Celebrating the Heritage That Shaped Hepburn
Four days of Swiss Italian food, wine, music, culture and community in the heart of Hepburn Springs.
A Living Heritage
The Swiss Italian Festa celebrates the Italian-speaking Swiss migrants who helped shape Hepburn Springs and the surrounding region.
Their influence can still be found in our families, food, wine, architecture and traditions. Each year, the Festa brings that remarkable story to life — celebrating where we've come from and sharing it with a new generation.
Four Days. One Remarkable Story.
THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER
Heritage Dinner
Swiss Mountain Hotel
An evening celebrating the people, stories and flavors behind Hepburn's Swiss Italian heritage.
FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER
Official Festa Launch
Mineral Springs Hotel (Official Launch)
Hepburn Palais (Belle Ciao Band)
Raise a glass as we officially open the 2026 Swiss Italian Festa.
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER
The Main Festa
Mineral Springs Reserve
Food • Wine • Music • Culture • Family • Entertainment
SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER
Festa Around Hepburn
Explore Hepburn Springs as local businesses, venues and producers host their own Festa experiences throughout the village.
More Than Just One Weekend
In the lead-up to the Swiss Italian Festa this October, a series of local events will bring our heritage, culture and community together.
From food and tradition to history and celebration, each event will help share the story of our Swiss Italian heritage with a new generation, while raising important funds to support the 2026 Festa.
Join us along the way as we build towards four unforgettable days in the Hepburn Shire.
TASTE THE HERITAGE
Food has always been at the heart of Swiss Italian life in Hepburn.
Discover traditional Bull Boar sausages, local cheeses, regional wines, handmade pasta and recipes passed down through generations — alongside some of the best food and drink the region has to offer.
EAT • DRINK • DISCOVER • CELEBRATE
Their Journey Became Our Story
In the early 1850s, life was difficult for many families in the alpine regions of Ticino in southern Switzerland and Lombardy in northern Italy. Poor crops, limited land, unemployment and political unrest made earning a living increasingly difficult. For some, the discovery of gold on the other side of the world offered the possibility of a new beginning.
Italian-speaking Swiss and Italians began making the extraordinary journey to Victoria. Some travelled from their mountain villages to Genoa or Hamburg, while others travelled as far as Liverpool before boarding ships bound for Australia. For the earliest settlers, the voyage under sail could take three to four months.
Their destination was the Victorian goldfields.
Among the earliest arrivals were Joseph Barberis, Giovanni Giovannini and Giovanni Palla, who were searching for gold by 1851. Others soon followed, encouraged by stories of opportunity and, in some cases, assisted by loans from communities and churches back home.
Many Italian-speaking miners made their way to the Jim Crow goldfields around present-day Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. The Gold Commissioner’s Camp was established at Spring Creek — now Hepburn Springs — and a distinctive Swiss Italian community began to take root.
Some found gold and returned home. Others stayed, acquired land, established businesses and brought family and friends to join them.
By 1855, Italian speakers represented around ten per cent of the population in and around Hepburn Springs.
Within just 15 years of the discovery of gold, their presence could be seen throughout the district — in businesses, farms and civic life, and in landmarks such as Lucini's Macaroni Factory and Crippa's Parma House.
They arrived seeking opportunity.
What they created became part of the identity of Hepburn Springs.
More than 170 years later, the Swiss Italian Festa celebrates their journey, their culture and the extraordinary legacy they left behind.
KEEPING OUR HERITAGE ALIVE
The Festa isn't only about remembering the past. It's about passing our traditions, stories and culture to the next generation.
LOCAL PERFORMING SCHOOL S 2026
DAYLESFORD PRIMARY SCHOOL | HEPBURN PRIMARY SCHOOL | ST MICHAELS PRIMARY SCHOOL | NEWLYN PRIMARY SCHOOL | DAYLESFORD COLLEGE
MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT
Come for the Festa. Stay for Hepburn Springs.
HEPBURN SHIRE OFFERING:
Come for the Festa and stay to experience everything Hepburn Springs and the surrounding region has to offer.
Relax in the famous mineral springs, discover local restaurants, cafés, wineries and producers, wander through boutique shops and galleries, or explore the beautiful walking trails and countryside surrounding Hepburn Springs and Daylesford.
With accommodation ranging from charming cottages and guesthouses to luxury retreats, make a weekend of it and experience the Festa alongside one of Victoria’s most distinctive regional destinations.
BE PART OF THE FESTA
SPONSOR THE FESTA
Help us grow one of Hepburn's most distinctive cultural celebrations.
Become a Sponsor →
BECOME A STALLHOLDER
Help us grow one of Hepburn's most distinctive cultural celebrations.
Become a Stall Holder →
DONATE TO THE FESTA (AMICI)
Help preserve our Swiss Italian heritage and ensure the traditions, stories and celebrations of the Festa continue for generations to come.
Become an Amici →
VOLUNTEER
Join the community behind the celebration.
Become a Volunteer →