October 18th, 2026What’s new at the Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa
The La Dolce Vita Crawl is happening at Main Road, Hepburn Springs on Sunday, October 25 from noon to 5pm.
Main Road on Sunday afternoon is an excellent setting for an Italian street party to conclude the Festa.
Given the region’s rich heritage – as part of the Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa – a street event here fits right into the town’s culture.
Whether it is a Long Table Lunch at Lotte featuring a special themed lunch or an afternoon under the umbrellas at the Mineral Springs Hotel, or lunch at Cello, it won’t be difficult to find a diversion.
The Hepburn Springs Motor Inn is hosting a local market and the judging of the Pasta Sauce Competition sponsored by Tonna’s Fruit & Vegetable with $200 in prizes.
The Palais has a free concert starring Joe Ruberto and Rick Correnza starting at 2pm. Then at 116 Main Road, there is a photography exhibition, Italian Pioneers in Victoria: 1850-1900, compiledby Andree Gersbeck.
The series of black and white photographs is the result of a project undertaken with author Charles D’Aprano for his book From Goldrush to Federation; Italian Pioneers in Victoria 1850-1900.
Liberated from the archives, lovingly reprinted and presented, these time capsules from 1995 record sites and structures pivotal to the migrants who built them over 100 years prior.
A testimony to hard work and the belief that a better future was possible, here, in a time when the nation didn’t even exist. Yet they believed it would be good, and stayed. And then helped make it so.
“My hope is that these photographs will help remind us again of their contribution,” Andree Gersbeck said. Come and enjoy the village for the afternoon.
The Swiss Italian Festa celebrates the Italian-speaking Swiss migrants who helped shape Hepburn Springs and the surrounding region. Their influence can still be found in the families, food, wine, architecture and traditions. Each year, the Festa brings that remarkable story to life – celebrating where we’ve come from and sharing it with a new generation. Words: Jenny Beacham
