Events

Always a top show, in picturesque Longford. Great showgrounds. This years featured breeds are the Phoenix and Yokohama - the latter in photo - both known for the roosters stunning long tails, and regarded as ornamental breeds. Hens also delightful, with a superb tail. Eggs on show too. Helmsman Auction is an opportunity to buy one of these beutiful breeds offered. Gteat opportunity to exhibit or simply go along and enjoy. Plenty of beautiful breeds including waterfowl. Schedule not out yet, will update, or watch their their website for it.

Yes, it's arrived - the biggest sheep show in the whole world! Bendigo's annual Sheep & Wool show is a pilgrimage for many. Everyone will be there, and several sheep breeds. Fleece competitions, knitting, crochet, dying, weaving, fashions, insulation, sheep dogs, lamb recipes, you name it. A coverted ribbon if your beloved sheep wins one, as this is the highest level of competition, with the best judges. All states are represented, great trophies and cash prizes.  Sheep and wool handling demonstrations. Sheep dog trials. Breed classes are primarily for the Merino and Corridale but there is the ubiiqutious Any Other British Breed category for everything else. Loads of gorgeous hand made woollen goods for sale from spun and dyed wool to clothing. Cooking with experts, using lamb, and butchery demonstrations.  Shearing demonstrations with both blades and machines, and shearing competitions. Fashion parades and clothing for sale. Craft items for sale, from spinning wheels and wool combs to crochet hooks. Featured breed this year is rare breed the English Leicester - very rare, but what a truly super old breed, with the most lustrous, curly locks, get along and support the few breeders left.  Tickets and information on their website.

Tremendous show with plentiful cattle classes - rare cattle breeds that'll be there include the truly beautiful Boran, and Australian Heritage Angus. The Rare Breeds Trust are sponsoring a Rare Breeds Supreme Exhibit - sash and cash - entries will be in a fourth ring at the show - what a wonderful sight!  Both dairy and beef cattle classes, and Young Parader. No horses or campdraft planned for this year - if anything changes will update here. Goats, stud sheep - yes some great rare breeds too! - and poultry including waterfowl; always a fabulous variety of top quality birds. Schedules on the website... being updated. Loads of other show events, displays, competitions, sideshows, refreshments galore. Great country show to enjoy the beautiful livestock on show.  

Wonderful to see rare breeds featured this year, as well as the popular varieties of poultry. Egg classes too. Junior handler classes - heartening lot of children showing their birds, they are the future of the breeds. Classes for backyard breeders too, so non-purebreds may be showed, often very useful birds. Lots of quality birds, classes for turkeys and waterfowl too. Judge is Michael Jones from Victoria. Venue is the beautifully airy - yet covered - showing area at Lakeview House, Fred's Pass. The Club, which is on Facebook and where cover photo is from, also holds information days there such as "Keeping Poultry In The Tropics." Lovely opportunity to show, view and meet others with a common love of poultry. Website for details and Schedule.

Webinar - live online, Victoria's Chief Veterinary Officer will give vital information about bird flu - H5N1 avian influenza. Which birds and animals may be impacted - yes mammals and marsupials as well as wild and domestic birds are vulnerable. Current situation, and biosecurity measures farmers can put in place. Victoria's current situation will be discussed. Our precious rare poultry breeds need us to keep them safe.  Register to attend by Zoom here,.. attend the meeting from the comfort of home. Thus far wild birds in Western Australia and one in South Australia have been found with this virus. Knowing the bioosecurity measures to help to keep yourself and your livestock safe is critical. Preparation and knowledge is everything in times of dangerous viruses.

The Rare Breeds Trust of Australia (RBTA) is holding its sixth Annual Online Charity Auction during International Heritage Breeds Week to raise funds for a Future Farms Fund Genebank, from May 15 – 21 2026  AuctionsPlus website - the fabulous list of goods and services is now available for browsing with bidding opening on May 15. The auction is being generously hosted by AuctionsPlus. This will be the sixth year we have raised funds through AuctionsPlus for our gene bank. Now, more than ever, a gene bank is vital to Australian agriculture.  Other than private semen collections there is no gene bank in Australia for domestic livestock.  In 2021 there was a government roundtable discussion where it was unanimously agreed that one was needed, however, since then nothing has happened so the RBTA has established one. Since starting our Genebank in 2020 thanks to the generosity of our auction sponsors, private donors and several Semen Storage facilities we have semen from horses, cattle and sheep stored at 6 facilities Australia-wide. The RBTA is run entirely by volunteers. We receive NO government funding. The majority of our income is from memberships. Included in our membership is our quarterly publication, Paddocks and Perches. Find out more about membership on our Join Us page. We thank all the generous sponsors of this year’s auction and acknowldege them on our Facebook page which has over 10,000 followers. If you would like more information on the Trust or the auction, please do not hesitate to contact Judy at the Trust at any time : rarebreedstrustau@gmail.com