With excitement building for the inaugural Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival this October, the festival program was officially launched last week at a special event in Belgrave.
The program launch was held on Thursday, 11 September at The Blacksmith on Burwood Highway, brought many locals, creatives, community leaders and supporters together.
Acclaimed local author Lia Hills was the evening’s guest speaker, delivering a heartfelt address before officially launching the festival’s full program.
Guests included Cr Peter McIlwain and Cr Jeff Marriott from Yarra Ranges Council, the festival’s primary supporter, along with the Council’s Community Connections Officer Janette Scott, Federal MP Aaron Violi, and director of Bendigo Bank Upwey, Thomas Kern.
The festival chair Marian Matta described the launch as “a thank you to our sponsors” and an important moment for the community.
“Lia spoke beautifully, and her work resonates so strongly with our theme of A Sense of Place,” Ms Matta said.
“The support in the room was a reminder of how much this region values stories and local voices.”
The event also marked the official opening of ticket sales, which Ms Matta confirmed were “going very well”.
The idea for the festival emerged from a noticeable absence in the local cultural calendar.
“We hadn’t had a literary festival locally for at least 16 years and certainly not in the southern Dandenongs,” Ms Matta said.
“Once the idea was out there, the response was immediate. Everyone seemed to agree, we really should have one.”
Running across the weekend of 17–18 October, the festival will feature more than 30 authors in over a dozen panel discussions and workshops.
Events will take place at Cameo Cinemas, the Belgrave Hub and Belgrave Library, all centred around the festival’s theme: A Sense of Place.
Internationally acclaimed author Hannah Kent (Burial Rites) will open the festival on 17 October and will also speak on a panel the following day about her new memoir Always Home, Always Homesick.
Other featured authors include Carly Findlay, Christian White, Shelley Burr, Amy Doak, Alli Parker, Emmy Webbers and Kimberley Allsopp.
Ms Hills, who will appear on the panel Sense of Place: how landscape shapes our stories, said the festival was a much-needed addition to the Hills’ already vibrant cultural scene.
“The Hills has a thriving cultural life, but the lack of a literary festival always felt like a missed opportunity,” she said.
“This is a wonderful chance for people to come together to think, explore, be challenged and share ideas.”
Alongside paid sessions, the festival will also offer free community events, including children’s readings at Belgrave Library, writing sprints and a book swap through Belgrave’s Main Street.
Ms Matta said strong local collaboration, including sponsorship from Bendigo Bank and support from Yarra Ranges Council, has been essential to bringing the vision to life.
“There’s no way we could do it without the community. Volunteers, ticket buyers, sponsors, everyone plays a part. It’s about building something sustainable and meaningful for the long term,” she said.
Tickets are now available via dandyrangeslitfest.net
