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A hands-on celebration of the makers, shapers, and creators who keep the old skills alive and the sparks flying.Step through the gates of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and into a living, breathing world from another time. This isn’t some sleepy museum day out — this is loud, smoky, sweaty, skilful stuff. It’s the clang of metal on metal. The bite of a chainsaw carving through timber. The crack of a cannon echoing across the hill.
This is Wreckfest — where heritage trades aren’t just remembered… they’re unleashed.
🔥 Craft. Skill. Spectacle.
Across the village, the air buzzes with the rhythm of raw talent. Chainsaws rip through a single tree as Australia's leading chainsaw sculptor brings a life-size Maremma to life. Watch hand shearers, coopers, wheelwrights, and stone wallers roll up their sleeves to show just how tough, clever, and gritty our forebears really were.
Marvel at antique gun displays, the precision of a scoreboard maker, the delicate craft of wooden spoon carvers, potters, wood turners, and signwriter Tom King working their magic in real time.
The Warrnambool Garrison fire up their eighty-pound cannon — uniforms sharp, powder dry — as the hillside rings with history.
🧶 A Village Alive with Makers
Wander the cobblestone streets and discover spinners, loom weavers, embroiderers, and felters, bringing texture and tradition to life with every thread.
Ever seen someone twist rope by hand? Watch it happen, no gimmicks, no shortcuts, just the pure rhythm of craft passed down through generations. Over on the wharf, a fly rod is being crafted from cane, by hand, no machines in sight.
Pop into the Repair Café, where clever locals breathe new life into well-loved objects and share the tricks to keep things ticking.
And don’t forget a sweet pit stop at Warrnambool Fudge, old-school flavour with a local twist.
🌿 Get Hands-On
🍎 Cider Making & Tasting
Join live cider-making demonstrations, then kick back for a Sunday afternoon tasting and workshop. (Bookings on the day.)
🎨 Workshops with Emma Stenhouse
Connect creativity with Country in two hands-on workshops with contemporary Aboriginal artist Emma Stenhouse:
Raffia Bracelet Workshop
🕥 10.30 am – 12.00 pm
Weave a colourful, wearable artwork to take home. (Ages 8+, bookings on the day.)
Dried Grass Bracelet Workshop
🕑 2.00 pm – 3.30 pm
Work with natural grasses and learn simple weaving techniques while hearing Emma’s stories and traditions.
🪚 Men’s Shed Toy Building
The Warrnambool Men’s Shed crew will be on hand, helping kids craft their own wooden toys to take home.
🚣 Canoe Rides with Rikali
Take to the water with a canoe ride on the lake and see the village from a whole new angle.
🏰 Jumping Castle, 📢 Town Criers, and Koroit Scouts add energy and excitement throughout the day.
🍴 Fuel the Fun
Bring your appetite. Wreckfest delivers proper festival food — the kind that hits the spot and sticks in your memory. OMG Donuts, Timboon Ice Cream, hot chips drowned in gravy, hand-cut spiral spuds, deep-fried everything, and those iconic Stella Maria Tearoom scones piled high with jam and cream.
🎶 For the Young (and Young at Heart)
Punch & Judy puppets. Old-school games. Damper by the fire. Live music from the Tin Shed Singers and Wednesday Whistlers floating through the village. This is where nostalgia, skill, and community collide.
⚓ Step Back. Get Stuck In. Feel the Sparks Fly.
Wreckfest Rare Trades Festival is a full-bodied plunge into the sights, sounds, smells and stories that shaped the way we live.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Warrnambool, 89 Merri Street,Warrnambool,VIC,Australia
Tickets
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