Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival November 9 2011

In collaboration with community group Project Queenstown Inc. and the Queenstown community, Poco People are excited to be coordinating the 2012 Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival!

The previous festival was held in May 2010, and was the community’s first attempt at creating a large-scale regional festival. Over 30 cultural activities were crammed into a single, lively weekend – and the results were amazing. Visitors both old and new flocked to Queenstown, every event was packed to the rafters, and people gained a fresh insight into one of the country’s most illustrious mining towns.

Poster for the 2010 festival.

The opening of ‘Psycho Geographers & Geoparks – Six Queenstown Painters’ at LARQ during the festival.

Photographs of the 1929 Chevrolet that was specially modified in Queenstown for use by the Queenstown Fire Brigade – vehicle on display during the festival.

An engine on the West Coast Wilderness Railway in motion during the festival. The train journey is one of the most renowned tourist experiences for the region.

Passengers on the West Coast Wilderness Railway enjoying a subsidised train journey to Rinadeena Station and return during the festival.

One of the hard-to-book helicopter rides during the festival.

Patrons enjoying the festival Gala Ball.

Local auctioneer Phil Evans raising funds during the festival Gala Ball.

Three attractive Queenstowners using Partybooth at the Gala Ball.

Adelante String Quartet entertaining patrons at the Gala Ball.

 

Raymond Arnold Short Film, one of four shot for the festival by filmmaker Simon De Little, funded by Festivals Australia.

The next Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival will be held from 12-14 October 2012, and will commemorate 100-years since the North Mt Lyell Mine Disaster – lamentably Australia’s worst underground mining tragedy, with over 40 people losing their lives. This emotionally powerful anniversary will underpin the festival, yet importantly we’ll also be celebrating Queenstown’s present and future with an intensely creative arts and heritage program.

Project Queenstown Inc., the festival steering committee, and Poco People have lofty ambitions of making this event the preeminent cultural festival for regional Tasmania… Stay tuned for some exciting announcements!

Images courtesy Ben Britten and Glenn Mead.