Community
6 October, 2026
Thousands flock to Robertson for a Spring celebration
Long-time locals say they have never seen Robertson as busy as it was on Sunday. Thousands of people flocked to the popular Southern Highlands village for the ‘Spring into Robertson’ promotion.
Long-time locals say they have never seen Robertson as busy as it was on Sunday.
Thousands of people flocked to the popular Southern Highlands village for the ‘Spring into Robertson’ promotion.
Parking spaces were hard to come by, but event organisers, stallholders and business owners couldn’t have been happier with the turnout.
And while the October Long Weekend got off to a rain-soaked start on Saturday, Sunday’s weather couldn’t have been better.
The ‘Spring into Robertson’ promotion brought together a number of events including the Robertson Rainforest Festival and Robertson Waratah Weekend under the same banner, combined with market stalls and plant sales from one end of the village to the other.
Secretary of the Robertson Environment Protection Society (REPS), Fiona King, said she had been extremely pleased with the turnout at the inaugural Robertson Rainforest Festival, organised as a celebration of one of the region’s most valuable natural assets.
People of all ages made the most of the opportunity to learn more about the rainforest and what they can do to nurture and grow more rainforest on their own properties.
They enjoyed craft activities, live entertainment and a number of guest speakers throughout the day at the Robertson School of Arts.
Representatives were on hand from a number of other organisations, including the Southern Highlands Animal Wildlife Sanctuary to talk about some of the other work being done locally to protect the region’s flora and fauna.
The winner of the Thin Green Line poetry prize was announced on the day, with the $500 major award going to Nigel Featherstone for his work titled ‘Carrington Falls, Afternoon’.
The competition was judged by award-winning poet Peter Ramm.
The major prize in the Thin Green Line art prize – also held as part of the Robertson Rainforest Festival – was announced on Friday night at the Robertson CTC and went to Marty O’Donnell for his video entry titled ‘The Thin Green Line’.
Mr O’Donnell said he had wanted to make a short film that felt “less like an environmental campaign and more like a quiet observation”.
He said rather than focusing on what has been lost, the film was designed to get people to “slow down and notice what is already here” including the water, the insects, the birds, the moss, the trees “and all the connections between them”.
Jackelyn Morris was highly commended for mixed media titled ‘A Fragile Fate’ while Shelley Bell (oil on canvas, ‘Robertson Rainforest in the Mist’) and Virgina Boyle (pen, watercolour, gold foil on paper, ‘Safe Passage’) were both commended.
All 52 entries will remain on exhibition at the CTC until the end of October.
Around the corner from the School of Arts at the Robertson Heritage Railway Station, a steady stream of visitors flocked to see the spectacular display of waratahs in full bloom.
For those people who missed Waratah Weekend, the waratahs will still be at their best and well worth a visit through until the end of the month.
Robertson’s Big Potato was also a hive of activity with an artisan market and food stalls operating throughout the day – helping to channel people into nearby galleries and businesses.
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