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On the eve of Idyll, Mark Anstey shares his plan to give Lot 19 away

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The Nugget
March 13, 2026

★ On the eve of Idyll, Mark Anstey shares his plan to give Lot 19 away ★

“I’m trying to drift into insignificance.” — Mark Anstey

Mark Anstey plans to give Lot19 to the community when he dies.

After more than two decades building the three-acre creative precinct — now home to 22 artist studios, open-access ceramics and printmaking workshops, and a steady stream of gigs, festivals and exhibitions — he’s preparing to step back.

“Lot 19 doesn’t belong to me anyway,” he says. “The land doesn’t belong to me. It’s stolen land and it also belongs to the artists.”

A board now helps oversee the organisation, with the goal of keeping it running as a community asset long into the future.

“I’m trying to drift into insignificance,” he says with a grin. “I’m trying to be the weird guy up the back.”

This is Mark in a nutshell. Madly understated for someone who has built one of Castlemaine’s most loved creative spaces.

This weekend, the community will gather for Castlemaine Idyll, the glorious singing competition that doubles as Lot19’s main fundraiser.

The event has been running for more than 16 years and now draws crowds of close to a thousand people.

It actually began with a personal challenge.

“I was really scared of singing in public,” Mark says.

So he turned it into a project.

“I got a band and sang Fever the first time,” he says. “It was quite awful. I think there’s video footage of it somewhere.” 

He performed in the first three Idyll events before putting down the mic. 

“I was still just as scared at the end of the third song as I was at the beginning of the first,” he laughs. “So I didn’t really achieve my goal.”

But he did manage to create a new Castlemaine tradition.

Idyll is my fave day of the year. Watching familiar faces and people I haven't met yet step into the spotlight belt out their favourite song, backed by a professional band and backing singers, is magic.

I am knocked over by their talent and chutzpah and just want to hug every one of them for spreading so much joy.

“It was just one of those ideas in a long list of follies that stuck,” he says.

Anstey moved to Castlemaine in 2001 to be closer to his parents as they got older. It was his first time living outside the city, his first time living alone and the first property he’d owned. 

“I thought, well, if I don’t like it, I’ll just move back,” he says. “But I loved it.”

His parents actually found the property that would become Lot19, a modest shack sitting on what he initially thought was a fairly small block.

“I drove over the back and realised it was more than twice as big as I thought it was,” he says.

At the same moment, Melbourne’s Triple R came through clearly on the radio. 

“I thought, this is great. The land’s twice as big and Triple R’s here. I’ll never be lonely,” he says.

“It was the radio that made me buy Lot19.”

 At the time, Mark was making furniture and spending long days working in his shed, something he still enjoys.

“When you’re moving your body, walking or working, your mind is free to explore itself in ways it normally wouldn’t,” he says.

“The movement triggers thoughts and scenarios you might not normally consider.”

One of those thoughts became the seed of Lot19.

Many of his friends were artists and musicians, so he imagined creating a small arts space where people could work and gather.

The first studio came about when a friend asked if she could build a shed to make glasswork.

"We were going to war at the time and I thought, 'yeah, I'll just spend any money that I've got and avoid paying tax, build a shed, and she can have that.”

Then another artist wanted a space. And another.

“So I just kept building sheds.”

Today the precinct is full, with some artists having worked there for more than 15 years.

“An artist’s studio is a very important place,” Mark says. “It’s their work home.”

Lot19 has never followed a strict master plan. Instead, Mark has spent years trying ideas just to see what might happen.

“I’ve done kids’ music festivals, exhibitions, spoken word events, instrument-making jamborees, all sorts of things,” he says.

“Idyll was just one of those experiments.”

It has grown from a wacky one-off into the glue that holds Lot19 together.

“We more or less balance the books each year — but only just,” Mark says. “Idyll helps pay the bills while also being a brilliant artistic outcome.”

For him, the real value of Lot19 is the people.

“It’s been a rich existence,” he says.

“This is the best front yard in the world. I’ve been privileged to hang out with some incredible, normal people. I found superstars and I've had access to a lot of good information about how to live well through all these people.”

While he’s gradually stepping back from running things day-to-day, he still plays trumpet in the Idyll band.

He’ll be there again this weekend, though he insists he won’t be singing.

“I’ve done my time,” he says.

Castlemaine Idyll happens Saturday. The fun kicks off at 1:30 PM with Kids Karaoke, hosted by Spectacular Scott and Brilliant Briega.

The adults take the stage at 3:00 PM. This year, Carla Bonner, aka Scully from Neighbours, will be on the judges seat and a special guest performer will be unveiled at halftime. MainFM will be broadcasting live. There will be food and drink, an after-party with DJs and the weather is looking seriously parfait.

Proceeds support Lot19’s studios, workshops and community arts programs.

❀ Join the team at CCH ❀

The team at Castlemaine Community House is growing!

CCH is looking for amazing volunteers to help support programs like the No Interest Loans Scheme, Food Pantry, and Youth Re-engagement Program.

They also have two paid roles available:

  • Casual Centrelink Agency Administrator

  • Youth Project Officer

Check out their website for details.

♡˖ Events ˖♡

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