Lost Trades Fair heads to new location
For 12 years, the Lost Trades Fair has spearheaded an appreciation for and revival of artisan crafts. It’s championed skills and the passing of inter-generational knowledge across a huge range of handmade and hand tool-driven pursuits.
First seen in Kyneton, Victoria near the home base of its founders, Lisa and Glen Rundell, the fair has been staged in other locations – Toowoomba, Queensland and most recently in Bendigo, Victoria.
The fair was a wild success right from the start and large attendance figures called for bigger venues. In 2018, 22,000 attended the Kyneton fair, while 11,000 saw 70 artisans demonstrate their skills in Toowoomba.
In 2019, the decision was made to hold one 2020 event in Victoria. Bendigo was chosen and a three year contract signed with Bendigo Racecourse. “Bendigo was a regional city with good accommodation options and food places. It is central to the state and the council were nothing but incredibly supportive, as were the team at the Bendigo Racecourse. We moved in 2020 and had a three-year agreement. We signed in for another three years and that ended this year,” explained co-founder and organiser Lisa Rundell.
“We took this opportunity to reassess all other regional locations as the last time we went through this process was 2019. We considered and visited other regional cities but it was the aspect, location and convenience from not only across the state and of course proximity to our strong metropolitan audience that Hanging Rock did tick all the requirements.”
“The fair is unique and whilst showgrounds and racecourses do provide good sites”, says Lisa, “they are built for specific purposes, so now our unique event has a very unique location, with plenty of parking, power, shade, grassed areas for picnics and of course the rock itself to explore. It is that unspoken magic and mystery of the Hanging Rock site that will elevate the event to new audiences.”
Dates for the event will be announced in late July. In 2026 attendees will once again be able to see artisans and career craftspeople who practise their trades in Australia. As well as international guest artisans, the 2026 fair will also run staged conversations with artisans that will give insights into what it takes to be a maker today. Demonstrations will range across the mediums of wood, metal, stone, clay, glass, leather and textiles.
Next year the fair will return to where it all began in the Macedon Ranges, and visitors can now also take a picnic and explore the mystery of an iconic location.
Image supplied by Macedon Ranges Shire, photo by Chloe Smith
Learn more at www.losttradesfair.com.au