DONNYBROOK OVER EASTER
By Carolyn Austin
When I was a wee lass growing up in Melbourne, the most fun I could remember being associated with apples was having one on a stick with toffee around it. My mother was not very keen to have us indulging too often on toffee-apples, though presumably the apple was meant to cleanse the sugar coating off the teeth. I recall the apple tasting too sour after the toffee was all sucked off, and the fruit was discarded discreetly in the closest bin.
English friends reminisced about Cox’s orange pippin for eating and the Bramley for cooking. We had Jonathans and Snow apples, Lady William and Golden Delicious. The Granny Smiths were supposed to be for cooking, but a freshly picked and ripe Granny was hard to beat as an eating apple with the flavoursome acidic juice squirting at each bite and running down your hands and wrists.
Donnybrook is favoured with conditions that have given it the reputation of being the best area in Western Australia for growing apples and pears. Stone fruit, grapes and olives also grow to perfection in the area.
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Every second year, Donnybrook holds it’s Apple Festival. This year it will be on Easter Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March at Egan Park, Donnybrook.
Two weeks before, the 52nd Apple Festival starts with the judging of the Apple Ambassador entrants. There are 5 entrants this year. The Apple Ball is held the following weekend, where further judging takes place for the winner of the trophy. Each entrant will appear aboard her float in the street parade which can be enjoyed along the main street from 6:30 pm on Saturday 22nd and noon on Sunday.
On both Saturday and Sunday there are a wide variety of displays, stalls, competitions and entertainment in Egan Park. Highlights of the weekend will be the Dunny Derby, log chopping, a pipe band, magic show, young singers and dancers and Barking Gecko theatre improvisations.
Following the Saturday night parade will be the Evening Family Concert. This includes the Blessing of the Fruit, Fireworks and non-stop family entertainment and dancing with Perth’s best party band, Blue Hornet.
2008 will be memorable for the opening of Australia’s biggest free Fun Park. Named The Apple Fun Park, it is a huge collection of wonderful play equipment for toddlers, kids and teens to adults. The whole thing started with a generous donation from a local family in conjunction with the Donnybrook/Balingup Shire. With the hard work of many volunteers over several months, this huge project has come together and will officially open at noon on Easter Sunday. This will be in conjunction with the Apple Festival and is just over the road from Egan Park (you can’t miss it!)
The apple harvest is underway again, so why not head to Donnybrook for Easter and join the celebrations.
More details about the festivities can be found on the following website: www.donnybrookapplefestival.com.
Carolyn Austin is owner of Jarragon Bed & Breakfast, jarragonbandb.mysouthwest.com.au.
March 2008
