Australia Day 2012
Today is Australia Day, our national day of celebration and a declared public holiday. Australia Day marks the date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Philip landed the First Fleet in NSW and became Governor of the new colony. It used to be called Foundation Day until the name was changed in 1946. Today Australia Day is one of the three key celebrations that define what it means to be Australian. Over the last few decades it's grown to become as pivotal to our understanding of ourselves as ANZAC Day and Labour Day. Australia Day is also traditionally the day our nation hands out Australia Day Awards to outstanding citizens who've made significant contributions to the country and/or their communities. Here's your guide to what's happening around our region today:
Australia Day Celebrations - Blackbutt
- Blackbutt arts group The Friends Of Cultcha will be helping the Timber Town celebrate Australia Day this morning with their annual $10 Big Aussie Brekky, which will run from 8:00am this morning through until around 12:00 noon inside and around the Blackbutt Memorial Hall on the D'Aguilar Highway in the heart of town. In addition to a great hot and cold feed of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, cereal and all the traditional Aussie breakfast trimmings the event will also feature fun Australian sporting competitions like horseshoe tossing, rolling pin tossing and boot tossing and live music. Everyone is welcome along (last year's Big Aussie Brekky was a blast!) and you can obtain more details by phoning the Blackbutt Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4163-0633.
Australia Day Celebrations - Yarraman
- Yarraman's Australia Day celebrations will be held at the Yarraman Memorial Hall in Browne Street, Yarraman from 8:30am to around 10:30am this morning. This year the annual celebrations will take the form of a Community Aussie Breakfast (which will start being served at 9:00am). And after breakfast, Toowoomba Regional Councillor and former Rosalie Shire Mayor Noel Strohfeld will present the annual Australia Day Awards for the Yarraman Citizen of the Year, the Senior Citizen, the Student of the Year and the Aileen Noble Volunteer Award at around 10:00am. Everyone is welcome!
Australia Day Celebrations - Nanango
Historic Ringsfield House at 45 Alfred Street near Nanango's CBD will be the focus of the town's Australia Day celebrations this morning. Activities will kick off at 7:00am with a gold coin donation community Aussie Breakfast in the grounds accompanied by bush poets, live music and a few tall yarns. There'll be an official Flag Raising Ceremony at 8:00am, and then registrations for the popular dog high-jumping and tug-o-war competitions as soon as breakfast wraps up at 8:30am. This in turn will be followed by a morning of free family entertainment from about 9:00am onwards that will include the evergreen Ringsfield Dog Jumping Competition; a great Aussie morning tea (from 10:00am to 10:30am); and them the big Tug-O-War Contests for both men and women from 11:00am with a $100 first prize, $50 runner-up prize and $50 junior prize (all prizes will be donated to the community group of the prize-winner's choice). There'll also be face-painting for children and lots of children's activities, as well as free entry to Ringsfield House. Light refreshments will also be served throughout the morning but if you want to sit down it's best if you BYO chair. Everyone is welcome! More details? Contact Ringsfield House on (07) 4163-3345 or the Nanango Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4171-0100 or send them an email. UPDATE 25-Jan-12: Because of wet weather, today's celebrations have been relocated to the Nanango Showgrounds in Cairns Street.
Australia Day Celebrations - Maidenwell
- Maidenwell will be celebrating Australia Day all day today in and around the environs of the historic Maidenwell Hotel. The action will get underway at 10:00am with the now-traditional City vs Country Beach Cricket Match (if you want to play, phone the hotel on (07) 4164-6133). There'll also be a great burger and salad BBQ lunch on offer from around 12:00 noon and great live music as well. Everyone is welcome and a fun day out is guaranteed.
Australia Day Celebrations - Kingaroy
- Kingaroy will be celebrating Australia Day with a Community Fun Day at the new Dr Ellen Kent-Hughes forecourt outside the South Burnett Regional Council's offices in Glendon Street, Kingaroy from 6:30am onwards this morning. Activities will follow this schedule:
- 6:30am: Bush Poets Breakfast - come along and listen to some of the South Burnett's finest bush poets in action led by Carol Hutcheson
- 9:00am: Australia Day presentation, Affirmation and Flag Raising Ceremony
- 9:45am: Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony
These events will be followed by fun games and activities including cane toad racing; a pie eating competition; a lamington eating competition; whip-cracking; whistling and coo-eeing - all for great prizes. Note: In the event of bad weather, the alternate venue for this event is the Kingaroy Town Hall.
Australia Day Yabby Races - Kingaroy
- If you'd prefer to celebrate Australia Day with some pulse-pounding, heart-stopping racing, the South Burnett Thrashers will be holding their 4th annual Australia Day Yabby Races at the Kingaroy Hotel at the corner of Youngman and Haly Streets in Kingaroy from 12:30pm until around 6:00pm this afternoon. There'll be a rip-snorting sausage sizzle starting at 12:30pm and the first races will get underway at 1:00pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. More details? Phone the hotel on (07) 4162-1677.
Australia Day Celebrations - Wondai
The Wondai Events Committee, the Wondai Lions and the Wondai Art Gallery will be celebrating Australia Day between 7:00am and 10:00am this morning with a free Community Breakfast at Coronation Park in the Wondai CBD. The get-together will be accompanied by performances from the Wondai and District Town Band; an Australian Citizen Affirmation Ceremony and Flag Raising Ceremony at around 8:00am; and billycan painting for children at the Wondai Art Gallery. Everyone is welcome! More details? Contact the Wondai Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4168-5652 or send them an email.
Australia Day Smorgasbord Lunch - Wondai
- Dimities Cottage at 49 Haly Street in Wondai will be holding an Australia Day Smorgasbord Lunch from 12:00pm to 2:00pm this afternoon if you'd like to follow Wondai's morning celebrations (above) with a great all-you-can-eat feed afterwards. The cost is a modest $15.00 per person (BYO) but bookings are essential if you want to be certain of a seat: (07) 4168-5744
Australia Day Celebrations - Proston
- Proston will be celebrating Australia Day with a gold coin donation afternoon tea, free damper and a flag-raising at the Proston Scout Hall in Rodney Street at 2:30pm this afternoon, all provided by the Proston Scout Group. This will be followed by games and activities. Cold drinks will be on sale as well. Admission is free and everyone is very welcome to attend.
Australia Day Celebrations - Boondooma
- Boondooma Homestead at 8362 Mundubbera-Durong Road will be holding a free community BBQ, flag-raising ceremony and concert under the stars from 5:00pm until late this evening (BYO drinks). The concert will feature a bevy of bush balladeer performers and buses will be running from Murgon and Wondai to take people to this event and back home again afterwards. The bus fare is $5 and if you'd like a seat, you should book with the South Burnett Regional Council by calling or dropping in to their their Murgon or Wondai offices. Last year's Australia Day Concert at the Homestead was widely praised and this year organisers are expecting even bigger crowds.
Australia Day Celebrations - Murgon
Murgon's traditional Australia Day celebrations will be held at the Queensland Dairy & Heritage Museum in Sommerville Street (off Gayndah Road) from 7:00am this morning when activities will kick off with a gold coin donation Big Aussie Bush Breakfast. This will be followed by an Australia Day ceremony at 8:30am with special guest speaker Steve Renouf, and then a fun morning of activities for everyone which will include children's entertainment and zany competitions for adults accompanied by musical entertainment from the popular Stolzenberg Brothers, a flag raising ceremony and morning tea. More details? Contact the Murgon Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4168-3864 or send them an email. PS: This morning's activities will conclude at around 10:30am to 11:00am.
Australia Day Lunch & Dinner - Murgon
- The Murgon Services Club in Lamb Street, Murgon will be holding a special Australia Day luncheon and dinner today to help everyone who'd like a break from washing the dishes. Bookings are advisable, though, if you want to be sure of a seat: (07) 4168-1819. Note: If you fancy a good time after you've digested lunch, the South Burnett's most popular emcee DJdirex will be spinning the platters at the Services Club from 7:00pm until late as well.
New Movies At The Satellite
- If you'd prefer to celebrate Australia Day indoors this afternoon, Kingaroy's Satellite Cinema will be releasing two new movies at 3:00pm: the rip-roaring new Aussie-English comedy A Few Best Men (rated MA) directed by the same man who brought us Pricilla, Queen Of The Desert and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (rated M), the latest chair-gripping action/adventure movie in the new Sherlock Holmes franchise. Both movies will screen twice today and you can get screening times on our What's On At The Movies page.
Australia Day Party - Kingaroy
- The Commercial Hotel at the corner of Glendon and Haly Streets in Kingaroy will be holding an Australia Day Party all day today. Stunt Pig will be performing live in the beer garden from 2:00pm until 6:00pm and there'll also be games, a bocce tournament and lamb on a spit. Admission is free. More details from the hotel on (07) 4162-1380.
Taras Hall Bingo - Nanango
- Bingo games will be held at Taras Hall immediately next to Nanango RSL in Henry Street, Nanango at 10:00am this morning. Everyone is welcome!
South Burnett Chorale - Kingaroy
- The South Burnett Chorale will be holding the regular Thursday night practice meeting at the Church of Christ Hall at the corner of Haly and Burnett Streets in Kingaroy at 7:30pm this evening. New members are always very welcome! More details? Phone Di on (07) 4162-1647
St Joseph's Bingo - Murgon
- St Joseph's Parish Hall in Angel Avenue, Murgon will be holding bingo games from 7:30pm this evening. There'll be $1000 in prizes on offer as well as a canteen and lucky bingo tickets. Proceeds will go to aid St Joseph's school and community works.
Thursday Afternoon Golf - Nanango
- The Nanango Golf Club on the D'Aguilar Highway at Nanango holds a 9-hole stableford game every Thursday afternoon for anyone interested in playing. Names need to be in by 1:00pm for a 1:30pm start, and new players are always welcome. More details? Phone the golf club on (07) 4163-1463
