Queens Birthday Long Weekend

It comes as a surprise to many that the Queen of England is also the Queen of Australia.
For a lot of Australians, however, the only benefit of this relationship is a long weekend to celebrate her birthday.
All but one of the states do this on the first weekend in June although her actual birthday is on 21st April. She was 88 this year.
It is a busy time in our local area.
There is a considerable tourist influx, mainly from Canberra and Sydney, for the three days.
There is plenty for them to do.
One of the main activities was the Winter Wine Festival, the 11th, which covers the whole Shoalhaven Coast Wine Region and includes the three wineries in our area: Cupitts, Fern Gully and Bawley Vale.

There was wine and cheese tasting, winery tours, live entertainment and gourmet dinners over three days.
Last year an estimated seven thousand people attended. This year they are hoping for ten thousand.
The Scarecrow Festival is an annual event of the weekend (for the 20th time this year) with more than 100 scarecrows popping up all around the towns of Ulladulla and Milton.
This year's theme is Seaside Scarecrows.

A festival highlight included the inaugural Billy Cart Derby held over a 140 metre downhill course.
Other attractions were a climbing wall, mechanical surfboard, petting zoo, golf and football games, cow pat guessing competition and dance demonstrations.
Lots of live music, a variety of market stalls and an evening outdoor screening of the "Wizard of Oz" rounded off a great Saturday
The Fabulous Threads Quilt Show is a biennial event showcasing the talents of the local quilters with, this year, 85 quilts and wall hangings including seven from the co driver. There is no judging, just a viewers choice on each day.

It was well attended at the time we went and there was some amazing work on show. There was a guessing competition. How many hexagons in a particular quilt....11,700 tiny pieces.
Plenty of vendors too with plenty of chairs for the inevitable group of waiting partners.
The co driver won the quilt raffle. Just what she needs: another quilt.
Despite some dire predictions from BoM about the weather it was bright and sunny most of the weekend before some persistent heavy rain showers moved in on Monday morning.
With them the cooler temperatures have now arrived.
The lengthy Indian summer looks to be over.