Road to Bethlehem was inspired by the American Christmas program 'Living Nativity Drive Thru’. Tour groups of 9-10 cars at a time, drove through the grounds of a church in North Creek, Washington State. There they visited different scenes depicting the true story of Christmas. The weather was often cold, wet and even snowing. The actors had to wear ski suits under their costumes to keep warm!
After viewing a video of the American program, members from the Nunawading Seventh-day Adventist Church, became inspired to develop an Australian version and Road to Bethlehem was born. Due to the warm climate in the southern hemisphere in December, a nativity walk-through was considered an ideal option.
A handful of dedicated people planned the very first Road to Bethlehem in 1995. The program ran over two evenings, and approximately 700 people walked through the Adventist Convention grounds in Nunawading. These numbers were well above expectations due to torrential rain on both nights. Although very simple in its presentation, it was enjoyed by all who attended. A seed had been planted and many were inspired to develop this idea further.
Some 15,000 travellers each year are led around the Christmas story by character guides, making ROAD to BETHLEHEM one of Australia's biggest free Christmas events. Now in our 30th year, we anticipate our 300,000th visitor to walk the Road.
Road to Bethlehem has inspired many similar events, including those in Canberra, ACT; Erina, New South Wales; Livingston, Western Australia; Watson Park, Queensland; Mildura, Victoria as well as Tauranga and Christchurch in New Zealand.
