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

78th Annual Blackbutt Show

The 78th Annual Blackbutt Show will be held at the Blackbutt Showgrounds in Hart Street, Blackbutt from early this morning until late tonight. This year's Show will feature a full range of horse events (anything from led breed and ridden breed through to hacks and rider classes). There'll also be a big roll-up of stud cattle and poultry; the popular woodchop and sawing competitions; lots of ring events; post ripping; wool spinning demonstrations and a Ute Muster too. As usual, the Show will also feature a great spread of pavilion exhibits; a new sideshow alley; showbags; cooking demonstrations by South Burnett chef Jason Ford; and trade displays too. There'll also be a Bull and Bronco Rodeo at 5:30pm along with a Woolly Jumbuck Ride. Then from 8:00pm until around midnight, popular country rock performer Arthur Nettelfield will be taking to the main stage for a great night of toe-tapping entertainment under the stars. The 2012 Show will be officially opened at 2:00pm by a surprise guest and admission this year is still just $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for pensioners with a card and high school students (children under 12 are admitted free). More details? Contact Show Society secretary Lynette Argent on (07) 4163-0999 or (0428) 908-334 or email her

Bowls Club Bingo - Kingaroy

The Kingaroy Bowls Club at 141 Youngman St, Kingaroy will be running bingo matches from 7:30pm this evening with over $1000 in prizes on offer. More details from the club on (07) 4162-1404

Queensland Local Government Elections

The 2012 Queensland Local Government elections will be held today, and South Burnett residents will go to the polls to elect Mayors and Councillors for the Gympie, South Burnett and Toowoomba Regional Shire Councils, depending on where they live. Today's elections are the first since the Bligh Government's forced council mergers in 2008 and they'll give voters the chance to express their views about how things have turned out. Readers in the Gympie and Toowoomba Regional Council areas will all have to turn out and vote today (voting is compulsory) but roughly half of South Burnett Regional Council voters don't have to vote because three of the Council's six divisions are uncontested. You can get our handy guide to the 2012 Council elections on this page of our website. And you'll find the results of today's elections on our front page as soon as they're announced.

RSPCA Fundraiser Dinner - Kingaroy

Accents Restaurant and Cafe at 30 Alford Street, Kingaroy, is hosting a special fundraising dinner from 6:00pm this evening to help support the Kingaroy RSPCA shelter. Tickets are $50 per person and $5 from each one will go to the RSPCA shelter. For more information and to book, contact the restaurant on (07) 4162-2990.

Rumours - Nanango

The Nanango Theatre Company will be presenting the fourth performance of their latest production "Rumours" (a Neil Simon farce) at the Nanango Theatre Company Playhouse at the corner of Elk and George Streets, Nanango at 7:00pm this evening (plays begins at 7:30pm sharp). Rumours tells the story of several affluent couples who gather together for a dinner party celebrating their hosts' tenth anniversary. However, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host - the deputy mayor of New York - has shot himself through the earlobe. Comic complications arise when - given everyone's upper class status - they decide they need to do everything possible to conceal the evening's events from the local police and the media. Tonight's show is a supper night and will continue until around 10:00pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and pensioners (or $15 and $10 if you book and pay 7 days in advance). More details and/or bookings? Phone In Gear in Fitzroy Street, Nanango on (07) 4163-3582. Some tickets will be available at the door as well. [Note: Two additional performances will be held at the same time and venue on May 4th and 5th]

Who Let The Dogs Out? - Kingaroy

The Commercial Hotel at the corner of Haly and Glendon Streets in Kingaroy will be holding a "Who Let The Dogs Out?" fundraiser for the Kingaroy RSPCA animal shelter tonight from 7:00pm1:00am tonight. Patrons who wear a dog collar will be in the running to win some VIP schmackos, and DJ's Michael M and Pauley Kruger will be providing the musical entertainment. Admission is free if you get in by 10:00pm or $5 if you're late. More details from the hotel on (07) 4162-1380.

Wondai Country Markets

The Wondai Regional Art Gallery's popular, getting-bigger-every-month Wondai Country Markets will be operating in Coronation Park in the Wondai CBD from 7:00am to 12:00 noon today. Today's markets will feature (amongst any other things) stallholders selling fresh fruit and vegetables, arts and crafts, useful knick-knacks and clothing. There'll also be live entertainment; lots and lots of other stalls selling great gifts and goodies; and the Wondai Kindergarten's BBQs firing up from 6:45am to dish out hearty breakfasts to early bargain hunters. New stallholders are always very welcome - stall fees range from $10 with power and water available if needed - and you can obtain more details by phoning the Gallery on (07) 4168-5926 or by emailing them

Manumbar Campdraft

The first day of the weekend-long Manunmbar Campdraft will get underway at the Manumbar campdraft grounds at around 6:30am this morning. Admission is free for spectators. More details? Directions? Phone Merle Richards on (07) 4168-8193 CANCELLED: This event was cancelled by the organisers at 9:30am Saturday morning, April 28 due to wet weather.

What's On At The Wineries This Weekend

The South Burnett's wineries and cellar doors will all be open this weekend if you want to relax in their cafes and/or taste their wines. The South Burnett is now the largest wine region in Queensland and (excluding the Granite Belt) larger than all the State's other wine regions put together. You can find out what our wineries' opening hours are this weekend, the individual facilities that each one offers and news about any special events they might also be running on South Burnett Wine

Dance - Booie Hall

A dance will be held at Booie Hall from 8:00pm until late this evening. Music will be supplied by Commodore and there'll be the usual great supper, novelties and lucky door prize. Admission is $10 for adults or $5 for high school students and everyone is welcome! More details? Phone Bert on (07) 4162-3227

Strewth - Kingaroy

Strewth will be performing at the Kingaroy RSL in Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy from 7:30pm to 11:30pm this evening. Admission is free. More details? Phone the RSL on (07) 4162-1755

2012 Bush Balladeers Muster - Boondooma

The 2012 Spirit Of The Bush Heritage Weekend and Balladeers Muster will kick off at Boondooma Homestead on the Boondooma-Mundubbera Road north of Durong at 9:00am this morning for the fourth of five days of non-stop entertainment from a wide range of invited artists, walk-up artists and bush poets, along with guided historic tours of the property for anyone interested in inspecting this iconic South Burnett site. The Muster will run through until tomorrow and on-site camping is available (last year more than 600 vans came for the event). You can obtain a full program and all details about it on the Boondooma Homestead website.

South Burnett Ruby League

The 3rd Round of the South Burnett Premier League will be played this weekend with a massive triple header at Kingaroy's T.J. O'Neill Oval in Youngman Street. As there are no junior games this weekend – because of the Wide Bay 47th Battalion Junior Carnival being played at Gympie – the South Burnett clubs have decided to play all Senior games at the one location. And it looks like being a huge day for league fans! Matches will kick off at 12:00 noon with U18s Kingaroy v Wallaroos. This will be followed at 1:30pm with Cherbourg v Wondai, then at 3:00pm with Blackbutt v Murgon before concluding with the 4:30pm kick-off for Kingaroy v Nanango. Spectators and supporters are very welcome.

Saturday Soccer

The 3rd round of the Evolution Solar Soccer League will be played out in Kingaroy and Murgon today. In Kingaroy, the 2nd division Gunners will take on Wests at Tom Alford Oval in Oliver Bond Street at 2:00pm. This will be followed by a clash between the Gunnettes and Wests in the women's division at 3:15pm, and then the first grade game between Gunners and Wests at 5:00pm. And in Murgon, the 2nd division Barambah will play Nanango at the Murgon Showgrounds in Macalister Street at 2:00pm, followed by a womens division match between Barambah and Nanango at 3:15pm; and then the 1st division game between Barambah and Nanango at 5:00pm. Meanwhile, Junior matches will be played at the Wondai Sports Grounds off the Bunya Highway north of Wondai from 8:30am this morning for all other divisions. Spectators and supporters are most welcome!

Pig On A Spit Night - Maidenwell

Maidenwell's historic Maidenwell Hotel will be holding another of their popular monthly Pig On A Spit evenings from 6:00pm until late tonight tonight (dinner is served from 6:00pm to 8:00pm). There'll be live entertainment and lots of cold beer, as well as more pork than you can possibly poke a stick at! The hotel's Pig On A Spit nights are held on the last Saturday of every month and they're always a lot of fun! The cost is only $12.50 for adults and $6.50 for children. More information? Phone the pub on (07) 4164-6133.