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Exhibits Activities

If you are interested in any aspect of our Dutch culture then come along to the Holland Festival and see the many displays and activities on offer.  See Dutch arts and crafts, paintings, delft blue ceramics, hindelopen art, and even the Dutch clog makers at work. 

The Dutch Australian Heritage Centre has wonderful exhibition at the Festival and displays items from the culture and traditions that Dutch migrants brought with them to Australia. 

At the Holland Festival you could see four generations of one family together enjoying the fun.

Traditional Dutch games and equipment have been reproduced and games such as Sjoelen and Klaverjassen are played during the Festival.

Please visit this page on a regular basis as we are preparing our activities for the next festival.

Dutch national costumes

Also on display are Dutch national costumes, from 11 provinces. In the Netherlands,
traditional costumes were different, not only from province to province but different according to the regions,
towns and villages. Most notably the hats the women used to wear.

Genealogical

If you want to learn more about your family history, or how to find out about your family tree,
you’ll be able to do so as well. The Genealogical Society of Victoria Inc will be at the next Holland Festival together with the International Settlers Group (ISG), a service group of the society.
It’s a great opportunity to get some expert assistance with building your family tree and learn how to collate and compile genealogical research information using records available within the International Settlers Group. A team of ISG volunteers will be available to help you with your research in Australia and overseas. You'll never know what you might find out about your family history!

Antique Dutch Woodworking and Clog making tools display

This area has a display of Dutch Antique Woodworking and Clog making tools as well as old pedal operated woodworking machinery dated back to 1876.

One is a Scroll Saw and the other a small woode lathe. Both are used to produce Wooden Tulips

These tulips are for sale. Proceeds are for the Holland Festival.

Clogs

Mention wooden clogs and most people immediately think of “Dutch” as these forms of footwear have changed little over centuries. Clogs are ideal for walking and working in wet and cold environments as they offer excellent protection against both moisture and cold and in the not too distant past these were worn by most many people, especially in rural areas.
However, times have changed and nowadays the rubber boot and strong leather boots have made the use of clogs redundant. What was once a thriving and specialised industry in clog making is now a quaint cottage industry.

In the Netherlands you can still see clogs made but this is now mostly mechanised and the production process does not show the craftsmanship that was once abundant.

However, at the Holland Festival visitors can see clogs being made in the traditional way, by hand with a few specialised tools. The clog maker at the Holland Festival is Chris Nolte who hails originally from Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. He came to Australia in 1982 and as he always had a strong interest in woodwork, he tinkered with making his own clogs. This interest led him eventually to go to Holland to learn the clog making craft from experts and he has brought this special knowledge back to Australia.
Chris is now mostly retired but still enjoys bringing his skills to the Holland Festival so that he can demonstrate his unique trade.

Quartz

Amber, Malachite, Amethyst, Opal and Sapphire. Ever wondered where these gemstones come from? Most look like a rock when found, but once they are polished, many gemstones will have the most amazing colours, often made into jewellery. Many people of all ages and from all walks of life discover in lapidary an ideal life-long hobby/craft/obsession. Lapidary is the art of cutting and polishing precious stones and gemstones. At the Holland Festival in 2013, members of the Dandenong Lapidary Club will be on hand to show you not only the gemstones, but how they are cut and polished. Many precious and semi precious gemstones will be on display

Now there’s the big Clog!

Come to the Holland Festival and see one of the biggest Clogs ever made, and the only one of its size in Australia. Bring family and friends for a unique photo opportunity – sit in it, stand around it – it’s huge!!!

Well known Klompenmaker (clog maker) Chris Nolte will be in attendance with a fantastic display of how wooden clogs were made in the early days. He will give a detailed history of how wooden clogs evolved and their long history with the Dutch culture and way of life.

At this year’s Holland Festival there will also be two groups, performing Dutch traditional dances in full costume and on wooden clogs. Come to the Festival and see a wonderful display of this unique part of our Dutch history and culture

Chess

Play chess or checkers