Big Skies: The East Loddon Tour

The venues are special in these East Loddon towns, so we’ve pulled out all stops to create exhibitions worthy of them.

50ks north of Bendigo, Dingee has a distinctive Memorial Hall, clad in corrugated iron. For Arts Trail, the Dingee Hall hosts WoodWorks, the first show of its kind in Loddon shire, featuring not only the work of the “woodies” (the men and women of the brilliant Bendigo Woodturners), but also fine furniture makers, a toolmaker, an Indigenous carver, plus artists who work with everything from chainsaws to the finest chisels.

25ks further north brings you to Calivil, where the Memorial Hall, set in a park and alongside the footy oval, is so carefully cared for it just shouts welcome. Inside, the show is full of fabulous things: Beasts Birds Beyond features painters and ceramicists, prints by First Dog on the Moon cartoonist and artist Jon Kudelka, illustrations by School for Monsters artist Chris Kennett, plus full-flown imaginative works from ceramics to paintings that will surprise and delight.

25 ks looping back towards Bendigo brings you to Serpentine, where, just a few ks out of town, you’ll find the spectacular, unique, Vahland-designed East Loddon Woolshed, which will open up for tours on Arts Trail weekend, and host a show called A Shed with Attitude. Strong, elegant, striking sculpture sits in and around the Woolshed, plus inside, bold paintings of vernacular Australian buildings, extraordinary drawings, photographs, prinnts and landscapes, all about powerful emotions inspired by grand environments.