Elton John Goes Potty

The Hope Estate in the beautiful Hunter Valley produces not only excellent wines but has become the venue of choice for visiting performers including Neil Diamond, The Who, Whitney Huston, James Taylor and Carole King. Last week Dolly Parton sang there and this weekend Elton John gives two concerts.

Any excuse to visit the Hunter should be grabbed and vintner Michael Hope by combining with promoters like Michael Chugg has won big time with this concept and is cleaning up. Over the past year he has built a brand new amphitheatre and early next year has George Michael and Rod Stewart in his line-up of star acts.

Hope Estate

Now the local Cessnock Council wants in on the action. Visitors to the Hunter always marvel at the glorious landscape but the roads are a real shocker and full of potholes. Over the past month the council has taken heed of local’s complaints and has been discussing a $50,000 levy to be charged to the concert promoters which would add an extra $3 to ticket prices.

The powerful Tourism Transport Forum says it’s an “absolutely appalling” idea : “you have a council that’s reaped a benefit from having a vineyard on its doorstep for decades and now it wants to tax people for having fun”, seemingly ignoring the notion that Hope has now over taken the Sydney Entertainment Centre for staging large concerts.

Small local business owners are backing the council and one who wished to remain anonymous and who says he represents 30 others told the Shuttle today:

“We have no problem with the Hope Estate concerts but they bring an extra 35,000 people to the Hunter on concert days and few other businesses see a benefit from that. The visitors spend all day at the Hope Estate which controls all their spending. Food and drinks must be purchased at Hope. Hampers cost about $100 and some tickets cost up to $699. The thousands of extra buses and cars are causing havoc on the already creaking roads and we are expected to subsidize the roads for Hope”

Looks like this one may be destined for the courts.

The Sport of Kings and queens

Mark down Friday 26th February as a Day at The Races not to be missed.

Royal Randwick Racecourse will hold the world’s first gay and lesbian race day.

The Pink Stiletto Race Day will be the ultimate social event in the lead up to the 2010 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Randwick normally attracts it's fair share of "colourful racing identities " (old gangster slang for a person of no fixed employment but loaded with cash) but this should bring thousands of racegoers, gay and straight, who will be‘coming out’ to Royal Randwick on the eve of Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade.

And the colour,the frocks,the stilettos !. It will give the jockey silks a run for their money and any race day at Randwick is like a fashion contest between well heeled gals trying to outdo each other but expect drag like you've never seen before.

Expect to see most of Sydney's best known drag stars-they'll be there-Kitty Glitter, Minnie Cooper, Miss Understood, Courtney Act, Sarah Pax.

Even our favourite neighbour Carmen should be there-pictured here at the funeral of the late Sydney King's Cross identity Abe Saffron.

Top horse trainer Gae Waterhouse ( centre below) is giving her support.

She's pictured with a couple of blokes in frocks and an escort who looks suspiciously like society hairdresser Joh Bailey's boyfriend Adam Williams. It's all for a good cause-the Bobby Goldsmith Fund which provides support for people living with HIV.

The Pink Stiletto, Royal Randwick Racecourse on Friday, February 26. Gates open at 11am. Tickets $15 from bgf.org.au.

***********************************************

Stars lined up for 2010 Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras party so far include Whitney Huston. But don't forget you read it here first-George Michael will put in an appearance also.