McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo Bendigo 2026: What You Need to Know
The McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo is back for 2026, and it is bigger than ever. After a successful debut in 2025, this year’s event has moved from its original Junortoun location to the Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre at the Bendigo Showgrounds, Holmes Road, North Bendigo. A significantly larger venue that reflects just how much interest the event generated in its first year.
Reilly’s Designer Appliances will be there, and we are genuinely excited about it. We were part of the inaugural event in 2025 and it was one of the best local trade events we have been involved with. The quality of the conversations, the genuine interest from Bendigo families planning builds and renovations, and the community atmosphere made it a standout day. This year promises to be even better.
Here is everything you need to know about the event, what to expect, and why it is worth putting in your calendar if you are planning a new home or renovation in Bendigo.
Event Details
McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo 2026
Friday 30 October 2026 2:30pm to 6:00pm
Saturday 31 October 2026 9:00am to 2:30pm
Venue: Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre, Holmes Road, North Bendigo VIC 3550 (Bendigo Showgrounds)
Entry: Free
Prizes: Up to $8,000 in prizes for registered attendees
Food trucks and kids entertainment will be on site across both days. This is a free public event designed for anyone at any stage of their building or renovation journey.
Register and find out more at buildingandlivingexpo.com.au →
What Is the McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo?
For those who did not attend the 2025 event, the Building & Living Expo was created by McKean McGregor Real Estate in Bendigo to address a genuine need in the local market: a single event that brings together every part of the home-building and renovation ecosystem under one roof, in a relaxed and accessible environment.
McKean McGregor is one of Bendigo’s most established and respected real estate and livestock agencies, and the Building & Living Expo reflects the community focus that has underpinned their business for years. The expo was designed from the ground up to demystify the home-building process for Bendigo families. Not a trade show aimed at industry professionals. A free public event aimed at real people with real questions about building, renovating, buying land and making their home better.
The 2025 debut at the Novo Centre in Junortoun drew a strong crowd and featured exhibitors spanning builders, land developers, finance brokers, designers, planners, product suppliers and lifestyle brands. The City of Greater Bendigo was among the exhibitors, with council planners on hand to answer questions about planning permits, managed growth areas and the development process. The feedback from attendees and exhibitors was overwhelmingly positive, and the decision to move to the larger Bendigo Showgrounds venue for 2026 is a direct response to the appetite for something bigger.
Why Attend? What Is There for Bendigo Homeowners?
The Building & Living Expo is genuinely useful for a wide range of people in Bendigo, not just those who are actively mid-build. Here is who gets the most from attending:
Thinking about building a new home in Bendigo? The expo is the most efficient way to get across the full picture in a single afternoon or morning. Builders, land developers, finance brokers, designers and suppliers all in one space means you can have the conversations you need without booking a dozen separate appointments. If you are at the beginning of the journey and feeling overwhelmed, this is exactly the event that helps you take the first step with confidence.
Planning a kitchen or laundry renovation? Renovation projects are one of the most common reasons Bendigo homeowners engage with us at Reilly’s, and the expo is a great opportunity to start those conversations in person. The appliance decisions in a kitchen renovation are some of the most significant and longest-lasting you will make in the project. Getting that right from the outset saves money, avoids regret, and produces a kitchen that performs the way you actually want it to for the next fifteen to twenty years.
Building an investment property? Choosing the right appliances for an investment property involves a different set of priorities than a family home, and the expo brings together the finance, building and product expertise to help investors make smarter decisions.
Already in your home and wondering what to improve? Renovating an existing kitchen, laundry or living space is one of the most effective ways to increase both enjoyment and property value. The expo is a low-pressure environment to explore options, gather information and talk to suppliers without commitment.
Curious and doing early research? You do not need to be ready to sign a building contract to get value from attending. A lot of the most useful conversations at events like this happen with people who are twelve to eighteen months away from a decision and are using the time to educate themselves. Come in, see what is there and leave with a much clearer picture of what is possible.
A Bigger Venue for a Bigger Event
Moving from the Novo Centre in Junortoun to the Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre at the Bendigo Showgrounds is a significant upgrade in scale. The Bendigo Showgrounds is one of regional Victoria’s largest event venues, with the Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre providing a large clear-span exhibition space that accommodates significantly more exhibitors and visitors than the 2025 venue.
The Bendigo Showgrounds location at Holmes Road, North Bendigo is well-known to locals and straightforward to reach from most parts of the city. Parking is ample and the venue is well-suited to the kind of relaxed, browse-at-your-own-pace experience the Building & Living Expo is designed to deliver.
The addition of food trucks and kids entertainment across both days makes this a genuinely family-friendly outing, not just a trade event. If you are planning a build or renovation as a couple or family, bringing everyone along on a Saturday morning is an easy way to get everyone engaged with the process early.
Reilly’s Designer Appliances: What We Bring to a New Build or Renovation
We are proud to be part of the Building & Living Expo community in Bendigo, and our involvement in the event reflects something we genuinely believe: that appliances deserve more consideration in the planning and design process than they typically receive.
Most kitchen renovations budget heavily for cabinetry and stone and then try to fit appliances into whatever is left. The result is a kitchen that looks beautiful but performs at a lower level than it could. Appliances are used every single day. The oven you chose, the dishwasher you installed, the induction cooktop you picked — these will be part of your daily life for fifteen to twenty years. Getting them right from the start produces a kitchen that genuinely improves the way you live, not just one that looks good in the listing photos.
At Reilly’s, we stock premium appliances from Miele, ASKO, Bosch, Neff, Fisher & Paykel, Electrolux, LG, Smeg, Westinghouse, Liebherr and more. We work with Bendigo builders, kitchen designers and homeowners across the full range of project types and budgets. Whether you are planning a complete custom kitchen build, a targeted renovation of an existing space, or specifying appliances for an investment property, we can help you make the decisions that hold up over time.
For new builds specifically, there are several appliance-related decisions that need to be made early in the planning process:
Induction vs gas cooktop affects your electrical supply requirements and potentially your plumbing if you are moving away from gas. This decision needs to be made before cabinetry is specified so that benchtop cutouts and electrical circuits are correctly planned. Our induction cooktop guide covers this in detail.
Oven configuration (single 60cm, double 60cm or 90cm single) affects cabinetry tower design and the electrical circuit required. Getting this right at the design stage avoids expensive changes later.
Integrated vs freestanding appliances is a cabinetry and joinery decision as much as an appliance decision. Integrated dishwashers and refrigeration require specific cavity dimensions and door panel specifications to be resolved at the design stage. Changing this after cabinetry is built is costly.
Rangehood type and ducting path affects structural planning if the rangehood requires external ducting through walls or ceiling cavities. The earlier this is resolved, the simpler and cheaper the installation.
Steam oven installation (if included) may require a dedicated water connection depending on the model. This needs to be planned at the rough-in stage.
These are conversations we have with builders and homeowners every week. If you are at the planning stage of a new build or renovation in Bendigo, talking to us early in the process saves money and avoids the kind of surprises that appear when the cabinetry is already installed.
Come and See Us at the Expo
We will be at the McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo on both days and would love to see you there. Whether you have specific appliance questions, want to talk through a renovation brief, or are simply at the beginning of your research, come and find us.
Friday 30 October: 2:30pm to 6:00pm Saturday 31 October: 9:00am to 2:30pm Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre, Holmes Road, North Bendigo
And if you cannot make the expo, you can always visit us at our showroom in Bendigo before or after the event.
119-121 Mitchell Street, Bendigo Open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (until 5:30pm Fridays) and Saturday 9am-1pm
Call 03 5442 1355 or email sales.reillys@designerappliances.com.au
Register for the Building & Living Expo at buildingandlivingexpo.com.au →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the McKean McGregor Building & Living Expo free to attend? Yes. Entry is completely free on both days. Registration is recommended to be in the running for up to $8,000 in prizes.
Where is the 2026 expo being held? The 2026 event has moved to the Fosterville Gold Exhibition Centre at the Bendigo Showgrounds, Holmes Road, North Bendigo VIC 3550. This is a larger venue than the 2025 Junortoun location.
Do I need to be building a new home to attend? Not at all. The expo is designed for anyone at any stage of the building and renovation journey, including those who are just starting to think about it. Renovators, investors and curious locals are all welcome.
Will Reilly’s Designer Appliances be exhibiting? Yes. We will be at the expo on both Friday 30 October and Saturday 31 October. Come and find us to talk about appliances for your new build or renovation.
Can I bring children? Absolutely. Kids entertainment is part of the event program on both days, making it a genuinely family-friendly outing.
What should I bring? Bring any plans, sketches or photos of your current kitchen or laundry if you want to have a specific conversation. Otherwise, just come as you are and see what is there.
