How putting jumpers on trees made a town rich

Who doesn't love a bit of marketing ingenuity! This is a short tale about how a little Aussie town (off the beaten track) got known by telling a good yarn.   

Warwick is a rodeo loving, rural farming town about three hours drive inland, from the east coast of Australia. It grows beautiful roses and offers good country service. But other than your typical facilities, there was not a lot there to drawn in big crowds (with money to spend), especially during the winter shoulder period. 

 
That was before an innovative  bunch of people at the local art gallery, created Jumpers and Jazz in July. For ten days a year the town almost triples in population with people flocking from near and far, to attend the quirkiest yarn bombing and jazz winter festival in Australia.   
 

Attracting over thirty thousand visitors each year, local businesses enjoy the massive boom in customers. 

Nothing like granny squares, doilies and wool in the middle of winter, to encourage creativity, draw a community closer, all while strengthening the local arts scene in the process!

Since the first Jumpers and Jazz in July in 2004, the festival has grown considerably but the highlight for me is always the yarn bombing trail that transforms the main street into a living outdoor art gallery.  

These adorable handmade tree jumpers bring so much brightness to a cold grey winter.

So wherever you are in the world, take a walk with me now down the main street of Warwick, Australia and let these flamboyant colourful designs wrapped around trees, warm your heart and inspire your soul.