Advertising feature
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lavandula's Autumn Harvest festival is a celebration of the land, the people who work on it and, of course, the bountiful harvest. It's a time honoured tradition that connects us to the original family from Ticino, Switzerland, who fled Europe in the 1850s looking for a better life in Australia. By the time the Swiss Italians started to arrive in the Hepburn Shire the gold rush was in rapid decline, but these young Ticinese men and women were capable farmers and confident they could work this new, wild countryside.
Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm continues the tradition of these early pioneers by working with the land and keeping many of the old skills alive, from the painstaking process of hand harvesting lavender with sickles, to spinning wool with a traditional spinning wheel. The rewards can be great once you find yourself in step with the seasons and the changing landscape.
The Autumn Harvest festival is the season for collecting the quinces, apples and olives for preparation, production and preserving. Artisans will demonstrate how to turn ripe fruit into jams and chutneys and how lavender flowers are distilled for their oil and floral water. Why not try your hand at straw doll making, with guidance from one of the region's talented weavers. It might also be your only chance to taste some of Australia's best chestnuts roasted to perfection on the day. The farm will also play host to two ponies for children to ride, feed and groom. And for those who want to stand out in the crowd there will be a face painter who knows how to paint a smile on every child's face.
The farm will fire up both of its wood-fired ovens and you won't be able to resist the aroma wafting from the Italian-style barbecue. The farm is fully licensed for those wanting to treat themselves to a local draft or wine or lavender champagne. Explore the various artisan stallholders and discover what treasures they hold.
The festival will welcome two original descendants of the farm who will give informative tours of the original stone farmhouse and share some of their personal stories about past life on the farm.
Festival music will be provided by the infamous duo, Elvira and Filippo, whose vast repertoire of European folk music is legendary - it's definitely worth bringing your dancing shoes.
Feel free to wander the gardens and grounds or sit back, relax and take in the wide views. Or you can visit the farm's emus, alpacas and highland cow. You may even have a chance to cross paths with a gaggle of resident geese. It's a great day for the whole family, even the four-legged ones. Dogs are most welcome on a lead.
Lavandula's Autumn Harvest Festival is on Sunday May 19 from 10am - 5pm. Entry fee applies.
This advertising feature is sponsored by Lavandula.