Cheese Platter featuring Long Paddock Cheeses photo by Leon Schoots Photography and ceramics by Mel Ogden.
BISTRO | WINE BAR
STORE | ART SPACE
We are open at the following times:
Please book ahead, we are a small team and it will help us provide you a better experience.
Fridays: 10am - 3pm
Saturdays: 10am - 3pm
Sundays: 10am - 3pm
Pop-Up Events
We will be running monthly pop-up dinners and events. Please check out our events page for information.
Liquor Licence for eat in and takeaway, no BYO. Under 18 welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.
Regional Food, Art and Culture in the Heart of Historic Talbot
Fossickers Fine Food & Eatery is a bistro, wine bar, store and art space [The Folk Experiment] located in the tiny heritage town of Talbot in the Victorian Goldfields known as Djarra, the unceded lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, whose living culture has endured for thousands of years. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
EVENTS
Find out about our special events or book your own special event with us.
Upcoming Experiences
Make your Saturday nights something to savour.
Gather around the table for a relaxed evening of Mediterranean-inspired shared plates, good conversation and cosy hospitality.
Our $39 Shared Feast includes a choice of three generous small plates each, with a delicious mix of savoury and sweet dishes designed to share.
Still feeling peckish? You're welcome to order extra dishes from our menu, and drinks are available at bar prices.
MENU
Garlic & Tomato Confit on Sourdough (Vegan)
Marinated Olives with Focaccia (Vegan)
Arancini Balls in Fragrant tomato Salsa with Parmesan Cheese
Sizzling Chili Garlic Prawns (GF)
Potatas Bravas with Aoli (GF, Vegan option)
Chorizo in Red Wine on Polenta Cake (GF)
Crispy Beer Battered Fish (GF)
Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Harissa Dressing , Cucumber, Tzaziki and Herb Salad
Fried Cauliflower on a Tahini, Yoghurt Dressing & Salsa Verde (GF, Vegan)
Seasonal Salad (Vegan option)
Join us for a relaxed afternoon of creativity and colour in a botanical thread painting workshop. Set beside a lovely community garden bursting with inspiration, the workshop will be a welcoming space to slow down, experiment and enjoy the meditative process of ‘colouring in’ with thread.
With guidance and helpful tips from the hosting artist Katherine Scott, you will explore how to plan and begin your own small botanical thread painting. We’ll play with ideas, stitches, colour and composition while learning at your own pace. No previous experience is needed and beginners are more than welcome. The emphasis is on experimentation, enjoyment and discovering your own creative approach.
All materials will be provided, along with afternoon tea to enjoy along the way.
7 November 2026
1.30pm-4.30pm
You are welcome to stay on for the opening event from 4.30pm - 5.30pm.
Fossickers Fine Food & Eatery
42 Scandinavian Crescent, Talbot Victoria
We are located between Maryborough and Clunes, 50 minutes from Ballarat, just over an hour from Bendigo and 2 hours from Melbourne.
Upcoming Experiences
The Lyster Opera is coming to Talbot with Mozart’s Don Giovanni and to celebrate Fossickers will open for post opera drinks and supper including charcuterie, mezze platters and small share plates. Enjoy a relaxing post event debrief with other opera lovers overlooking the beautiful community garden and historic township. Watch the sun go down as the perfect ending to a special day. Bookings are essential. Please book tickets (free) here.
Make your Saturday nights something to savour.
Gather around the table for a relaxed evening of Mediterranean-inspired shared plates, good conversation and cosy hospitality. Whether you're planning your next adventure, whispering sweet nothings, catching up with friends, sharing a little gossip or simply laughing over life's everyday moments, Saturday nights at Fossickers are all about slowing down and enjoying good company.
Our $39 Shared Meal includes three generous small plates each, with a delicious mix of savoury and sweet dishes designed to share. Don't let the name fool you—these little morsels are surprisingly satisfying and are sure to leave you comfortably full.
MENU
with Seasonal Offerings
Garlic & Tomato Confit on Sourdough (Vegan)
Marinated Olives with Focaccia (Vegan)
Arancini Balls in Fragrant tomato Salsa with Parmesan Cheese (V)
Sizzling Chili Garlic Prawns (GF)
Potatas Bravas with Aoli (GF, Vegan option)
Chorizo in Red Wine on Polenta Cake (GF)
Crispy Beer Battered Cod (GF)
Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Harissa Dressing , Cucumber, Tzaziki and Herb Salad
Fried Cauliflower on a Tahini, Yoghurt Dressing & Salsa Verde (GF, Vegan)
Seasonal Salad (Vegan option)
ART EXHIBITIONS
Current Exhibition
RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT
TEXTILE TALISMANS
by Felicity Martin
Showing Until 1 November.
Made on a Saori loom, these weavings came to life mostly in the wee hours of the night — or, more correctly, morning. A new feminine rhythm emerged in the quiet pause, when the world was still and there was time to make.
Meditations on the intersection of Greek mythology and Aboriginal cultural knowledge of the night sky, particularly the group of stars known as the Pleiades, became the starting point for these free-form works. Stories, stars and fragments of memory were woven together, conjured through colour, texture and the slow, intuitive rhythm of making.
The works bring together natural materials, mostly 100% new wool, alongside a stash of hoarded treasures of alpaca, cashmere and op-shop finds. Among them is a vintage gold thread discovered in a Brocante during travels in France — too precious and curious not to be saved.
Made to be worn on the body, wrapped around the shoulders or simply held, these weavings are objects of comfort and connection: part textile, part talisman, part record of those quiet hours between night and morning.
Felicity is an artist living in Talbot, whose creative life has long been woven between making, curating and connecting others with art. She studied Fine Art at the National Art School before completing a Masters in Art Curating at the University of Sydney after moving to Talbot in 2018.
Upcoming Exhibition
LINE BY LINE
WORKS OF THREAD & INK
by KATHERINE SCOTT
Friday 06 November - Sunday 29 November 2026
Line by Line is a collection of thread paintings and ink and watercolour drawings that explore the quiet, meditative process of making.
Both ink drawing and thread painting allow for a satisfying human interaction with the materials that bring lines to life. The title reflects the slow, repetitive and tactile nature of the work. The prick-and-pull of needle and thread, or the dip-and-scratch of old-fashioned ink pot and pen merge with the breath and line by line, through the hands and the materials, subjects gradually gain shape and substance.
For the artist, this slow process allows everything else to slip away. The repetitive, hands-on engagement becomes active meditation, creating a flow state and quieting a hectic mind in this hectic world. Everything pauses to make space for the intuitive process of seeing shapes and choosing colours.
Line by Line also speaks to the ageless magic of art that is seeing a thousand simple lines, through these minor shifts in shape, directionality and colour, come together to form something greater. In this sense the artworks, in process and in completion, act as beautiful reminders of one of the ever-present truths in life: that something great is a sum of its parts, and overwhelming feats are achieved one small step at a time.
Katherine is running a workshop to share her amazing techniques and provide inspiration for other creatives. See details below.
The Store —
We have a large range of fine foods and drinks from the region. Select individual items or grab one of our carefully curated hampers that showcase our amazing artisans and producers.
Gift Vouchers Now Available
$25 - $150 which can be used across our gallery, store, cafe and bar.
Enbom Honey
Creamed honey, natural honey and honeycomb.
