MOVING the date away from the Australia Day long weekend appears to be the only way to save the Fryerstown Antique Fair, according to the local council.

The 2018 fair has been cancelled after emergency services refused to support the event in the middle of summer, in a town with only one main entrance and exit, and attendances that could reach into the thousands.

The Fryerstown Antique Fair committee believes the event must be held in the small town of 200 people, otherwise it would no longer be the “Fryerstown” fair.

Mount Alexander Shire Council mayor Sharon Telford said moving the date further back in the year would be the likely solution to allay fire concerns and to ensure the fair remained in Fryerstown.

“If they had the fair at a time of the year when the fire danger is not so great, then it could still be possible to have the fair in Fryerstown,” she said.

“At the moment the risk is just too great. There’s only one way in, and way out of the town.”

Mount Alexander Shire attempted to help the committee find a new venue, offering to hold the event at the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve, about eight kilometres away from Fryerstown.

The antique fair committee voted against that option, however.

Cr Telford said it was ultimately up to the committee to find a solution to save the fair, which attracts 20,000 people over several days and has been held for 43 years.

“It’s a very active community and the townspeople are desperately trying to figure it out,” she said.

“There are people on that committee who have been volunteering since the very beginning, it’s been an extraordinary effort.

“It’s very important for Fryerstown.”

The cancellation could be a boon for the Maldon Antique Fair, held two weeks after Fryerstown. Cr Telford said stallholders have been contacting Maldon in an attempt to secure a stall.

A committee of emergency services found there was “no way” thousands of people could be quickly evacuated from Fryerstown in the event of a bushfire during the late-January event.

The committee is made up of members from Victoria Police, the CFA, Mount Alexander Shire Council and DELWP.

They released a statement regarding the cancellation of the popular antique fair, stating there were too many risks in holding the fair in Fryerstown during a period of high fire danger.

“While the Fryerstown bushland setting is iconic, there is no way that thousands of people could quickly and safely evacuate the fair in the event of a bushfire,” the statement read.

“Holding the event during the high fire danger at that time of year at that location means there is an extreme risk to the public in the event of a bushfire.

“We remain committed to working with fair organisers to identify alternative dates or venues and to support the event through marketing and promotion, should organisers wish to reconsider.”