**UPDATE – Following significant rainfall conditions impacting the Event Grounds, Brigadoon 2024 (scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6th April) has now been rescheduled to Saturday, 3rd August 2024. For further details, click here.**

Bundanoon Highland Gathering is set to burst to life with a pulse-pounding display of athleticism and tradition that will leave you on the edge of your seat!

Nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, this annual spectacle, happening this year on Saturday, April 6th, is the crown jewel of regional events, drawing crowds from across the country and beyond.

At the heart of the festivities lies the Bundanoon Stones event, organised by the esteemed Kilted Warriors under the expert direction of Dr Lance Holland-Keen and Aaron Monks. These elite athletes, including competitors Corey Polkinghorne, Luke Reynolds, Sean Gillen, and Aidan Canini, are set to take the stage at 3.10pm on the oval, ready to test their mettle against the formidable weights of the Bundanoon Stones.

Weighing in at an impressive 100kgs, 110kgs, 120kgs, 145kgs, and 165kgs, these stones represent not only physical prowess but also a rich heritage deeply rooted in Scottish tradition. 

Modeled after the historic MacGlashen Stones from Scotland, these iconic symbols hold significant cultural importance, embodying the transition from boyhood to manhood.  

The history of the stones goes back over one thousand years to the Highlands of Scotland when a boy was considered to have reached manhood when he could lift two stone in weight from the bare ground onto the top of a stone dyke or fence as we know it. Most villages took part in this exercise and the stones varied from village to village. 

The stones are laid out five metres apart lightest to heaviest with each competitor having to lift all five stones on top of a wooden barrel four feet in height. The person who can lift all five stones on top of the barrels in the fastest time is declared the champion.

The Brigadoon committee would like to express their deep appreciation and congratulate the Kilted Warriors for their continual support at Bundanoon.

Get your tickets for Bundanoon Highland Gathering 2024 at www.brigadoon.org.au.

Kilted Warriors will take on the Bundanoon Stones at the Bundanoon Highland Gathering. Pictures: Supplied