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| The Djerriwarrh
Festival is the Shire of Melton’s biggest community festival, with over 4
days of events and activities jam-packed with fun for the whole family.
Highlights of the Djerriwarrh Festival include a spectacular street
parade, CFA torchlight procession, Carnival, sandcastle competition, a
rousing bush dance, billycart competition, trolley races and fireworks
spectacular. Over 30 years ago, a community festival was held as a part of CFA Fire Awareness Week, with the local CFA holding a street parade of water displays etc. At this time the Lions Club of Melton held an annual Carnival, which was always staged in October. It was when these two community groups came together and combined their community festivals that the Djerriwarrh Festival was created over 24 years ago. The festival still retains the elements of the two original community festivals, with the Street Parade and the Lions Carnival being two of the highlights of the Djerriwarrh Festival. The word ‘Djerriwarrh’ means ‘witchetty grub’ or ‘witchetty grub bearing tree’ in the local indigenous language of the Kulin Nation. Djerriwarrh was chosen as the name for the festival because of the significance that the term ‘Djerriwarrh’ has in the local community. The location of Melton close to the Djerriwarrh Creek along with the naming of important local community services such as the Djerriwarrh Hospital and the Djerriwarrh Education Services, Djerriwarrh Festival was chosen due to it’s significance to the local community. The mascot for the Djerriwarrh Festival is Jerri, the blue and yellow witchetty grub, as featured on the Festival’s logo, who comes out of his cocoon each year to celebrate the Djerriwarrh Festival with all the children of the Shire of Melton. | ||
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Melton Visitor Information
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