IT’S official – Bendigo now has its own tartan after the world’s peak tartan authority endorsed the new design.

The man behind the tartan, Chris Earl, received an email from the Scottish Register of Tartans on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 – the same day Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in British history. 

“It was a day for the history books,” Mr Earl said.

“And the Queen’s milestone was good timing too – it will certainly assist in recalling the historic date.” 

The event director of Bendigo's annual Scots Day Out and tartan enthusiast said the endorsement marked a first in Australian tartan history. 

“Yes there are other states and communities that have their own tartans but, as far as we are aware, Bendigo is the first municipality to officially adopt and have recognised its own design,” Mr Earl said.

The design – which references the colour of mullock heaps from Bendigo’s gold rush era and eucalypt forests which surround the city – is now registered on the Scottish Register of Tartans website. 

A woven sample of the tartan will also be permanently preserved in the National Records of Scotland.

Mr Earl said he was currently scouring the UK for specialist tartan weavers who could do the kind of ‘hard weave’ required to produce kilts and associated clothing. He said they would be ready by the end of the year, in time for Scots Day Out 2016. 

“There is already a lot of interest from people in the community to secure the first kilt with this design,” he said.

“Let’s just say we are working on a process to identify who will be lucky enough to have tartan number one.”