Bootmaking Workshop Tours

As part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival, Wootten will open its doors on the two Sundays during the festival for Workshop Tours with bootmaker, Jess Wootten. Join the tour to gain an insight into the workings of one of Australia’s last remaining shoemaking workshops. Wootten was founded in Adelaide's iconic Jam Factory arts collective in the mid-1970s surrounded by Australia’s leading craft practitioners. The generational tradition of handcrafting boots and leather goods continues from their repurposed WW2 munitions workshop in the historic city of Ballarat - Victoria. Learn about leathers and their tannage, the machinery and processes used and the importance of all the bits you don’t see. From the structural leather used to the difference between a hand-welted construction to a goodyear welted construction through to the unique McKay welted construction used by Wootten. Head bootmaker Jess Wootten will take you through the process from start to finish, sharing insights from the business’s 50-year operation, and explaining what to look out for in modern production shoes. This informal walk-through will involve a ranging conversation centred around provenance, durability and longevity. Tours will take place three times each day and bookings are recommended.