Top Events in October

For the car lovers

Deni Ute Muster, Credit Zowie Crump

If you’re into speed, spectacle and sheer entertainment, you don’t want to miss the annual Deni Ute Muster, one of Country NSW’s biggest events. Held in Deniliquin, known as the ‘Ute capital of the world’, this two-day festival is packed with great live music, market stalls, shows and competitions. It has also been the source of Guinness World Records – including the longest ute muster, which brings together hundreds of utes and ute owners, and the blue singlet count. The muster features a regular attempt to break the record of the most people dressed in blue singlets. The following weekend the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 takes place at Mount Panorama, a 1000 kilometre endurance race that pushes drivers to their limits. For classic American autos, head to Chromefest on the Central Coast, where you can also shop at retro market stalls and experience all things rockabilly.

If you love the great outdoors

IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie, Credit: Delly Carr

Head to sunny Port Macquarie to see athletes from across Australia compete in the 2015 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. The IRONMAN event is made up of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km cycle and a 21.1 km run. And for those who want to expand their horizons further beyond the shoreline, try checking Twofold Bay during the last weekend of October. Along the stunning walkways and running tracks along this beautiful South Coast township, you will find the Eden Whale Festival. This is the place to be to witness the annual southern migration of humpback and southern right whales along Eden’s stunning coastline.

For the foodies

Tastings on Hastings, Port Macquarie

October is one of NSW’s biggest months for food and wine. Check out Taste Riverina, a month-long celebration of one of the state’s biggest food-growing regions. This event includes cooking classes, dinners and a string of local festivals. Over the October long weekend head to the Yass Valley for the Murrumbateman Moving Feast, two days of great eats and drinks spread across in the region’s many wineries. The following weekend sees Tastings on Hastings food festival take place on the NSW North Coast, featuring fresh local produce – and seafood in particular. Chef Matt Moran will team up with local hatted restaurant The Stunned Mullet to host two fabulous dinners. And don’t miss the Orange Wine Festival, a multi-day series of of events and activities highlighting the region’s premium wines with local markets, long lunches and wine tasting events.

For culture vultures

The Long Table Dinner, Dungog Festival

Travel to Griffith in the Riverina to see the truly unique Citrus Sculptures that line their main street. Community-built and made up of 100,000 oranges and 100,000 rubber bands, the sculptures are officially lunched at a big street festival on October 16, and it’s party time for the third largest producer of citrus fruit in Australia. Check out the Wingham Akoostik Festival on the north coast, a three-day music festival with great live entertainment and music workshops. And head to Wollombi in the Hunter Valley for Sculptures at the Vineyards, a month-long celebration of the region where sculptures take over the vineyards. The massive Dungog Festival, hosted once a year, has something for everyone, with music, food stalls, art and crafts and the popular Long Table Dinner held on the town’s main street.

For more great NSW spring events, check out VisitNSW.com!