EVENTS
Complementing the unique nature of antiques and decorative arts, the AAADA Fair offers visitors a rare opportunity to engage with and explore pieces of historical significance. Explore a curated selection of decorative arts, design, antiques, and jewellery from Australia’s leading dealers, all available for purchase and operating under the AAADA Code of Practice.
The fair also features immersive events designed to deepen your appreciation and knowledge, including talks, guided tours, and expert appraisals that reveal the hidden stories behind your possessions. Unwind with Scotchmans Hill Evening Drinks and experience a highlight of the Australian decorative arts calendar, celebrated for over 20 years, making your visit truly memorable.
WIN $1,000
Buy your tickets online for a chance to WIN $1,000 to spend with a AAADA Member at the AAADA Antiques & Decorative Arts Fair Melbourne and a AAADA representative will take you around the fair providing you with guidance as you browse.
All admission tickets purchased online are automatically entered. For eligibility check our Terms and Conditions.
Entries close 11:59pm, 28 April 2026 (AEST)
2025 Sydney Winner, John Dunlop, with Silver Service Antiques
OPENING PREVIEW
Browse the fair, while enjoying wine from Scotchmans Hill.
The Opening Preview offers the opportunity to be among the first to view and acquire antiques, decorative arts, design, and jewellery—from antiquity to contemporary. A highlight of the 2026 AAADA Antiques & Decorative Arts Fair Melbourne 2026, this special evening celebrates the finest pieces presented by Australia’s leading dealers.
Thursday 30 April 4:00 – 8:00pm
Advance: $40 (Save $15)
Full Price: $55
Although tickets are allocated to the Opening Preview, they are also valid for any general admission day (1-3 May), with return entry tickets available.
SCOTCHMANS HILL
EVENING DRINKS
Enhance your visit by timing it with the Scotchmans Hill Evening Drinks, a unique opportunity to enjoy a complimentary glass of wine while perusing the fair. Included in your general admission ticket, take in the twilight hours of the weekend surrounded by antiques and decorative arts in the stunning Malvern Town Hall.
Friday 1 May 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Saturday 2 May 4:00pm – 6:00pm
*Included in your general admission ticket (1-2 May). Although tickets are allocated to a particular date, they are valid for any general admission day (1-3 May), with return entry tickets available.
TOURS
Embark on an engaging tour of the fair, where you’ll explore its most fascinating pieces in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Feel free to ask questions, delve deeper into the stories behind the objects, and uncover new insights along the way.
Friday 1 May
11:00am – 11:30am – Andrew Dixon
Fair HighlightsSaturday 2 May
2:00pm – 2:30pm – Andrew Dixon
Fair HighlightsSunday 3 May
11:00am – 11:30am – Mark Howard
Fair Highlights
*No booking necessary. Seating is available, with additional space for standing guests. Included in your entry (1-3 May)
Andrew Dixon is a retired librarian and respected volunteer within Melbourne’s museum and collecting community. He has long been involved with a number of historic house museums including Labassa Mansion, Villa Alba Museum, The Duldig Studio, and The Johnston Collection, where he serves as an Ambassador.
Andrew is affiliated with the Silver Society and the Ceramics and Glass Circle, reflecting his deep interest in decorative arts. For over 16 years, he supported and advised the late Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes (1929–2020), whose significant collection—now known as the Brookes Bequest—is housed at The Johnston Collection.
Mark Howard Principal, Lauder & Howard
With decades of experience in the antiques trade, Mark deals in fine furniture, porcelain, glass, silver and works of art from Lauder & Howard’s Hobart showrooms, established in 1979. He and business partner Les Lauder research their stock thoroughly, offering clients considered context and provenance for all objects they sell.
A former WA President of the AAADA and an approved valuer for the Commonwealth Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, Mark is a recognised figure in the Australian antiques trade.
TALKS
Supported by The Johnston Collection.
Featuring leading experts and artists. Drawing on decades of experience, they will share insights into the history, design and collecting.
Friday 1 May
1:00pm – Trevor Hancock
Golden Assets – Changing Values and Styles in JewellerySaturday 2 May
11:00am – Alissa Duke
You Can’t Draw in Books? – Turning unwanted books into objects of art1:00pm – Scott Coleman
Porcelain for Princes – the grandeur of British Royal ceramicsSunday 3 May
1:00pm – Genine Wallinga
Little Treasures – Pieces from the Hoi An Hoard
*No booking necessary. Seating is available, with additional space for standing guests. Included in your general admission ticket (1-3 May)
Trevor Hancock Board Member, Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association, Founder, Trinity Antiques.
Trevor Hancock is one of Australia’s foremost authorities on Australian colonial jewellery, and the author of several peer-reviewed articles on the subject. He has sourced and supplied significant pieces to major institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Library of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Gold Museum Ballarat, and Museums Victoria.
A regular speaker at institutions and events nationwide, Trevor has presented at the Johnston Collection, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and the AAADA Antiques & Art Fairs in Melbourne and Sydney, and is a frequent guest on ABC Radio.
Alissa Duke Artist & Law Librarian
Alissa Duke is a law librarian, artist and book lover whose practice sits at the intersection of the written word and visual art. Since 2014 she has been rescuing books that are about to be discarded, drawing on their pages in watercolour pencil — each image inspired by the words on the page, giving the book a new life and a new audience.
A member of the global Urban Sketchers movement, Alissa teaches watercolour pencil sketching at the Johnston Collection and has been the official sketcher at the Melbourne Rare Book Fair and Rare Book Week since 2016. She has completed artist residencies at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and has exhibited at the East Melbourne Library and Blarney Books and Art in Port Fairy.
Scott Coleman Board Member, National Council of the Australian Monarchist League & Private Collector
Scott Coleman has an abiding interest in the relationship between the monarchy and the arts. He has lectured at the National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of Australian Democracy on subjects relating to royal jewels, regalia and collecting, and serves on the National Council of the Australian Monarchist League. His collecting interests include royal presentation jewellery, artefacts and porcelain.
Genine Wallinga President, Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia
Genine Wallinga’s journey as a collector began in Hong Kong in 1998 with the purchase of a charming 19th-century teapot — a moment that sparked a lasting passion for antique ceramics. Her fascination with small, spherical forms led her to specialise in 18th-century British teapots, while a parallel interest in early Japanese porcelain developed following the Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia’s landmark 2006 exhibition, The Japanese Aesthetic.
Genine regularly delivers presentations on antique ceramics, and has presented for organisations including the Johnston Collection, U3A (University of the Third Age), The Brighton Antiques Club, and the Lyceum Club.
FREE APPRAISALS
Come to the stage with your item or a photo and we’ll match you with the right expert for your appraisal, taking you over to their stand to talk about your item and it’s history.
Up to three items. Appraisals are general in nature with no written documentation provided. Valuations can be provided at another time at the discretion of the appraiser, via their formal valuation services.
Wait times may vary and we appreciate your patience as we work through the line.
Friday 1 May 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Saturday 2 May 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Sunday 3 May 2:00pm – 3:00pm
*No booking necessary. Seating is available, with additional space for standing guests. Included in your general admission ticket (1-3 May)
