The Goulburn Fishing Festival returns to Eildon’s Lions Park this September offering up a full schedule of all things angling. Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos said the ever-popular annual event was held on the first Saturday every September to mark the opening day of trout fishing season in Victoria’s rivers, creeks and streams such as the nearby Goulburn River. Running from 9am to 2pm on Saturday 6 September, the free Goulburn Fishing Festival is hosted by the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) and will include a range of family-friendly activities, free kids’ fishing clinics, cooking demonstrations, a casting competition and a nighttime fireworks display, all in the heart of the Eildon township. “Eildon itself is the gateway to Lake Eildon, renowned as one of Australia’s premier freshwater fishing destinations, as well as the Goulburn so it’s the perfect place to get into the spirit by wetting a line in the great outdoors,” said Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling. The festival is based at the Eildon Pondage, which boasts great shoreline access and is regularly stocked with brown and rainbow trout – many of which weigh several kilograms making for a memorable catch for anglers of all ages. Free learn-to-fish clinics for kids will include expert guidance from Fishcare Victoria to teach youngsters casting, rigs, baits and what to do if they catch a fish. Kids who participate in a clinic will also receive a free fishing rod to take home with a tackle box, and links to online instructional videos through the VFA’s Little Anglers Hub. Spots in the clinics always go fast so parents are encouraged to get in quickly and register. Families can help expert staff from the nearby Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery stock trout into the pondage and there will be market stalls, face painting, educational activities, fly casting lessons and an aquaculture stall with free tastings of locally-grown trout. The event will also see 1500 huge ‘stonker’ brown trout stocked into the Goulburn River below the pondage, providing great fishing at riverside reserves nearby that are easily accessible. The Goulburn Fishing Festival will be held at Lions Park on Riverside Drive in Eildon and families are encouraged to keep fishing and exploring the local area before enjoying the fireworks display at 7pm. For details about the Eildon event, including registration for clinics, visit vfa.vic.gov.au/goulburnfishfest.
