- Inconvenient Location
This year the noodle markets were held in and around Questacon and the National Portrait Gallery. This location is a record 45 (!) minute drive for people living in the deep south of Canberra and even longer for those in outer Gungahlin. This is unacceptable and makes it near impossible for the event to grow. How can we fix it? Easy! Move the event to the Tuggeranong.
- Crowds
This year the roads surrounding the markets were bumper to bumper and impossible to navigate. How can we market this as one of the feature events on the CBR calendar if it is so disgustingly packed? Well, luckily, I have a solution. If we move the event to the Tuggeranong Town Centre, we will eliminate a lot of the attendees because it is too far away. The crowds will thin and we can finally enjoy the event without having to elbow our way through to the toilets!
- Weather
This year was so cold and windy it made the event insufferable. The winds coming off Lake Burley-Griffin were arctic! As soon as I got out of my car, I could only think about returning home and cosying up in front of the fireplace. Theoretically, if the event were to move to another location with a smaller lake, say Lake Tuggeranong, this issue would be resolved. The smaller lake would cause less extreme weather conditions and therefore preserve that ‘summer feel’ we all crave.
- Children
This year the markets were crawling with children, further contributing to the large crowds and noise level at the event. If the location were to change to a less kid-friendly atmosphere, such as Tuggeranong, the smaller numbers of kids present would make the event more professional and mature; a vibe that the noodle markets has always been shooting for but never achieved.
- Predictable Locations
I don’t know about you, but I am SO bored of seeing the same buildings every year with lights projected onto them. Change it up ACT Government! I have done extensive research for alternatives and the best ones, objectively, are the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, Bunnings Tuggeranong and the Officeworks building next door! Let’s take gentrification to the next level, sheeple.
- Expensive Food
Gee whizz, this year I paid a whole $18 for what was essentially a small bowl of chicken and rice! Let’s change up the vendors and seek out more affordable options. 7/11 have recently added a splash of the Orient to their cuisine options, with Peking Duck Smiths Chips. You can even get two for $5 – talk about value! Coincidentally, the top rated 7/11 on Yelp is the Erindale store, just a few minutes outside the Tuggeranong CBD. I am sure they would be happy to provide a pop up stall for the event.
- It’s not in Tuggeranong!
Okay, I’ll admit that I might have a bit of bias towards Tuggeranong, but don’t let that get in the way of my well-researched and articulate piece. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I am one of approximately ten ANU students who live in Kambah. Let’s start a movement, let’s go to Andrew Barr’s office and get him to change the location to one for the future #TUGGERZ4NOODLES
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.