Community
6 November, 2023
Wreckfest full steam ahead
WARRNAMBOOL’S Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village will come alive with all the colour, excitement, fun and activities of a 19th century port this weekend.
Visitors to the village on Sunday will be taken back 150 years for an emersion into the lives of our forefathers and a glimpse of the way they lived.
There will be working displays, old trades, history and genealogy groups, a lighthouse display, Devonshire teas in the lovely tea rooms, and the firing of cannons and lots more.
The Wreckfest committee, a not-for-profit group, is excited to bring this new and unique maritime-themed festival to Flagstaff Hill and to Warrnambool.
“The museum and village have a unique cultural system; it portrays the story of the coast and portrays life in a shipping port back in the 1800s,” Wreckfest committee member Ken Sharpe said.
There will be old trade stands and displays of crafts including a tarot reader, a porcelain flower maker, working blacksmith, Miss Lizzie and her giant spinning wheel and a sock maker.
There will also be a weaver using her loom, a shearing display showing the use of hand shears along with quilters, spinners, a coopers’ display and more.
Entertainment on the day will include the Warrnambool Brass Band, the Warrnambool Pipe Band and the Tin Shed Singers.
There will be children’s activities, including dress-ups throughout the day, along with the firing of the 80lb cannon by the Garrison staff. The food court will serve typically styled fare found on an English wharf including fish ‘n’ chips, hot jacket potatoes, a toastie bar and a more modern coffee mobile.
Refreshments will be from a local brewery, a distillery and winery. The tearooms will provide traditional home-made Devonshire teas (dine-in only) on the hour throughout the day, but bookings are essential.
“We believe in community involvement, which strengthens relationships between our group, communities and businesses,” Mr Sharpe said.
“Such a valuable relationship benefits us all, as all sides support each other.
“Community events have a unique ability to bring local groups together, giving people a sense of ownership and pride in their local areas and an opportunity to celebrate and embrace local diversity.”
Tickets for Wreckfest and Devonshire teas are available now on the Flagstaff Hill/events website or can be purchased on the day at Flagstaff Hill.
