Events January 2008

Events August 2008

During the Carnivale Weekend, the town is ablaze with colorful tulips and glorious banners, from Friday night to late afternoon on the Sunday, the Kingdom of Balingup comes alive with fantastic medieval characters. Jesters, Jugglers, Knights and Maidens relive times gone by, with re-enactments of medieval life including dancing, fighting and various other tasks and activities for visitors to get their hands dirty.

Delicious country style food is available throughout the weekend and local wineries provide award winning wines to make this weekend a truly medieval Affair.

Time: Saturday10.00 am to 5.00 pm. Sunday 9.00 am to 4.00 pm

Prices: Free entry for children under 12, concession $5.00. Adults and children over 12 $10.00.

Location: Balingup Woods, community centre grounds, Balingup, Western Australia, 6253

Events September 2008

P.O. BOX 375, BRIDGETOWN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 6255

Website: www.fordhouse.com

Email: ford.house@wn.com.au

COST: $200.00 includes a Wrapping Workshop with basic materials, laughter, all food for the weekend including a regal Christmas Dinner. (price does not include accommodation)

Every year, close to Christmas, people wander around desperately trying to find unique and perfect gifts for their friends and family. Christmas Under Wraps is the perfect weekend where people have the time and the opportunity to buy and wrap unique presents for the coming Christmas. Once again, Ford House will be presenting “Christmas Under Wraps” in Bridgetown, the heart of the south-west, showcasing exceptional gifts for every participant to buy and wrap beautifully.

On Friday evening, in the comfort of our century old barn, all decked out in its Christmas wardrobe, you will be served bottomless soups and mouth-watering old fashioned desserts. To kick off your Christmas shopping spree, there will be an amazing array of handmade and unusual gifts stacked high to tempt you. You may be able to meet the artisan who created some of your purchases and understand how or why it was designed.

The next day, your Bridgetown shopping experience will include visits to galleries and speciality shops, and a delicious lunch, while viewing a fabulous fashion parade in the garden. In the afternoon, you may wander around the garden, pound the pavements in town in search of another elusive gift, or return to Ford House to sip cappuccinos in the café before going to the Blackwood Valley Cidery for cider tastings and pre-dinner nibbles. This is an exciting time when we get to share our shopping experiences and enjoy our new found friends.

Saturday night is one of the highlights of the weekend, with a full Christmas dinner served in the Barn which will be decorated like a woodland grotto. The evening will be the complete Christmas fantasy, with a delicious festive menu of roast Turkey and marinated fillet of beef, and all the trimmings. It is well worth saving some room for my mothers plum pudding with a rich brandy sauce.

Assemble all your goodies at Santas workshop in the Barn on Sunday morning. To keep the creative juices flowing, fresh morning tea will be served. Everything you’ve ever thought of, and more, will be assembled to wrap your new found treasures and gifts, using the unusual, the bizarre and the beautiful. Our creative team will guide you with choosing materials to wrap your gifts in the most innovative and spectacular way. Surprise your family and friends with your clever and stunning presentation.

Later, to keep the energy going, lunch will be served in the garden so that you can put on the finishing touches to your parcels. Finally, with pride, you load your treasures into the car and drive home, feeling incredibly smug, knowing that you have beaten all previous records…..with Christmas all wrapped up in mid-September, knowing that you will be ready for a wonderful Christmas without all the panic. This year, turn a yearly ordeal into an exciting and memorable escape.

Saturday begins midday with the AFL Grand Final on the large screen followed at 5 pm with a fantastic country music concert with 5 bands, solo artists and duos.

Sunday - Telstra Road to Tamworth Live concert and heat 10.

Events October 2008

Saturday 25th - Gates open 9.30 am Rodeo 2 pm

Huge music program 6 pm til late.

Log onto www.harveydickson.com.au and click bookings.

Email: mail@countrygardens.com.au. Web: www.countrygardens.com.au

The main Festival is held over the first week of November each year with the Reprise taking place on the third weekend of November. The first week of November is chosen because it is the peak flowering period for many different flowers and shrubs including the earlier-flowering roses, whereas the third weekend coincides with the flowering of the later-flowering rose varieties including the old English roses.

The key elements of the Festival are to have a good selection of all types of gardens being on display for several days with many of the gardens being privately owned and not usually open to the public. Accompanying the gardens open are activities designed to appeal to garden lovers, such as wildflower walks, discussions, sundowners at interesting venues and garden-themed dinners. There is an emphasis on local produce and wines of the area.

A souvenir programme is produced some weeks before the Festival which explains how to find the gardens, a description of each one open with its opening times and maps to help locate them. A calendar of the events lists all the extra activities to make a complete garden holiday package.

Visit the website www.countrygardens.com.au for more information including the programme guide to the Festival. The programme is scheduled to be published around mid-September 2008.

Events November 2008

Email: mail@countrygardens.com.au. Web: www.countrygardens.com.au

The Festival is held through the hinterland of the South West with gardens in Bridgetown, Balingup, Greenbushes, Boyup Brook, Manjimup and Nannup.

The main Festival is held over the first week of November each year with the Reprise taking place on the third weekend of November. The first week of November is chosen because it is the peak flowering period for many different flowers and shrubs including the earlier-flowering roses, whereas the third weekend coincides with the flowering of the later-flowering rose varieties including the old English roses.

A souvenir programme is produced some weeks before the Festival which explains how to find the gardens, a description of each one open with its opening times and maps to help locate them. A calendar of the events lists all the extra activities to make a complete garden holiday package.

Visit the website www.countrygardens.com.au for more information including the programme guide to the Festival. The programme is scheduled to be published around mid-September 2008.

Events April 2009