Amanda reports: Held annually in mid-July and worth attending at least once. We restricted purchases to processed fibre we can’t normally access, such as Gotland and Cashmere.
Plenty of sheep judging, good range of product and designers present. Fashion show, food stalls and coffee stands available or take your own provisions.
Could do with more seating around the grounds. So busy we forgot to see the artisan craft market at the nearby bowlo!
Make sure you book early (accommodation starts to run out in February, some book at the show for next year) and share the cost with a few colleagues. Meet at the end of the day for ‘show and tell’ and enjoy the local food and wine.
Annie added: I'd heard about it for years. The Bendigo Sheep Show is great they said. This year I had the opportunity to travel (with my car) to Bendigo, stay in a B&B with Karen and Amanda and visit the Show. We had a fabulous time. All those creative makers that I followed on Instagram were there and I had chats with so many of them, as well as buying all manner of woolly related products. (I can see why they call it Spendigo).
The thing that made me smile was seeing most visitors in their handmade knitted garments. You could spot one pattern you had in your Ravelry collection all knitted up and walking out proudly and another lining up for escargot and paella(as I did). Everyone was just so friendly and inspiring and it just made the whole visit very pleasant. The fashion parade was of such high quality as well as the winners in the knitting, crochet and weaving sections. And of course, the magnificent fleeces were a joy to see, as were the sheepdogs and shearers, who both entertained and informed us.
Bendigo had great restaurants, wine and cheese shops of which we availed ourselves of and then there was the bargain back room at the Bendigo Woollen Mill.
Thanks Amanda and Annie! I would love to go. Next year Bendigo...the following year Shetland?!