Bendigo is one of 350 cities around the world, and six in Australia, that has been recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City. A Creative City might earn its title for one of seven reasons, but Bendigo takes the cake (quite literally) for the gastronomy field. The Ignite festival is a showcase of just what this regional city has to offer, and boy, is it a doozy.
We’re talking wineries, distilleries, pubs, farms, and restaurants. You name any type of culinary venue and it’s bound to be in the line-up. Events range from long lunches and farmers markets to behind the scenes talks with makers and growers.
This year, Ignite even encompasses the Bendigo Writers Festival which has a gastronomy theme across talks like the history of oysters and Champagne on the Victorian Goldfields, and dinner with Masterchef and author Julie Goodwin. Plus, a discussion of the evolution of agricultural and dairy industries.
If you’d rather get amongst the farming action, the Australian Sheep and Wool Show is happening over three days from July 19-21. It’s one of the biggest events in the world of its kind and one hot little ticket includes access to sheep competitions, woolcraft, shearing, fashion parades, spectacular food, ram sales and much more fun.
Bendigo on the Hop is another one of Ignite’s exciting offerings. The ramped up bar crawl brings together 10 Bendigo venues and over 16 breweries to offer a whole day of beer tasting. It’s part of the Bendigo on the Hop’s 10th anniversary celebrations, and tickets can be snapped up here.
If you’re more of a spirits connoisseur, book in for the gin and whiskey distilling experiences at The Dispensary. You’ll get a tipple on arrival, five samples of your respective spirit, some nibbles and a whole wealth of information.
Events take place across the months of July and August, wrapping up on August 31. Peruse all of the offerings at the Ignite homepage here, and book your tickets in for an event, or three.