Epsom: Pottery History and Crafts

Epsom offers two distinct points of interest for a stay: the history and visitor experiences at Bendigo Pottery, and the Epsom Village Green Playspace with its park amenities. At Bendigo Pottery, historic pottery-making meets contemporary offerings; the Playspace adds a skatepark and other facilities in a park with open lawns and trees. These highlights give you a concrete guide when considering what interests you during a trip to Epsom.

History and visiting Bendigo Pottery

The history of Bendigo Pottery dates back to the 1850s. Scottish immigrant George Duncan Guthrie discovered a local clay deposit and built a successful pottery business on it; the pottery was founded during that decade. Bendigo Pottery is Australia’s oldest continuously operating pottery.

Visitors can explore the complex and see the historic kilns. You can also create your own Bendigo Pottery pieces. Pottery souvenirs are sold to visitors in the Retail Gallery. For planning purposes, you can distinguish between the different focuses: if you’re interested in the history, you can explore the complex and the kilns; if you’d like to get creative yourself, you can make your own piece. The Retail Gallery also offers the opportunity to buy a souvenir.

The Village of Artisans

The Village of Artisans at Bendigo Pottery extends the range of offerings beyond pottery. These include collage, printmaking and painting, as well as quilting and handmade homewares. Winemaking and artisan-produced foods are also part of the mix. The examples thus range from visual art and textile work to homewares, wine and food. If you’re interested in different creative fields, you can explore several distinct areas here: art and design, textile crafts, and offerings related to homewares and food. The Village of Artisans brings together various arts and crafts in one named location at Bendigo Pottery.

The Epsom Village Green Playspace

The Epsom Village Green Playspace has a different focus. It includes a skatepark, barbecue area, shelter and seating, and is located in a park with open lawns and trees. The facilities highlight different aspects of the site: the skatepark sits alongside the barbecue area, shelter and seating, while the lawns and trees form the park setting. For your trip planning, you can therefore consider the Playspace as a separate park visit alongside the culture and crafts at Bendigo Pottery. Its combination of a skatepark and park amenities sets it apart from the pottery and creative offerings.

If you’re looking for a hotel in Epsom, these different interests can determine the focus of your stay. Bendigo Pottery combines pottery history, visits and pottery-making with a broad range of offerings at the Village of Artisans; the Playspace offers a skatepark and park amenities. Which aspect you’d like to focus on more depends on whether you’re more interested in history and crafts or in the park.

Discover more destinations: Gapsted, Inverloch, Korweinguboora, Minyip, Clayton South, Walmer, Newham, Tallangatta

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.