Judges, Moyne Shire Council mayor Colin Ryan and councillor Jim Doukas, had to put their tastebuds to work and sample all entries.

Plates of shortbread, choc-chip cookies, Monte Carlos, yo-yos and jam drops put the judges’ palates to the test.

Categories included bakers aged over 16, between 11-15 years, 6-10 years while the under 6 age group brought plates of decorated biscuits.

Hall president Leah Brown said there was also a special category for those with allergies. 

“It could be nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, doesn’t matter what the particular allergy is,” she said.

Entrant Keira Longmore, 9, has entered cookies in the bake-off for the past three years.

This year she used a Thermomix to create her ‘whatever’ biscuits. “You make them and put whatever in them. You can put sultanas or whatever. I put in choc chips,” she said.

Ms Brown said the event aimed to bring the community together while showing off the facilities on offer at the newly-renovated hall.

“We just do it to open up our hall to showcase what it’s like inside so people can potentially use it for their own events later,” she said.

“We’ve just had some renovations done. We had new windows put in and had it painted. I’m just loving that it is done. It looks great”

The hall has just undergone a makeover with about $15,000 spent on replacing the sash windows and the outside given a fresh coat of paint. 

The works were funded through the council’s Community Assistance Fund.

It completes other renovations carried out in recent years which included painting the interior walls, and sanding and varnishing the floorboards.

Cr Ryan said the shire had spent about $150,000 on the Kirkstall community in recent years to improve the hall and recreation reserve.

Works are still under way on the recreation reserve with about $72,000 spent on new toilets and barbecue facilities.

Works are still to be completed on the playground.

Ms Brown said the hall was used at least once a week.

“We have a bikkie bake-off, we do a garage sale and a Christmas party. It gets used numerous other times for meetings, dance classes and parties,” she said.

Cr Ryan said the shire was focused on promoting growing communities such as Kirkstall.

“It’s great for young and emerging communities like Kirkstall to get together and develop that community spirit and have events like this,” he said.