A recent news item highlights a program that has broadened job aspirations among young people in the Colac district. Three local young people took part and were exposed to the variety of career paths across the agricultural sector. The same listing page also features items on heifer prices recovering, a Probus club celebration, and an upcoming historic flower show. The provided text offers no detail on the program's organisers, its duration, or how many young people overall have taken part, so those specifics remain unstated.
Warrion woodworker and artist Dean Haslem is building projects inspired by his most ambitious ideas, and he shares the work with thousands of followers online. The pieces reflect his creative vision and his growing audience.
The Western Australian government has committed $500,000 to the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial, a craft festival running from September to December 2027. The festival will bring together artists and communities across the state with creative practitioners from the Indian Ocean region. Of the total, $288,620 comes from Lotterywest. The funding will support youth workshops, regional travel and community opening events, and promotion of more than 70 exhibitions and workshops. Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said the two-year commitment would help build partnerships and reach communities throughout the state.
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The Ettalong Beach Arts and Craft Centre will hold its annual exhibition and sale on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1. The event takes place at the Peninsula Community Centre in Woy Woy.
Contemporary art and craft by more than 50 Australian artists will fill the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney from October 24 to November 1. The free exhibition marks 25 years of Artisans in the Gardens and features sculptures, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and glass. Original works are for sale, with proceeds supporting the artists and the Botanic Gardens of Sydney. The event has raised more than $1 million for the Gardens since 2017. Free guided tours run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the exhibition is open daily from 10am to 4pm.
Grazier Bodie Hill makes handmade knives in a corrugated iron shed on his 52,000-hectare station, more than 400 kilometres from Broken Hill. He began making knives after replacing a lost pocket knife, and each one can take days to finish. Hill uses timber he mills from his property, including beefwood, mulga and rosewood. He says the work supports his mental health, particularly for isolated men. He has custom orders booked until March.
The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival will run for 10 days with more than 130 activations, including events, exhibitions, markets, open studios, performances and workshops. The festival launch and five exhibition openings take place at Civic Square on 5 November. Stories in the Dark, an animated public art installation by Eggpicnic, will be shown in Civic Square and changes between day and night scenes. The Undercurrent Design Market will bring more than 50 makers to the Ainslie Arts Centre in Braddon from 13 to 15 November.
Jeweller Phoebe Porter has unveiled Raw and Refined, an exhibition in the Departure Lounge at Canberra Airport as part of the 2026 Craft + Design Festival. The show pairs native Australian gold, copper, sapphires and diamonds with materials from further afield, including a piece of Argentinian meteorite. Porter shapes her designs around each material's natural form, contrasting raw specimens with precise, refined metal. Her work draws on Canberra's planned architecture and her training at the Canberra School of Art. The exhibition runs from Thursday 5 until Sunday 22 November.
The Great Artist Market, a riverside arts market in Brisbane, began as a collaboration between Felons Brewing Co and local artists. Artist Claire Ritchie and Felons Brand Director Dean Romeo developed the idea, with artwork painted on barrels in the Felons barrel hall. The market is held several times a year and features curated artists working in wood, glass, paint, clay, graphic art and silver jewellery. Since starting in 2023, it has expanded from the hall into the beer garden. The next market runs at Felons Barrel Hall on October 17, from 8am to 3pm.
Canberra's Craft + Design Festival will run from 5 to 15 November under the theme Dissent. More than 130 events featuring over 500 creatives will cover art, architecture, fashion and performance, and many are free. Highlights include the Canberra Kinetic Sculpture Race on Lake Burley Griffin and Canberra Open Homes tours. Festival CEO and artistic director Jodie Cunningham said the theme is about questioning accepted ways of doing things and imagining something better. The free opening celebration is on 5 November in Civic Square.
Families joined free school holiday sessions at Cook Shire Libraries in Cooktown, Lakeland and Bloomfield over two weeks. Children decorated porcelain hanging baskets and terracotta pots in the first week. The second week focused on flowers, foliage and nature-inspired collages. A highlight at Cooktown Library was a gardening-themed Community Collage, which grew as visitors of all ages added their own pieces. A colouring-in competition also drew many entries from across the community.
Slow Lane Brewing, a Sydney-based craft brewery, has released Long Shadow, a Biere de Garde inspired by historic French farmhouse ales. This amber beer, brewed in cooler months, offers complex aromas of malt, dried fruit, and spices, with a rich, sweet malt character and a dry finish. Priced at $10.50 or $34 for a four-pack, its 7.5% ABV makes it ideal for sharing on cooler nights. The brewery, known for its award-winning beers, draws inspiration from traditional European styles, giving them a modern twist. Long Shadow is designed to bridge the gap between winter stouts and summer ales.
The Macquarie Towns Arts Society will host its annual A Spring Affair Art & Craft Exhibition at Richmond School of Arts from 23 to 25 October. The event will feature over 130 artworks by local artists, including paintings, drawings, jewellery, and pottery. A highlight will be the Best in Show Award, with a $500 prize, announced at a high tea on Saturday. The exhibition aims to celebrate local creative talent and provide a community gathering point.
