The East Gippsland Winter Festival launched in spectacular style last Friday, kicking off a month-long celebration of regional culture, food, and community with a series of sold-out opening weekend events.
The festivities started with the highly anticipated Nicholson Trestle Bridge Long Lunch. Under perfect blue skies, more than 170 attendees dined high above the water on the deck of the iconic historic bridge, enjoying panoramic views of the river.
Local regional produce took centre stage during the event, featuring a collaborative menu curated by renowned local culinary establishments Albert & Co and The Long Paddock. Renowned local musician Lyle McLoughlin provided a live acoustic backdrop for the open-air dining experience.
An offical launch party followed at the Nicholson River Winery.
As darkness fell, the winter solstice energy shifted to the high country, where crowds gathered at the Buchan Caves Hotel for the “Boots & Beers” night, delivering an evening of classic country pub revelry and live entertainment.
Organisers stated that the opening weekend success is just a small snippet of how East Gippsland residents showcase “how we winter” across the shire. With the festival now in full swing, more than 100 events remain on the multi-week program, spanning from the lakes to the high country.
highlights scheduled for this coming weekend include the Get Cracking: Seafood Boil this Saturday. Hosted at the Paynesville Hotel, this interactive dining event promises an energetic, casual night focused on big coastal flavours, roaring fires, and live music. Attendees are humorously advised to bring their own bibs and wet wipes for a messy, hands-on feast.
Also on Saturday is the Scottish Festival taking place at the High Country Hooch Distillery in Glenaladale. This traditional Scottish cèilidh will feature authentic food, highland dancers, storytelling and a large bonfire. The night will be filled with bagpipes, drums, fiddles, and regional whisky, with patrons encouraged to wear kilts and bring their own musical instruments to join the jam sessions.
