My Monthly Chronicles: November 2025

This November I have been riding the zeitgeist train (literally).  I have ridden the trains through the new Melbourne Metro Tunnel, been a onlooker at the latest world record for number of bagpipers, dined out on a vegan Halloween dinner in a gay bar, and indulged in Dubai chocolate treats.  It has been a fun month.  November is the Melbourne Cup holiday, we had a Halloween lunch for my boys birthday and a 21st birthday tea for my nieces, and 24 November is National Fairy Bread Day.

Read more about my month at my posy on In my kitchen: November 2025. 

The above photo is of a collage that I made at a workshop at Monsalvat.  More of this further down the post.

Zachary Bird's pop up at DTs pub, Richmond

On the first weekend in November we went to DTs Hotel (164 Church St, Richmond) for a pop up by Zachary Bird who was holding a vegan Halloween roast dinner.  DTs is a gay bar.  I had not been there before but I was amused at how it they seamlessly blended the rainbows and cupids with the Halloween decorations.
 

Zachary Bird's Vegan Halloween Lunch, Richmond

The vegan Halloween roast was excellent.  The beet Wellington was filled with gourmet mushroom duxelles, vegan beef, baby beetroot, lentils, tofu & more! It tasted great; rich with none of the tough texture of seitan.  As a little bonus the pastry wrapping looked like a mummy.  On the side was a pumpkin & fava mash, roasted asparagus, honey mustard Dutch carrots, buttery peas & screaming spuds with gravy.  

I was amused that ridges were drawn through the mash.  I could barely see the faces poked in the roast potatoes but they were so good especially with lots of gravy.  We both loved having gravy all over our dinner.  While we make gravy at home occasionally, it is much harder to find a veg gravy when eating out.

We also had desserts.  My snickers apple fritters were not quite what I expected; oozing with chocolate sauce and caramel sauce and more mini apple pies than fritters.  They were nice but not as amazing as the main meal.  Sylvia really loved her caramilk cannoli that she chose for dessert. 

Abandoned house in Coburg?

I regularly ride past this shell of a house on the Upfield bike path in Coburg.  I don't know how long ago there was the fire but I guess this is why it looks so neglected.  I keep wondering how long it will last before it is pulled down.  It will be a shame because it has a lovely bull nose verandah with cast iron lace.  It would be lovely if it was restored but I am guessing it would cost a lot.

Burrito Bae, Ascot Vale 

We had lunch at Burrito Bae ( 413 Mt Alexander Rd, Ascot Vale) and tried some new meals.  We had the jalapeno poppers that we always have because Sylvia loves these.  I decided to try the Bean Burrito Bowl with rice, cheese and beans topped with lots of guacamole, sour cream, mayo, salsa and corn chips.  It was pretty creamy but tasted great.  Sylvia had the Plant Based Chick’n Burrito.  She preferred the bean burrito we had on previous visits.  We had the churros with both chocolate and caramel sauces and left feeling full and taking home leftovers.

Pulp is coming to Melbourne

I was so excited to hear Pulp is touring Melbourne that I got tickets on the first day they went on sale.  It is a rare pleasure to see a Pulp poster by the Upfield railway line in Brunswick.

No more Let it Be Sunday on Joy The Baker:  Since the end of 2015, Joy The Baker has written a Let it Be Sunday post with reflections and random web links.  I have enjoyed reading a lot of these with the relaxed tone and interesting links.  So I was sad to read that she has decided to close that chapter of her blog.  Yet I appreciate that there is always change in blogging and wish her well with future projects.

Bagpiping world record, Federation Square, CBD

I took the tram into the city with Sylvia to join the crowds at Federation Square to witness a new world record for the biggest bagpipe ensemble.  The massed 374 pipers played AC/DC's iconic song, Long Way to the Top, which was recorded in December 1975 on the back of a flatbed truck along driving along Swanston Street.  This street has changed massively in almost 50 years including the building of Federation Square during that time.  More about this world record event at ABC News and The Age newspaper. 

Bagpiping record crowd, Federation Square

The bagpiping record attracted thousands to watch it.  I say "watch" but the crowd was so huge that we only managed to get close enough to see the tops of the pipes.  The only way I could get a sense of the crowd was on the big screens.  While the bagpipers played along with Long Way to the Top, the video from 1975 played on the big screen.  

The world record was a creative way to celebrate AC/DC playing in Melbourne that night so there were lots of Acca Dacca fans present.  The video was enjoyed by those who love the song but also those who loved the nostalgia of seeing 1970s Melbourne.  I wonder if any of the band members were in the crowd.  Though the band is getting old and probably needed to save their energy for their first concert in Melbourne for 10 years.

We were lucky the crowded event went off without a hitch.  The following night, the support act for AC/DC, Amy and the Sniffers were to play a free set at Fed Square but it was cancelled due to concerns about the crowds.  Amy and Sniffers generously donated thousands for free drinks at nearby pubs.

Rose Garden BBQ Shop, Melbourne CBD

We had an odd visit to the Rose Garden at 435 Elizabeth Street.  It is a traditional Chinese restaurant with glazed carcasses in the window and more naked carcasses out the back!  (Shudder!)  Sylvia had read good things so we ordered fried rice and an eggplant dish with lots of sauce and rice.  As the dishes arrived, we thought to check on if there were peanuts (re Sylvia's allergy).  We were told that both dishes had peanuts.  

So we left with our meals in takeaway containers and went on to Biang Biang that we knew.  As Sylvia's allergy is not anaphylactic (and she can handle traces), sometimes we rely on the menu rather than asking but were glad we checked.   I had a few meals out of it and when I took a tub of it to work for lunch, my colleagues were impressed by it.  I really loved all the veg and fried tofu in the fried rice and the eggplants were beautifully soft and tasty.

Biang Biang, Melbourne CBD 

After leaving the Rose Garden we had a delicious dinner at Biang Biang (419 Elizabeth St).  We have previously been to the Swanston St restaurant and this was as good on this visit.  Sylvia returned to her Biang Biang Noodles with chilli which she loved and this time tried a seaweed salad on the side but was less keen on it.  I tried the veggie pastry (aka a Chinese burger).  It was stirfried vegetable sticks with tofu sandwiched together between two slabs of pastry that flaky like scallion pancakes.  I was surprised at how much I loved it, despite it sounding odd to my Anglo-Celtic idea of pastry!
 

Bakes and Bagels, Thornbury

We dropped in at Bakes and Bagels (115 Miller Street) for a quick lunch where we shared a couple of vegan bagels.  I really loved the Vegan Joe, ($22.90) which was filled with plant based beef with spices cooked in tomato ragu, fresh tomato, crispy lettuce and vegan cream cheese.  Sylvia preferred the Teriyummy Tofu ($22.90) with grilled teriyaki marinated tofu, vegan cream cheese and kimchi slaw. Both showed some creativity with vegan fillings that we appreciated.

Upfield bike path, Coburg North

When I ride up North along the Upfield bike path, I particularly love the section between Bakers Rd and Spry St where locals have planted flowers along the small piece of ground between the bike path and the railway line.  It is lovely at this time of year to see flowers blooming: poppies, bottle brush, gladioli, pea flowers, daisies,  etc etc.  It amuses me to see the whimsy of planting in discarded watering cans, bike helmets (hanging from the railing) and old boots.

Franco and Co, Eltham

While on the way to Monsalvat, we stopped for lunch at Franco and Co (720 Main Road).  Although it was on a busy road it was set back enough for some outside tables in a generous area with vines and umbrellas.  It was perfect on a warm spring day.  I liked that the menu had some good vegan and gluten free options.  

I expected my cauliflower salad to be slightly dull but it popped with colour, flavours and texture.  Big florets of purple, yellow and white cauliflower were served on a slick of beetroot hummus and topped with red onion, chilli flakes, pomegranates, walnuts and sherry dressing.  We also ordered The Grandma (a margherita pizza) and a parmesan and rocket  salad.  I also had an excellent Sour summer mocktail: lime, mint, passionfruit, pineapple juice, simple syrup and ginger beer.  It was not cheap but it was such a great meal in a relaxed setting.

Storyholding Collage Workshop, Monsalvat, Eltham

We went to Monsalvat (7 Hillcrest Ave) to return to the Storyholding Collage Workshop with Rochelle Van Der Merwe that we enjoyed so much last year.  I made the collage at the top of the page, though like last year, Sylvia got hers all done by the end of the workshop and I had to finish mine at home.  This time it was in the stables.

Heidi garden, Bulleen

It had been so long since I was last at Heide Museum of Modern Art (7 Templestowe Rd).  The grounds were a great place to stop to wait for an address for a FaceBook Marketplace at Templestowe.  I enjoyed the lush kitchen garden with flowers in bloom.  It was much more fun than getting lost in a suburb far far from home.

True North, Coburg

I have visited True North (2A Munro St) many times but never in the evening.  I had a great catch up with friend Jo and Andrea there.  The evening menu had less choices but some interesting specials.  I ordered one of these - Pasta with mushroom ragu, pangratto and parmesan.  It was excellent: more pangratto and less ragu than I expected but great flavour and texture.  I was also pleased to see they had a few interesting syrups for non-alcoholic sodas and I enjoyed the ginger beer. 

Tokyo Lamington, Carlton

We walked along Lygon Street without finding a place to agree on for a late lunch before we turned the corner and ended up at Tokyo Lamington (258 Elgin Street).   Who can resist the omusubi and great selection of lamingtons, especially when they have a Dubai chocolate one.  It was a chocolate sponge cake sandwiching together a creamy crunchy Dubai chocolate filling of pistachio cream and kataifi and everything is covered in a flaky chocolate coating.  It was a little chilly but I guess with that chocolate coating it needed to be kept in the fridge.

The Torch Gallery: Future Dreaming, Carlton

Again and again I meant to go to the Torch Gallery's Future Dreaming exhibition in the building that was for many years the Carlton Post Office (146 Elgin St).  I finally arrived there about an hour before it closed on the last day.  It was a relief I made it when I saw the amazing artworks.  The Torch assists First Nations prisoners to reconnect with culture and earn income from art sales.  Future Dreaming has 235 small paintings for sale but by the time I got there most were sold.

The Torch Gallery: Future Dreaming artworks, Carlton

The paintings at the Torch were just beautiful to look at.  Every time I felt I had seen so much creative re-imagining of Aboriginal traditions that there could be no more, I found another gorgeous artwork.  I got talking to a guy who turned out to be one of the artists.  He told me that he was seeing the exhibition for the first time because he had been in prison.  He was friendly to talk to and it was so lovely to see his pride when he pointed out his artwork to me.

This was my second First Nations art exhibition in a month!  I also visited and wrote about the extraordinary Potter Gallery First Nations exhibition: 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art.  There is so much good First Nations artwork about that it makes me feel so proud to live in Australia!  I just wish that so much of it didn't have to come from the trauma of colonisation.
  

Merri Community Shed Community Market, Coburg

My timing was not grea for visiting the Merri Community Shed Community Market (19 Harding St).  I threw an umbrella in my bag and left my coat in the car.  After I arrived, the overcast weather soon turned to rain that was so heavy it hailed!  I got wet but I felt sorry for the stallholders.  It was impossible to browse and I couldn't wait to leave and go home to change into dry clothes.  This meant less time for chatting and buying.  The above photo is of my friend's soy fish coasters (from Remaki).  She told me that some of her craft was ruined by the rain.  

The community shed is in the old Coburg bowls club where I have some good memories of events.  I am sad to hear it is going to give way to an fancy new Aspire Sports Centre, which is included on the Council's shiny new vision for Central Coburg to be crowded with lots of buildings up to 18 stories high.  It is difficult to see this as a good way for the suburb to develop, much as I want to support the social housing part of it.

Metro Tunnel Parkville Station

At the end of November, there was lots of excitement with the opening of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel which doubled the central underground stations from 3 to 8.  The above photo is of the new Parkville Tunnel hall before the opening of the platforms.  I was mesmerised by the light playing on the escalators from the above skylight.  I also rode the trains on the official opening day.  I am planning to write more about the new Metro Tunnel.

In the News:

As the year comes to a close there are achievements (Melbourne Metro Tunnel and First Nations Treaty in Victoria), disappointments (funding cuts proposed for the CSIRO, cohealth and the Victorian State Library) and more news items:

As US government shutdown drags on, 42 million people could be affected by food program [SNAP] cuts, in ABC News, 2 November 2025.

Chris Minns – pepper spray for peace protestors one day, lunch at war-crimes-lobby the next, by Michael West and Wendy Bacon, in Michael West Media, 6 November 2025. (Defence Expo in NSW)

Zohran Mamdani shows how Democrats can defeat authoritarians like Trump, in The Guardian, 6 November 2025. (new New York mayor)

The populist assault on the BBC: Johnson, Gibb and the Telegraph are trying to turn the BBC into GB News, by Ian Dunt in Striking 13 substack, 10 November 2025. (complaints about BBC editing a speech by Trump)

Gough dreamed of a country that never was, and asked why not? by Greg Jericho in The Point, 11 November 2025 (50th anniversary of The Dismissal of Australia's Prime Minister)

Lost hearts, closed minds. Medical research show ignores plight of Gaza, amplifies Israel, by Michael West and Wendy Bacon in Michael West Media, 17 November 2025. (Cardiologist Professor Peter Macdonald banned after a comment in a non-work forum)

Stop pretending punishment works, by Sheena Colquhoun in Pearls and Irritations on 19 November 2025 (Adult time for adult crime for kids legislation in Victoria)

Two-day Test could cost Cricket Australia millions in lost revenue after Travis Head brings swift end, in the Guardian, 23 November 2025. (That's just not cricket to rush a match!)

Teens launch High Court challenge to Australia's social media ban, in BBC News, 26 November 2025.

Long sought environmental law reform is finally here.  But will the compromise deal actually protect nature?  in the Conversation, 27 November 2025. (federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act)