May 14, 2019
More than 1000 fishermen, their families and friends are expected to travel to Boondooma Dam on May 17-18, and they should plan to have a great time when they get there.
The lure is the inaugural Boondooma Open, a weekend-long fishing competition organised by South Burnett tourism ambassador and professional angler Matthew Mott.
As many as 50 teams of anglers from across Queensland are expected to wet a line and try to win prizes for the most fish caught, the biggest Bass, biggest Golden Perch, and a fish of random nominated length during the two days of the competition.
But spectators can have a great time ashore whether they intend to go fishing or not.
Market stalls and children’s activities will be running on site from 10:00am on Saturday, and live music will be running from 6:00pm until late on Saturday.
There’ll also be a fireworks display lighting up the sky about 8:00pm, and this will be followed by a raffle draw at 8:30pm where one lucky ticket holder will go home with a $15,500 home theatre sound system.
There’ll also be plenty of food and drink stands dotting the grounds, and camping sites and cabins will be available from the Lake Boondooma Recreation Park for those who want to stay both days.
The inaugural competition has attracted a $10,000 sponsorship from the South Burnett Regional Council to get the event off the ground.
It will be modelled on similar successful family fishing competitions Matthew has organised for Somerset Regional Council at the Somerset and Wivenhoe Dams over the past few years.
Matthew told southburnett.com.au he was very excited about the Open, and hoped a successful first run would see it grow into an annual event.
“We have two great dams here in the South Burnett, and we have the potential to link up with other dams in adjoining regions to create an inland fishing touring circuit,” he said.
“If we did, that would bring thousands of visitors to the South Burnett each year.”
Matthew said the key aim for the initial Open was to ensure that everyone who came along had such a good time they’d come back next year.
If that goal was achieved, he believes it will set the event on the path of year-on-year growth.
Matthew said he had taken special care to source the weekend’s major raffle prize, which will be drawn Saturday night.
“This sound system is top-end gear you can’t buy in a normal retail store,” he said.
“We’ll be selling raffle tickets at the Open for $20, and that’s a bargain because tickets can only be obtained at the Open and you need to be present when the raffle is drawn to claim the prize.
“So if we only sell 100 or 200 tickets, the odds of winning are pretty good for any ticket-holder … and where else can you win a $15,000 prize for a $20 investment?”
- Details about the Boondooma Open and entry forms can be found on the Fishing Freshwater website
- Details about accommodation at Boondooma Dam can be found on the Lake Boondooma Recreation Park website
