, especially in the tournament.”

Federer meets the locals

Taking advantage of everything that Queensland has to offer, 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer nipped down to Tangalooma Island to meet some of the locals.

The Swiss gets his Brisbane International campaign under way against Australian John Millman on Thursday.

Brisbane order of play:

Pat Rafter Arena

11:00 am A. Kudryavtseva (RUS) vs. K. Pliskova (CZE)

Not Before 12:30 pm

S. Johnson (USA) vs. K. Nishikori (JPN)

G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs. J. Chardy (FRA)

Not Before 7:00 pm

T. Kokkinakis (AUS) vs. B. Tomic (AUS)

Not Before 8:00 pm J. Gajdosova (AUS) vs. A. Ivanovic (SRB)

Show Court 1 11:00 am

M. Klizan (SVK) vs. A. Dolgopolov (UKR)

Not Before 1:00 pm

M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs. C. Suárez Navarro (ESP)

K. Kanepi (EST) vs. M. Brengle (USA)

Not Before 3:30 pm

C. Guccione (AUS) L. Hewitt (AUS) vs. A. Dolgopolov (UKR) K. Nishikori (JPN)

M. Hingis (SUI) S. Lisicki (GER) vs. A. Kudryavtseva (RUS) A. Panova (RUS)

Show Court 2

M. Krajicek (NED) K. Pliskova (CZE) vs. H. Chan (TPE) K. Peschke (CZE)

Not Before 3:00 pm

E. Butorac (USA) S. Groth (AUS) vs. S. Johnson (USA) S. Querrey (USA)

S. Hsieh (TPE) S. Mirza (IND) vs. A. Rodionova (AUS) A. Rodionova (AUS)

Hopman Cup order of play:

10am Great Britain (Andy Murray & Heather Watson) v Poland (Agnieszka Radwanska & Jerzy Janowicz)

5.30pm Australia (Casey Dellacqua & Marinko Matosevic) v France (Alize Cornet & Benoit Paire)

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/australian-open-2015-countdown-rafa-nadal-serena-williams-and-other-big-names-fall-to-shock-defeats-and-injuries/story-fnp3ipqj-1227176910980?nk=69f91df460e5eb4e61aff695336fb3fe