Highlands Bushfest

07/09/2026

Made for getting out and about in the Central Highlands. We’re thrilled to welcome Tassie 4x4 as a partner of Highlands BushFest 2026, and even better, they’ll be joining us on site. They’re Tasmanian owned, they know 4WDs and, most importantly, they understand what all that gear is actually for.

Getting out there. Because 4WD is about where it can take you. Learn what your vehicle can do. Get the right advice. Build your confidence. Then get out and explore. Come and meet the Tassie 4x4 team at BushFest, check out their very cool setup and talk all things 4WD, touring and your next adventure. Try it at BushFest. Do it in the Central Highlands.

07/09/2026

You’ve probably been hearing about BushFest... but what exactly is it? BushFest started in Bothwell in 2014 to showcase the Central Highlands as a great place to visit, explore, recreate and call home.

Today, thousands join us for a hands-on weekend in Bothwell of Tasmania Outdoors. Try fly casting, mountain biking and archery. Discover 4WD and bush skills, wild food, working dogs, trial bikes, the Tasmanian Trail and our incredible dark skies. Bushfest is also home of Tassies Tasmanian Salami Prize and the newly minted Tasmanian Jerky Prize.

Some of the people and organisations behind BushFest have been with us from the beginning, and it keeps evolving every year.

One thing hasn’t changed. Central Highlands Council is committed to keeping it accessible, with entry still just a gold coin donation or our new digital tap system.

Try it at BushFest. Do it in the Central Highlands.

02/09/2026

Another new initiative for this years BushFest - professional tool sharpening with Best Edge Mobile Sharpening.

Bring along anything that could do with a professional sharpen, safely wrapped, and leave it with John when you arrive.

You’ll receive a numbered ticket, John gets to work while you enjoy BushFest, and you collect it professionally sharpened on your way home.

31/08/2026

BIG news. Big, huge! Highlands BushFest is heading across the Strait. We’re over the moon to welcome Spirit of Tasmania as a partner of Highlands BushFest 2026, helping us take BushFest to a bigger interstate audience and bring more visitors to Tasmania this November. And this partnership is about much more than getting here.

Bring the car. Bring the camper. Bring the caravan. Bring the gear to BushFest in Bothwell, then get out and experience the Central Highlands for yourself.

Exclusive BushFest fares are available on selected Spirit of Tasmania sailings, giving our mainland visitors another very good reason to turn BushFest weekend into a Tasmanian road trip. Follow the link below to check out the BushFest fares and start planning your trip. 🔗www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/offers/highlands-bushfest-2026/

Try it at BushFest. Do it in the Central Highlands, Tasmania

31/08/2026

The latest BushFest update has landed! With less than three months to go, there’s plenty happening behind the scenes and our latest email update has just gone out.

If you’re already on the BushFest mailing list, check your inbox – and maybe have a quick look in your spam or junk folder if you can’t spot us. Not subscribed yet? Now’s a good time to fix that. And if you know someone who should be getting their BushFest fix too, send them our way.

We’ll be sharing more of what’s coming to Bothwell over the next few months, including a few things we’re not quite ready to let out of the bag just yet. BushFest is Tasmania Outdoors.

Join us back in Bothwell - 21 & 22 November 2026

27/08/2026

If you need a little taste of fishing before BushFest in November, this should do it.

Trout Weekend is back at Liawenee on 10–11 October, right in the middle of one of the most exciting times on our highland waters – the rainbow trout spawning run.

Think of it as your BushFest warm-up. Head along, learn a thing or two, and by the time you get to BushFest in November you can casually pretend you’ve known it all for years.

A little knowledge. A few bragging rights. We won’t tell your mates where you got them. Then bring it all to Tasmania Outdoors at BushFest, 21–22 November. May the trout be biting. See you in the Highlands.

Trout Weekend is back in 2026!  Save the Date!  📍 Liawenee 📅 Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2026 This year’s event moves to October to coincide with one of the most exciting times on the highland waters, the rainbow trout spawning run. Visitors will have the oppo...

27/08/2026

This is exactly the kind of Tasmania we love. Pack up the caravan, get off the main road and see where it takes you. This taste of On The Move taking on Tasmania captures so much of what we mean when we say BushFest is Tasmania Outdoors.

And if it has you thinking about your own Tassie adventure, you’ll be able to step inside one of the awesome rigs at BushFest this November, with Off-Grid Caravans Tasmania joining us for the weekend.

For those thinking of bringing the van across Bass Strait for BushFest… we might just have something rather good coming your way too. We’ve been working with Spirit of Tasmania on something especially for BushFest attendees.

More on that very shortly. Watch this space. Now sit back and watch the adventure!

We packed up and headed south for an unforgettable Tassie adventure...

19/08/2026

THE SCAMMERS ARE BACK. WE DIDN’T INVITE THEM.
Fake BushFest emails are circulating again. They are NOT associated with BushFest or Council. Official emails only come from .tas.gov.au. Not sure? Check with us first.

14/08/2026

Did someone say JERKY? Yep. We’re doing it. The inaugural Tasmanian Jerky Prize is coming to Highlands Bushfest this November. It joins the Tasmanian Salami Prize as we continue to grow this side of Bushfest celebrating the skills, recipes and knowledge behind curing, drying, preserving and making the most of what we harvest.

And we’re not just talking beef or venison. Wallaby, game, & fish too, if it can be turned into great jerky, we want to see what Tasmanians can do with it.

For us, that’s an important part of the story. Using more of what we harvest, wasting less and keeping traditional food preservation skills alive fits perfectly with what Bushfest is about.

We’re locking in the details now, including categories, judging, prizes and entries, so if you make a mean jerky or reckon your biltong deserves some recognition, now might be the time to start perfecting that recipe. And if you just like eating the stuff, we haven't forgotten you either.

Head over and follow the Tasmanian Jerky Prize socials that's where all the competition details and entry information will be released.