The 2019 Canberra and Region Heritage Festival is due to kick off on 13 April but the count-down to the popular annual event has already begun.
More than 200 events will be on offer over four weeks, including fashion markets, design and photography exhibitions, bush tucker talks, guided walks, vintage balls and rare access to some of Canberra’s most historic and interesting buildings.
Launching the festival, Minister for Environment and Heritage, Mick Gentleman said this year’s theme, SPACE, captured more than just the cosmos.
“Walter Burley Griffin once said ‘architecture is a space art’ and I agree,” Mr Gentleman said.
“In July this year, the world will celebrate 50 years since man walked on the moon. Those famous pictures were beamed across the world from Canberra’s own Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station.”
He said heritage was not just about buildings and iconic places, it was about people and the stories they told.
“Many Canberrans can recollect the exact moment, where they were and what they were doing, during the first moon landing,” Mr Gentleman said.
He said during the festival visitors could take in the stories of those who remembered the historic day, and learn about Canberra’s important involvement in the Apollo 11 mission.
“They can see the spacesuits, rocket engines and an actual piece of the moon as well as the ‘real dish’ that allowed the world to join in on Neil Armstrong’s one small step,” Mr Gentleman said.
“The festival is also a time to acknowledge and celebrate our Aboriginal heritage. Our Traditional Custodians are sharing their knowledge about country, sites of significance, bush foods and more.”
He said the festival’s promotional artworks were commissioned by artist, Trevor Dickinson who was invited to apply the space theme to Canberra icons.
“You’ll see a bus stop on the moon, the Shine Dome on Mars and Telstra Tower blasting off into space,” the Minister said.
The 2019 Canberra and Region Heritage Festival runs from 13 April to 5 May.
More information about the Festival can be accessed on the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate website at this PS News link.
