2008 Heritage Festival
Monday, 31 March 2008
The 2008 Heritage Festival will be officially launched this Saturday morning at Timbertown.
The annual Heritage Festival celebrates the region's past. It will feature 35 events in the Hastings and Kempsey areas and is expected to attract more than 7,000 people.
The theme for this year's Festival is 'Our Place' which is designed to encourage locals and visitors to see, feel and touch the region's treasures first-hand. Fun, interactive and educational events will bring to life the area's history.
Timbertown is the region's premier heritage attraction where visitors can experience life as it was in an Australian saw miller's village in the 1880's. It will host the official opening celebrations on Saturday 5th April with steam train rides, bullock demonstrations and whip cracking lessons. There is free entry to Timbertown between 10 and 11am.
Council's Heritage Officer Mitch McKay said, "A lot of effort goes into planning the Festival each year and we think this year will be an outstanding success."
Local resident and wildlife film maker and author Densey Clyne will officially open the event on Saturday. Council Administrator Dick Persson will also be attending.
Major events include 'Heritage in the Vines', a country style fair at Douglas Vale Homestead (Saturday 12 April) and the 50th Anniversary of the Hastings District Flying Club (Sunday 13 April). Walking tours include the 'Camden Haven Pilot Station'; the maritime history's 'Waterfront'; the Akubra Factory's 'Making of an icon' at Kempsey; 'Bago Bluff' National Parks Tour and 'Stories Behind the Graves'. There will also be regular Cruises along the Hastings River aboard 'MV Wentworth', an enchanting old maritime vessel.
This year's 11th Heritage Festival has grown to be the largest celebration of any Local Government Area in New South Wales.
Visit our Heritage Festival 2008 webpage.
