"WHAT is now apparent is that this event is unique in NSW. Others have tried, but haven't been able to pull it off."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Since 2017, the Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail has been driving interest in once-common practices that over time have been replaced with new technology.
There are artisans across the Central West and beyond who have kept these trades alive, and they come together in Bathurst each year to showcase the ways of old.
The event has grown in size and popularity to now feature more than 100 stalls operated by around 200 artisans.
As co-convener Sandy Bathgate says, other locations have tried to capture the essence of the heritage trades trail, but no one has been able to do it quite like Bathurst.
"This just stands as something really different, really special. That's really encouraging," Mr Bathgate said.
"And I think it's also the format that we use, which is a community format. It's a real collaboration between the visitors centre here and all the community groups."
He said the artisans featured at the event each year are "world class".
The 2025 event will be held on the weekend of April 12 and 13 at Bathurst Showground, where people can expect to see exhibitors such as basket weavers, hatmakers, and blacksmiths.
They will be demonstrating their craft, talking about what they do, and, in some instances, giving people a go.
More than a dozen hands-on workshops have been scheduled for the weekend.
"And there's lots of activities for kids because it's school holidays," Mr Bathgate said.
"There's a couple of storytimes. One is the story of gold, which is a fun thing for the kids. And they can build a dry stone wall."
The trades trail will also offer experiences such as coach rides and, for the first time, the back-to-back challenge.
"It's a worldwide phenomenon where we take a sheep, shear it with hand shears, give it to the spinning ladies, they spin the fleece into yarn, they pass the yarn onto the knitters, and the knitters knit a woollen jumper," Mr Bathgate said.
"The team that can do that the quickest is the winner."
Exhibitors love sharing their craft
Among the exhibitors attending the trades trail will be John Kitchen and David Morris.
Mr Kitchen has become well-known at Bathurst events for riding around on a penny-farthing bicycle.
Not only does he know how to ride them, which itself is a challenge, but he can also make and restore them.
Mr Kitchen's love for bikes started at a young age, getting a bike when he was around eight years old.
Due to health issues, doctors didn't expect him to make it to his teens, and they strongly recommended against him riding a bicycle.
After seeking their advice, his mother got him one anyway, deciding that if he was going to live a short life, it should be as enjoyable as possible.
Mr Kitchen, now 68, maintains bike riding improved his health.
His love affair with bikes continued, seeing him consistently win awards for his craftmanship.
Now, he is the last practising master bicycle frame builder in NSW and possibly in Australia.
Mr Kitchen won't have a stall at the trades trail, but you can expect to see him riding around the precinct on his penny-farthing.
Mr Morris, a saddlemaker, will be manning a stall and demonstrating his craft.
He started making saddles as a teenager in the 1970s.
It was becoming a dying art at the time, but there has been a resurgence.
"There is a lot more saddles now than there were when I started," Mr Morris said.
"Through the 60s and 70s it was really dying, and then there's been a big resurgence in it now that a lot more people are involved in horses and in sports."
At the trades trail, he'll be able to share the history of saddlemaking in Bathurst and will give people a go at hand stitching.
"There's quite a bit of hand stitching involved in saddlery," Mr Morris said.
Event details
The Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail will run from 10am to 4pm on both days of the weekend.
Tickets cost $25, with free entry offered for children under 16 years.
The ticket price also includes access to the shuttle bus, which will take people to heritage sites around Bathurst.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.bathurstregion.com.au/bathurst-heritage-trades-trail or at the visitor information centre on the day.
