Bonsai Exhibition and Bonsai Open

This year will be the 4th Bonsai Open, one of Australia’s premier bonsai exhibitions.

This is run by the Central Coast Bonsai Club, a community group with approximately 80 members. It initially was conceived on the belief that Australia should have a major bonsai competition open to all Australian bonsai artists to promote and elevate bonsai as a hobby and as a profession.

With $5000 in prize money we attract some of Australia’s top bonsai artist with some stunning bonsai trees.

The Bonsai Open is held in conjunction with the Central Coast Bonsai Club Annual Exhibition and approximately 140 trees will be on display. Last year entries can from across NSW and the ACT and we had interest from Victoria and Queensland artist this year.

As well as the exhibition of exceptional trees, visitor to the Bonsai Open can watch demonstrations by some of Australia’s top bonsai artists including Scott Martin, Hugh Grant, Andrew Edge and Alan Harding will be demonstrating the art of growing Penjing.

There is a large sales area where you can buy almost everything related to bonsai, including tools, potting substrates, mature trees, starters and handmade pots. The Club also has a sales area of members trees and there are some real bargains to be found here. We usually have a long queue of buyers at 9am on the Saturday morning waiting to charge in and buy a preloved bonsai.

The Bonsai Open is held in the Mingara Recreation Club and this year we are utilising the lower floor encompassing over 1,500m2.

In addition to the Bonsai Open event, the Mingara club has 2 significant restaurant / cafes with generous parking and great access. So it is easy to settle in for the whole day, watch a morning demonstration, wander through the bonsai stalls, have a meal and then enjoy the bonsai exhibition.

Bonsai Stalls
• Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursery will have a wonderful array of all things bonsai
• Hugh Grant will have a stall with bonsai related materials including trees and pots that meet his design ethos.
• Denise Allen will have a diverse range of handmade pots for sale including many of her unique and highly sought stoneware pots which have been high fired in a reduction kiln
• Andrew Edge will have a stall with bonsai related materials including trees and pots and potting substrates
• Central Coast Bonsai Club members will be selling a range of bonsai trees ranging from beginner stock to very mature specimens.