Easter weekend drive: country fairs and festivals worth a visit

Easter is prime festival season, with many outback and regional towns putting on colourful and characterful Easter fairs that showcase their hospitality. With rodeo shows and opal digs, parading imperial dragons and celebrity chef food events, these five festivals offer unique and fun experiences for an off-the-beaten-track road trip.

Bendigo Easter Festival

, VIC

Where: 170km from Melbourne

First held in 1871, the Bendigo Easter Festival is one of Australia's longest ongoing community fairs. It celebrates the town’s diverse culture with displays from the Bendigo Chinese Association, along with many other community groups. ‘Dai Gum Loong’ is the headliner for the 152nd annual Easter Sunday Gala Parade – he’s the world’s longest imperial dragon, measuring more than 125 metres. On Good Friday you’ll find markets, live music and a much-anticipated Easter egg hunt; while Saturday’s activities include carnival rides, a torchlight procession and a fireworks display.

Lightning Ridge Easter Festival

, NSW

Where: 720km from Sydney

This quirky mining town puts on a great show at its annual Easter Festival, kicking off with the Bull and Bronc Ride – an evening program that starts at 5pm offers live rodeo action touted as the ‘toughest sport on dirt’. Saturday is horse racing day, with a six-race program and Fashions on the Field fun, as well as Big Dig and Little Dig events where contestants can dig for real opals and other prizes. You can also look forward to the Miners Rickshaw Challenge, reptile displays, an array of live music and performances by the Milan Dhiiyaan Aboriginal dancers. It’s a long drive back to Sydney, but there are plenty of great pit stops and detours along the way, including Dubbo, Mudgee and the Blue Mountains.

Roma’s Easter in the Country Festival

, QLD

Where: 480km from Brisbane

Roma probably isn’t a destination that’s been on your radar – unless you’ve had reason to visit the Southern Hemisphere’s largest cattle sale yard – but its ‘Easter in the Country’ event offers something for everyone. Described as a “festival of all things country… encapsulating everything unique that outback Queensland’s lifestyle has to offer”, there’s a full program of rodeo shows, camel rides, guided walking tours and even a wife carrying competition. Country music fans will be thrilled with the chance to see Adam Brand perform live (others might recognise the multi-award winning artist from his 2009 Dancing With the Stars victory or supporting Taylor Swift on her 2011 tour), while food lovers can enjoy a special alfresco dining experience prepared by Dan and Steph of My Kitchen Rules fame. Book ahead as many of the events are ticketed.

Back O’ Bourke Easter Festival

, NSW

Where: 720km from Canberra

The Back O’ Bourke Easter Festival provides the perfect excuse to visit this iconic outback town and learn about its pioneering history and Indigenous culture. You can explore the historic Dunlop Station, take a paddleboat cruise on the Darling River, visit the Bourke Aboriginal Art Gallery and even take a fascinating tour of the cemetery with a local historian. Of course the festival itself provides plenty of entertainment, too – there’s a street parade, an Easter egg hunt and, true to the town’s agricultural history, a wool bale rolling competition. There’s also fitness events including a Colour Run on Good Friday and Parkrun on Saturday, as well as the Picnic Races on Easter Sunday.

Tarra Festival

, VIC

Where: 230km from Melbourne

Tarra Festival is a collection of events held in Yarram and Port Albert, neighbouring towns in Victoria’s beautiful South Gippsland region. The program features golf and lawn bowls tournaments, art exhibitions, markets and an aeroclub landing competition. Be sure to check out Yarram’s street art, too – there are 25 Heesco Khosnaran murals that showcase the town’s history and characters, with a new mural being unveiled as part of the festival. From Yarram you can take a scenic drive into the forested Strzelecki Ranges following the Tarra River into Tarra-Bulga National Park. There are a number of beautiful picnic spots as well as walking trails through the rainforest, but the must-see spot is Corrigan Suspension Bridge where you can walk over a sea of verdant ferns. The perfect end to a relaxing long weekend.

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