🌄 No Bluff News #49

G'day {{first_name | Friend}}! We're back with edition 49 of No Bluff News. This one's full of good stuff made right here, from a one-off Denmark beer to more than 50 local businesses under one roof on Saturday. Here's the news, and what's on.

In today's edition:

Okay, time to get stuck in!

More than 50 Great Southern small businesses set up at the Albany Business Centre on Saturday for WA Small Business Day. Entry's free, 10am to 2pm on Chester Pass Road.

Torbay Pottery, Astrid Mae Candles and Moda Africa are among the makers. Crave 6330, Drip Lock Doughnuts, Jollof on Wheels and Quick Shot Coffee have the food and coffee covered.

The full exhibitor list links to each business, so you can plan your stops before you go.

Three Great Southern wineries took six golds at the Wine Show of WA, judged in Mount Barker last week. The show started in 1978 as a section of the Mount Barker agricultural show, with 26 entries.

Porongurup's Castle Rock Estate took three, one of them for a 2012 riesling. West Cape Howe won two, including its Mount Barker Riesling, and Ferngrove won one for a cabernet.

Castle Rock's cellar door runs a seated riesling or pinot noir tasting for $15. It's open daily, 10am to 4:30pm.

Art made by Aboriginal children at Carrolup, about 30km west of Katanning, goes on show in Albany from Thursday. The children made them at the settlement's school in the 1940s, guided by their teachers Noel and Lily White.

Some of their drawings were found by chance at a New York university in 2004. Once Known shows reproductions of 23 of them, a reminder that each child had a name, a family and a story.

It's free at the Albany Entertainment Centre, weekdays 10am to 5pm, until 10 December. The free opening is Wednesday, 6pm to 8pm.

Mt Barker Country Bakery and Bremer Bay's Hooked and Cooked Roadhouse won 14 medals between them at this year's Great Aussie Pie Competition.

The bakery took 10, including silver for its Marry Me Chicken pie. The roadhouse won silver for its mince pie and its beef, cheese and bacon pie, so next time you drive out to Bremer, the roadhouse is worth the stop.

Redmond artist Colin Hanssen paints with his right hand and his wheelchair, so each piece is part painting, part performance. He started six months ago in an art therapy class.

His first show was on this year's Southern Art and Craft Trail, and artists from two Perth galleries now want him to exhibit. "They come in and they're just drawn to the work," says art therapist Serena McLauchlan.

The State has put $1 million behind a tender for a new Albany charter coach operator, with Southern Bus Charters up for sale.

The new operator must be based in Albany and serve the region out to Esperance. The money is there to keep coaches running for cruise passengers, regional events and locals getting around the Great Southern.

Denmark brewer Artisan Brewing has made a one-off beer to raise money for the town's bushfire readiness. Bushfire Ready Red launches at the Denmark Hotel on Friday 30 October.

Artisan has no cellar door, so the pub is the place to try it. The launch lines up with the free community sundowner that opens the Bushfire Ready Weekend, and pints pour through November until the kegs run out.

Albany's Dylan Bennett has been awarded a Gold Medallion by Royal Life Saving WA for saving a basketball player in cardiac arrest.

He was 17 when he used first aid training from only months earlier to give CPR until paramedics arrived. The player made a full recovery. VacSwim instructor Connor Pomery also received a Gold Star, for rescuing a person in distress at Greens Pool in Denmark.

Children's Week Party: Free stalls, storytime, face painting and messy play, 10am–12pm | Town Square, York Street | Saturday, 24 Oct

Fashions on the Field: Hospice fundraiser with local fashion, afternoon tea and a best hat prize, 1:30pm, $65 | The Albany Club | Saturday, 24 Oct

Botanical Bingo: Ten rounds and a plant with every ticket, for the Denmark Rowers' new boat shed, 1:30–4:30pm, $20 | Denmark Riverside Club | Saturday, 24 Oct

Model A Ford displays: About 80 restored 1928–31 Fords at Mount Barker and Denmark, Albany's CBD and York Street | Model A Ford Club | Wednesday, 21 to Friday, 23 Oct

The Song Catchers: A family musical about a fox and an echidna, made for Albany 2026, 11am and 6pm, $25 | Albany Entertainment Centre | Friday, 23 and Saturday, 24 Oct

Katanning Agricultural Show: The 135th show, with shearing, stalls and a scavenger hunt, 9:30am–11pm. Free | Katanning Leisure Centre | Saturday, 24 Oct

AWESOME Festival and Kids Markets: Performances, activities and a market run by young makers, 10am–3pm. Free | Albany Entertainment Centre | Saturday, 24 Oct

Butterfly FX: WAAPA Albany music students play their end-of-year set, 6pm | King River Tavern | Wednesday, 21 Oct

Tony King: Country-flavoured classics and alt-country originals at the cellar door, 5:30–7:30pm. Free | Rockcliffe Winery, Denmark | Friday, 23 Oct

Dave Rastrix and Friends: Funk, reggae and ska made for dancing, 7–10pm, $15–$25 | Denmark Civic Centre | Friday, 23 Oct

Live @ the Town Hall: The Chats close the season, with a courtyard market from 5pm. 18+, $60 | Albany Town Hall | Saturday, 24 Oct

Voodoo Sunrise: A Hendrix and Cream tribute, 8–11pm, $25 | King River Tavern | Saturday, 24 Oct

Swing dance: Jazztrix with guest singers and a free lesson, 3–7pm, $20–$30 | Denmark Country Club | Sunday, 25 Oct

Ngoolak, Karrak: 42 works by Noongar and Wadjella artists on WA's endangered black cockatoos, 9am–1pm. Free | Mt Barker Visitor Centre | Wed, 21 to Wed, 28 Oct

No One's Looking book launch: Brooke Davis in conversation with Jon Doust, 6pm | Six Degrees | Wednesday, 21 Oct

Boodja: Jennifer Woods' paintings on Country, memory and healing, 9am–5pm daily | Historic Whaling Station | From Saturday, 24 Oct

Spring Dance Festival: A beginner-friendly day of commercial and contemporary dance, 10am–3:15pm, $79 | Scout Hall, Denmark | Sunday, 25 Oct

Community garden workshop: Neal Collins on growing organic food, 2–4pm, by donation | Denmark Community Garden | Saturday, 24 Oct

Wild Gravel: The gravel ride and run through the Stirling Range, 6am–8pm | Stirling Range National Park | Saturday, 24 Oct

ADCA A Grade – Round 2: Two one-day games at Centennial Park, from 12:15pm | Full fixtures | Saturday, 24 Oct

Bendigo Bank Shield – Round 3: Green Range-Ongerup v Kojonup and two more games, from 12:45pm | Full fixtures and venues | Saturday, 24 Oct

Albany Chamber sundowner: After-hours networking at the speedway, 5:30–7:30pm | Albany Speedway Club | Wednesday, 21 Oct

Business After Hours: Plantagenet's networking night, 5:30–7:30pm. Free | The Gypsy Lab, Mount Barker | Thursday, 22 Oct

Nanarup desalination plant: Water Corporation's stalls and community meeting on the proposed plant, 1:30–7:30pm | Lower Kalgan Hall | Tuesday, 27 Oct

Council meetings: Denmark at 4pm and Albany at 6pm, both open to the public | Denmark and Albany | Tuesday, 27 Oct

The City of Albany's Seniors Week program runs from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November, and most sessions come with a light lunch. You can try oil painting or pottery at the Vancouver Arts Centre and keep what you make, or join chair yoga and screenings of Billy Elliot and Dolly Parton: Here I Am at the library. Each session needs a booking, and everyone's welcome. See the program.

Golden Hill Steiner School in Denmark opens its classrooms for its Spring Fair and Open Day on Saturday 21 November, 11am to 3pm. There are market and food stalls, live music, a maypole, nature crafts and face painting, plus raffles, fresh produce and a best-dressed fairy contest. Find it in The Guide.

Country singer Adam Harvey brings his Up Close and Personal show to the Albany Entertainment Centre on Sunday 29 November at 4pm. The multiple Golden Guitar winner has more than 30 years of songs to draw on, from The House That Jack Built to Workin' Overtime, with stories in between. Tickets are $55, or $50 for concessions and $25 for under 25s. Book your seats.

ABC Great Southern turns 90 with a free exhibition at the Museum of the Great Southern from 30 November to 13 December. It all started in 1936 with a transmitter near Wagin, and the ABC put its first regional WA reporter in Albany in 1962. The Co-Op Building shows archival footage and TV stills, some not seen in decades. Plan your visit.

Dancers, aerialists, singers, an illusionist and Santa take the Albany Entertainment Centre stage on Thursday 17 December, with shows at 4pm and 7:15pm. The family show runs just under two hours with an interval, and has new acts and carols this year. Tickets start at $60 for adults and $50 for juniors 16 and under. Get your tickets.

Regional athletes can claim up to $1,000 back on competition travel: Apply within 90 days of a recognised competition. See how to claim.

Glenn Hegedus is turning the Mount Melville tower into art: The artwork, called Signal, was shaped by talks with Menang Elders and locals. See the project.

More than 3,000 cruise passengers spent last Friday in Albany: The Crown Princess opened the season, and the next big ship arrives 8 December. See the arrival.

Denmark's Christmas Giving Tree takes donations from 6 November: Drop new or near-new gifts at the Denmark CRC by 8 December. Find out more.

Wild West Bowling is WA's Themed Venue of the Year again: The Orana alley took the AHA award at Crown Perth on 12 October. See the win.

Narrikup Community Market wants more makers for 21 November: Potters, bakers, photographers and cheesemakers are wanted, with 48 stalls booked. Get a stall.

Associate dentist: $300k to $400k potential earnings, with relocation and accommodation support | Radiant Smiles Dental Care | Albany

Project coordinator, urban possums: $88k to $100k (0.6 FTE), leading recovery work for the critically endangered western ringtail possum | South Coast NRM | Albany

Chef de partie: $75k to $90k with accommodation included, working four days on and three off | Denmark Hotel | Denmark

46A Nelson Street, Mira Mar: 3-bed, 1-bath on 427m². 1960s character home with jarrah floors and elevated views to Mount Clarence | Offers above $690,000

13 Boorara Way, McKail: 4-bed, 2-bath on 541m². Brand-new build with a 7-star energy rating and underfloor heating in the main suite | Offers above $820,000

12 McLeod Street, Mira Mar: 5-bed, 2-bath on 863m². Two homes on one block, each with solar and a battery, can walk to Middleton Beach | Offers above $1.2M

Green Range-Ongerup beat the premiers in their first one-day game: Dylan Brooks hit 102 not out off 79 balls as the GSCA newcomers chased down Broomehill's 197 with six wickets to spare.

Kaye Bolger joins the Swimming WA Hall of Fame: The WA Chief Referee since 2005 started out as a volunteer at Albany Swimming Club, and the Mt Barker Barracudas were named regional club of the year on the same night.

Narrikup fields its first under-17 cricket team in more than 30 years: The squad, drawn from Narrikup, Mount Barker, Cranbrook and Redmond, plays Collingwood Park in Albany at 4:30pm on Friday 23 October, and the club is after more players.

And that's a wrap!

If you know someone who'd love the good stuff from the Great Southern, forward this their way or get them to sign up at noblufflocal.com.

Enjoy the Expo and the Quenda Festival on Saturday, and if you pick up a bottle of that gold-medal riesling, let us know how it goes.

See you next Tuesday!