Stratford: Festival, Art Trail and Avon River

Stratford in Australia combines an annual Shakespeare festival with art trails, a long cycling and walking route, and the Avon River. This offers different ideas for a stay: you can plan your trip around culture and performances, explore Stratford on a self-guided walk, or focus on activities by the river.

Shakespeare Festival and Cultural Discoveries

The annual Shakespeare on the River Festival takes place in Stratford every April and May. It lasts two weeks and features more than 20 performances. The Avon Village Faire Day is also part of the festival on the first weekend in May. If you want to discover Stratford around cultural events, this offers a specific seasonal reason to visit. The many performances give the festival a broader scope than a single evening; the Faire Day adds another highlight to the programme.

Knob Reserve, near Stratford, also offers a different perspective on the region. It is an important Indigenous site on the Bataluk Cultural Trail and also a significant meeting place for Aboriginal people above a bend in the Avon River. Visible traces include scar trees and grinding stones with deep grooves. For many centuries, axe heads were sharpened on these grinding stones. If you are interested in Indigenous history and cultural sites, this offers a special focus alongside the festival programme.

Art Trails and Active Days

The Stratford Art Trail is a self-guided, three-kilometre circular walk through Stratford. It starts at the Stratford Sister Cities Globe sculpture in front of the library. This gives the walk a clear starting point and makes it easy to plan as a standalone outing on foot. The Segue Cafe on Tyers Street is the point of contact for MP3 guides, MP3 players and a map for the Stratford Art Trail. You can follow the walk using these aids or simply take its self-guided format as your guide.

For longer distances, the 67-kilometre Gippsland Plains Rail Trail is a recreational route for cycling and walking. It connects Stratford with Traralgon; its eastern starting point is in Apex Park in Stratford. This gives you two different scales to choose from: a three-kilometre circular walk through town and a much longer route between two towns. If you enjoy cycling, you can use the trail as a cycling route; if you prefer walking, you can also explore it on foot. Its length is an important factor when planning your day.

Apex Park and the Avon River

Apex Park lies on the banks of the Avon River and is designed as an award-winning medieval-style park. Its attractions include an accessible castle adventure and a BMX track. These are different ways to enjoy the park: the castle adventure offers its own distinctive design feature, while the BMX track is a sporting option. The eastern starting point of the Rail Trail is also in Apex Park.

The Avon River in Stratford provides a scenic setting for swimming, fishing and canoeing. This means that, alongside the cultural programme and trails, activities on and by the water can also shape a stay. If you are planning a trip and your main priorities are culture, longer excursions or time by the river, Stratford offers corresponding options to help you plan and choose a holiday rental.

More location pages

More location pages: Tynong, Cranbourne South, Yan Yean, Fitzroy, Big Hill, Walmer, Rye, Welshmans Reef.

For the wider travel overview: Victoria.