Alpaca industry comes to town

BENDIGO will become the country’s alpaca capital when it hosts the Australian Alpaca Association National Show over three days later this month.

More than 300 entries will contest the event’s halter section and 200 the fleece competition, with 100 received for the craft show.

An art and photography show will feature works of, and about, alpacas.

Show convenor Jonathon Provis-Vincent said the association tried to share the show among venues around Australia, but Bendigo was regarded as the “pinnacle location.”

“It’s an event that caters to all different facets of the alpaca industry,” Mr Provis-Vincent said. “It’s a national spectacle to show off the best of the best in each category that we have on offer.”

Mr Provis-Vincent said he believed entries for the craft show were the highest ever, making it the biggest and the best since the national showcase began in the early 1990s.

“It really is a national spectacle,” he said, adding that entries in the various sections had come from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

Barbara Hetherington, from the UK, will judge the halter section with experienced association judge Natasha Clark, while Jillian Elwes will judge the fleece competition.

Craft demonstrations using alpaca fibres, including spinning and weaving, are scheduled, and many of the alpacas themselves will be on display.

Mr Provis-Vincent said a popular part of the show for public viewing was a youth section which was designed to enhance the relationship between young handlers and the animals.

The show will run from 16 to 18 August at the showgrounds and admission will be free, with activities scheduled from 9am to 3pm each day. Coffee and food will be available.