southburnett.com.au - What's On In The South Burnett

Australia Day

Today is Australia Day, a national public holiday. Australia Day marks the date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Philip raised the British flag at Port Jackson near the present-day site of Sydney and became Governor of the new British colony of New South Wales. Australia Day used to be called Foundation Day until the name was changed in 1946, but since then it's grown to become one of our key national celebrations. It's also traditionally the day when 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 At Boondooma Homestead

Historic Boondooma Homestead on the Durong-Mundubbera Road at Boondooma will be hosting an Australia Day celebration from 5:00pm this evening. Activities will kick off with a flag-raising ceremony and affirmation, and this will be followed by a gold coin donation BBQ dinner and a walk-up concert that will last until late tonight. A bus will be running from Murgon at 2:40pm on the day for just $5 per head (picking up at Wondai's IGA (3:00pm), Hivesville QCWA (3:35pm) and Proston Town Hall (3:50pm), but you'll need to pre-book a seat by phoning the Proston Country Bus Service on (07) 4168-9296. Everyone is welcome! More details? Phone Judy at the Homestead on 0427-364-026.

Australia Day At The Dairy Museum - Murgon

Murgon will be celebrating Australia Day with a community breakfast and family fun morning at the Queensland Dairy & Heritage Museum in Gesslers Road, Murgon. A BBQ breakfast will be held from 7:00am to 8:00am, and this will be followed by a recognition of Murgon's Australia Day Award winners at 8:30am, then by live musical entertainment, a Flag Raising Ceremony and a great morning tea to round things out. Everyone is welcome! More details? Contact the Museum on (07) 4169-5001.

Australia Day Community Breakfast - Hivesville

Hivesville will be celebrating Australia Day with a community BBQ breakfast at Anzac Park (opposite the Hivesville Hotel). The breakfast is being hosted by the Hivesville Progress Association and will get underway around 7:00am.

Australia Day Afternoon Tea - Proston

The Proston Scouts will be hosting a free Australia Day afternoon tea with coffee, tea, damper and lamingtons at the troop's den in Rodney Street, Proston from 2:30pm to around 4:00pm today. Cold drinks will be on sale, too, and there'll also be a family friendly cricket game and an optional sign on for Scouts membership as well. Everyone is welcome!

Australia Day Community Breakfast - Wondai

A free Australia Day Community Breakfast will be held at Coronation Park in the heart of Wondai's CBD in Mackenzie Street from 7:00am to around 9:00am this morning. Apart from a great brekkie prepared by the Wondai Lions Club there'll also be live entertainment from the Wondai Town & District Band, an Australia Day Affirmation Ceremony, a Flag Raising Ceremony and the cutting of an Australia Day cake at around 8:00am. Everyone is welcome!

Australia Day Community Breakfast - Nanango

The Nanango Tourism and Development Association, the South Burnett Regional Council and Nanango Show Society will be jointly hosting a free Australia Day Community Breakfast at the Nanango Showgrounds in Cairns Street from 7:00am this morning, followed by a morning of fun entertainment and treats for kids. A flag raising ceremony and the presentation of Australia Day award winners from the Nanango area will be held at around 9:00am (compered by Cr Roz Frohloff) and there will also be bush poets, the traditional dog high jumps, a tug-o-war, an Aussie singalong and a great morning tea of damper and golden syrup at around 10:30am, followed by watermelon until noon. Coffee, tea and cold drinks will be available all morning, too, and everyone is welcome!

Australia Day Celebrations - Blackbutt

Blackbutt will be celebrating Australia Day with markets, a community sausage sizzle breakfast, live bands and an Australia Day games program in and around the Blackbutt Memorial Hall and Brisbane Valley Rail Trail in Bowman Road, Blackbutt from 7:00am to around 1:00pm this morning. Activities will kick off at 7:00am with the opening of the Top Of The Range Bazaar (sign in at at the Hall) and it will be accompanied by a community sausage sizzle breakfast (free for locals, gold coin donation for visitors) from 8:00am to 11:00am. At 9:00am, local bands will strike up, and they'll play until about 1:00pm. And at 10:00am, the town's Australia Day Games will also get underway, allowing guests to try their skills at the Avo Toss, gumboot throwing, a rolling pin toss, horseshoe tossing and many other fun sports. The official activities will wind down around 1:00pm, after which Australia Day celebrations of a more commercial kind will continue at the nearby Radnor Hotel and Bunyanut Cafe in Coulson Street (see entries elsewhere on this page).

Australia Day Celebrations - Kingaroy

Kingaroy's Australia's Day celebrations will be held at the Kingaroy Cricket Club in Youngman Street, Kingaroy (just next to Beangrowers) this morning, kicking off with a free community breakfast prepared by the Kingaroy Lions at 7:00am, followed by scones and damper provided by Quota and the QCWA. There'll also be face painting and children's activities organised by Kingaroy's scouts and guides to keep young children amused; bush poetry and cooee competitions; and a display by local whip-crackers, including Nathan Griggs, the holder of 5 Guiness world records. A Flag Raising Ceremony will be performed by the 135 Army Cadet Unit at 9:00am, followed by a Citizenship Ceremony, Affirmation and the National Anthem. And after this, popular local entertainers Misfitz will be taking to the stage while the BBQs fire up for lunch, multi-draw raffles are run, and the first round of the U18s Carl Rackemann Challenge T-20 cricket competition between the Northern Stars and Southern Bulls is played on the main oval. Everyone is welcome and there's no admission fee.

Queensland Touring Film Festival - Nanango

The Nanango Theatre Company will be screening eight Australian short films that are part of this year's Queensland Touring Film Festival at their playhouse at the corner of Elk and George Streets, Nanango at 7:00pm tonight. All the films that will be screened this evening are M rated and tickets are $25, which includes wine and cheese. You can read more about today's screenings on our website. More details? Bookings? Phone Jon on 0407-631-611 or Anne on 0439-709-214.

Australia Day At The Radnor

The Radnor Hotel at the corner of Coulson and Hart Streets in Blackbutt will be celebrating Australia Day from 3:00pm until late with live music from The Demon Drink, an all-day Aussie BBQ and wood chopping and chainsaw racing exhibitions out the back of the hotel featuring South Burnett world champion axeman (and Blackbutt's own) Mitch Argent. Everyone is welcome and there's no entry fee. More details? Phone the hotel on (07) 4163-0203.

Australia Day At The Bunyanut Cafe

The Bunyanut Cafe in Coulson Street, Blackbutt will be hosting an a-la-carte lunch from noon today featuring a special Australia Day menu (which includes a Mitch Argent Burger) and - wait for it! - Aussie Avo Ale, a refreshing full bodied, cream ale brewed from Australian avocados in Wollongong. There'll be many other items on the menu as well, and Mitch will also be putting in an appearance before his afternoon woodchopping exhibition at the Radnor a few doors away (see entry above). Everyone is welcome but a booking is highly advisable if you want to be sure of a seat: (07) 4163-0375.

Australia Day At The Royal

The Royal Hotel on the D'Aguilar Highway at Yarraman will be celebrating Australia Day with a Family Fun Day, kicking off at noon with a gourmet BBQ lunch. This will be followed by a range of Aussie games including gumboot tossing, thong throwing, Australia Day trivia and a tug-o-war, and then live music from La Beat Entertainment. Everyone is welcomed and a courtesy bus is available in the local area if you phone the hotel on (07) 4163-8219.

Australia Day At The Cooyar Hotel

The Cooyar Hotel on the New England Highway at Cooyar will be celebrating Australia Day from 4:00pm this afternoon with cane toad and yabby races (with a calcutta on both events), thong throwing and an old fashioned Aussie tug-o-war. The hotel's kitchen will also be open if you want to grab a bite, and free camping is available nearby if you want to stay over. More details? Phone the hotel on (07) 4692-6185.

Australia Day At The Maidenwell Hotel

The Maidenwell Hotel will be celebrating Australia Day in a low-key way with an Aussie BBQ lunch of sausages and burgers served between noon and 2:00pm, along with ice-cold beer. More details? Phone the hotel on (07) 4164 6133.

Australia Day At Nanango RSL

Nanango RSL in George Street, Nanango will be marking Australia Day with a pig-on-a-spit lunch, games, raffles and live entertainment from popular performer Natalie Fenton running from noon until late today. There's no admission and everyone is welcome! More details? Phone the RSL on (07) 4163-1375.

Australia Day At The Palace

The Palace Hotel in Drayton Street, Nanango will be marking Australia Day with live entertainment from performer Matt Schlam from 11:30am to around 2:30pm today. The hotel's kitchen will also be running if you get hungry - and the bar as well, if thirst is your enemy - and everyone is welcome. More details? Phone Beau or Nathan on (07) 4163-1287.

Australia Day At The Carrollee

The Carrollee Hotel in King Street, Kingaroy will be marking Australia Day with lots of fun family activities including a water slide, hair braiding and face painting for children; live entertainment from Tucker & Chop from noon; and a meat pie eating competition at 2:30pm. Everyone is welcome, and you can get more details from the hotel on (07) 4162-1055.

Australia Day At The Australian Hotel

The Australian Hotel at the corner of Lamb and Gore streets in Murgon will celebrate Australia Day with karaoke, a BBQ and giveaways between 1:00pm and 4:00pm this afternoon. More details? Phone the hotel on (07) 4168-1095.

Australia Day Cricket - Yarraman

A BYO BBQ and a social game of cricket will be held at Errol Munt Park on the New England Highway at Yarraman from 10:00am this morning to celebrate Australia Day. Everyone is welcome.