Wollongong

The Illawarra festival of Wood is a modern reimagining of the traditional wood festival.The festival will be showcasing local and regional wood artisans as well as celebrating a variety of wood related crafts and forest industries. The wood related industries would be spoon carving, knife makers, traditional toolmakers, timber surfboard makers, woodturning, basket weaving, jewellery, floristry, sculpture and timber milling. Each stall will have a wood artisan demonstrating their craft. The public will be able to learn, reconnect, discover and discuss woodwork from these skilled makers. Lucas milling of timber, chainsaw carving and wood chopping will be able to be observed. An extensive range of hands-on workshops will be held over the three days. These workshops will be spoon carving, milk stool making, possum boxes and solitary bees nests. The workshops will be three hours in length and two age categories: Children eight t fourteen years as well as 14 and over. Free workshops will be happening over the weekend in chopstick making for everyone and bush critters for children.

The festival presents around 150 performers over four days featuring some of the best national and international traditional folk acts. Ride the Green Music Train from Sydney to Bulli and enjoy other festival highlights including a two-day intensive folk school and the popular Lunch Italian Style and Tripe Dinner.

The splendid harbour precinct of Wollongong comes alive each March with a festival of fitness, health and family fun that offers the opportunity to participate or enjoy the spectacle of the sport. The festival offers races for a wide range of ages and abilities from a 1 km ocean swim, to the popular beginners Enticer triathlon, through to Olympic distances. Entries are available to individuals or teams.