The first Bendigo Open House is set to showcase the glorious, the small, the renovated and the weird and wonderful of architecture and design.

It’s going to be a blast.

People are lining up the sites they want to visit – the law courts, the Beehive, the Soldier’s Memorial Institute, Speciman Cottage. They are all opening the doors.

You’ll  be able to check out tiny houses, ornate houses/public buildings and quite a few renovated houses. The Beehive (the historic Mining Exchange building) is sure to be popular after a remodel.  What will you get out to see?

The Bendigo event is the latest in a proud tradition of open houses worldwide.  It’s more than just houses. You can visit the tramways depot, take a walking tour providing the backstory on  “the Vienna of the bush” and listen to talks on small and smart living. 

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At a time when rising living costs and declining house prices are starting to bite, it is a chance to check out beautiful,  sustainable alternatives. Ones with architectural panache that can sit side-by-side with the gems from by-gone eras that have long drawn visitors to Bendigo, Maldon, Castlemaine, Echuca and Daylesford.

The obsession with building continues at a pace. People are drawn to shows such as The Block, to inspire their own, smaller projects and to dream about “What if?”.  They rummage through interiors stores, second hand joints and garage sales looking for the next great piece. 

This has been extended to building projects, with the unusual and innovative creeping in among the chocolate-box sameness.

Festivals such as Open House help to give people the license to create unique spaces. In turn they provide employment for local architects, carpenters, electricians, builders and design specialists.  This weekend, Open House Bendigo may inspire more people  – and perhaps they will find their creations opening for a future festival.

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