Mountain Writers’ Festival is bringing some of the greatest storytelling talent around to town to engage with school students.

Hear original reflections and performances from a lineup of exceptional festival guests including Bob Brown, Debra Dank, Omar Musa, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Andy Jackson and a special musical performance from cellist Mariel Roberts Musa, and enjoy a glass of local wine with our popup bar. Hosted by Jacinta Parsons.

In Conversation: Fierceland

The story of a family haunted by the ghosts of colonialism, the ghosts of family, the ghosts of language, and the ghosts of the forest itself. Winner of the 2026 Miles Franklin Award, Fierceland is a trailblazing journey across the globe that weaves the past and the present into a powerful family saga that plays out at a mythical scale.

Poetry is having somewhat of a renaissance. Could this be to do with the medium’s ability to hold complexity, to compress time and space and distil meaning? Hear from a lineup of exceptional contemporary poets about the kind of poetics we need for these times.

With Andy Jackson, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Ender Başkan, Evelyn Araluen, PiO hosted by Lucy Van

Catastrophic wildfires have overwhelmed countries around the world from Australia, Canada and the United States to Greece and Brazil. Despite our growing climate crisis, changes to Western environmental approaches have been scant and many land management practices continue to destroy the land. It's time for a 'new' way of thinking. The solutions lie in the cultures of First Peoples, if only we're willing to listen.

With Victor Steffensen

Panel: The Story of Souls

History is happening right now - it’s alive and all around us, and it rarely fits into a linear narrative. Hear from two writers who rewrote what a memoir can be, weaving together stories of people, place and finding home in their remarkable, award-winning works of narrative non-fiction.

The price of genius is one hell of a hangover.

Wayne Marshall reimagines Henry Lawson’s 1892 trip to Bourke as a surrealist action movie where Lawson must outrun his own myth and a gunslinger known as The Rider, aka Banjo - a poet significantly better at being a legend than Henry is.

The Village Square is a show that combines live music performance and storytelling. Set in an imagined town some years ago (as all good fairy tales are), The Village Square presents narratives of love and loss, misfortune and mirth, the graceful and grotesque.

For half a century, Bob Brown has been standing up to the powerful interests who would put profit before planet. In his newest book, Defiance, he draws on this experience to inspire a new generation of individual and collective action.

Bob Brown in conversation with Sophie Cunningham

Stuck in a narrative loop? Join award-winning filmmaker Sam Voutas to explore how unconventional story structures can energize your writing.

From graphic novels to picture books, telling a story through words and visual art is quite an adventure. If you’ve ever been curious about the process of pulling together your own graphic narrative, come along to hear from Trace Balla,‍ ‍Simon Howe and Jasper Peach‍ with host ‍Jaclyn Crupi, followed my some acitivities. Suitable for all ages (including grown ups!)

A workshop with plant advocate Jac Semmler that will change the way you think about garden design. Jac’s philosophy for garden design is geared towards year-round wonder: a garden with layers of heroic and supportive plants and flowers; with textures and patterns; with resilience and delight - no matter the season or climate.