January 25, 2023
If you’re wondering what to do on the Australia Day public holiday this week, there’s heaps of activities happening around the region … from rolling pin throwing to jelly wrestling and everything in between.
The quirky events are back this year after many activities were cancelled in 2022 due to the pandemic.
But there’s some more serious things happening on Thursday, too, including award presentations (at Murgon, see below), a big charity fundraising day in Kingaroy, and an opportunity for artists (and would-be artists) to have fun at the Wondai Art Gallery with the chance of winning prizes.
* * *
A special event has been planned at Kingaroy Golf Club to raise funds for Brisbane’s Leukaemia House.
The Golf Day is being held in memory of Ben Brooks who died of leukaemia on Australia Day last year.
The Memorial Golf Day will kick off with registrations at 7:30am.
There’ll also be plenty of fun for non-golfers from noon with live music, raffles, money boards, a tug-o-war and thong-tossing competitions.
A cake stall will be offering cupcakes, slices, sausages on bread, pulled pork burgers and more.
The day will have an Australia Day dress theme.
Organisers have also suggested people bring along folding chairs or a picnic blanket.
* * *
At Wondai Art Gallery, an all-day art competition will be running with the Australia Day theme: “Reflect, Respect, Celebrate”.
The day will start with a free breakfast and flag-raising ceremony, accompanied by the Wondai & District Town Band, in the park behind the art gallery from 7:00am.
Everyone will then be invited to come back into The Studio, inside Wondai Art Gallery, to paint, draw or sketch.
There’ll be two artists on hand to provide inspiration and all materials will be provided.
Artists of all ages – young and old – have been invited to take part.
And the best thing … it’s free!
At 5:00pm, judges will cast an eye over the completed works and select the winners in various categories.
At 6:00pm, everyone will be invited back into The Studio for a pizza night, live music and the announcement of the winners.
* * *
Here’s our wrap-up of what’s been planned around the region:
Blackbutt
- Blackbutt have a free community fun morning at the Roy Emerson Museum Precinct and the trailhead at the end of Hart Street from 8:00am to noon. There’ll be a sausage sizzle, damper and jam, rolling pin throwing competition plus local musicians and entertainers. Blackbutt Pony Club will deliver the flags for the flag-raising ceremony.
- The Radnor Hotel will have a barbecue at noon, followed by woodchopping and sawing competitions until 4:00pm, and then live entertainment from Brisbane pub band Bango Lasso until late. All activities will occur on the hotel’s rear deck and there’s no admission charge.
Cooyar
- The Cooyar Hotel will have a Pig On A Spit lunch from 11:00am, followed by yabby races at 1:00pm, a thong toss, tug-o-war, egg and spoon races, cold pie, Sao and hot beer food competitions. The day will have a Hawaiian theme and there’ll be prizes for the best-dressed. There’ll also be activities for children and Aussie tunes in the Outback Bar all day. No entry fee.
Boondooma Homestead
- Historic Boondooma Homestead will be hosting an evening event from 5:00pm. Activities will kick off with a flag-raising ceremony followed by a barbecue dinner. A bus will be running from Murgon, picking up at the Murgon VIC at 3:00pm, Wondai VIC at 3:10pm and Proston Town Hall at 3:45pm and returning at 7:00pm. Book a $5 seat by phoning Pursers Coaches on (07) 4168-1533.
Hivesville
- Hivesville will have a free community breakfast and flag-raising ceremony from 7:00am. The event is being organised by the Hivesville Progress Association.
Kilkivan
- Kilkivan Hotel will have a special lunch from noon, offering a choice of spit-roasted lamb or prawns, followed by pavlova. This will be followed by Alice Benfer Music who’ll be performing from 2:00pm and a repeat of the lunch menu for dinner about 6:00pm.
Kingaroy
- Kingaroy activities will be held in the Glendon Street forecourt, kicking off with a free community breakfast provided by the Kingaroy Lions Club from 7:00am, followed by scones and damper prepared by the QCWA and the Bunya Scout Group, along with lots of fun activities for children. These will be followed by a flag-raising ceremony, a Citizenship Affirmation Ceremony and the National Anthem, after which the Kingaroy Ukesters will provide entertainment
- Brooksy’s Memorial Golf Day will be held at the Kingaroy Golf Club on the Bunya Highway to help raise funds for Brisbane’s Leukaemia House. The event will kick off with golf registrations at 7:30am for an 8:30am tee-off (to submit a team, phone John on 0439-420-213). Afterwards, there’ll be fun for non-golfers from noon.
- The Commercial Hotel will have a sausage sizzle from 11:30am with fun games and live music from Chris Timms. No admission fee.
- The Carrollee Hotel will have activities from 1:00pm with a meat pie-eating competition, hair- braiding competition and live music from Warren Gould. There’ll also be face painting for children.
- Kingsley Grove Estate will be running a lunch from 11:00am, offering guests an Australia Day starter board of Vegemite and cheese bites, lamingtons and Rocky Road, followed by a wood-fired pizza lunch and a pavlova board for dessert. Depending on what you select, the lunch will cost between $10 and $55.
Maidenwell
- The Maidenwell Hotel will have live music and a sausage sizzle. Local musician Chris Munro will be performing from 11:00am to 3:00pm; the sausage sizzle will run from 3:00pm to 5:00pm and Amos will perform from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.
Murgon
- Murgon will have a free community morning tea and presentation of the MBDA’s Australia Day awards to local residents at the Queensland Dairy and Heritage Museum from 8:30am.
- The Royal Hotel will be offering an Australia Day lunch including meat pies, lamb, fish and chips and pavlova from noon, followed by toad races at 2:00pm.
Nanango
- Nanango will have a free community breakfast from 7:00am in the undercover area at Nanango Showgrounds thanks to NaTDA, Heritage Bank and the South Burnett Regional Council. Apart from great home style brekkies offering bacon, eggs, baked beans, sausages, toast, damper and soft drinks the morning will also feature live entertainment from the NaTDA Community Choir, bush poetry and a jumping castle. There’ll also be a Best Bush Hat competition and an appearance by The Damper Man.
- Nanango RSL Club will be have lunch from noon with live music from MISfITZ. The club will also be running its weekly bingo games at Taras Hall in the morning (doors open at 8:30am; eyes down at 9:30am).
Proston
- The Golden Spurs Hotel’s activities will get under way at 1:00pm with live music by The Dovetails, yabby races, jelly wrestling, karaoke and a sausage sizzle.
Wondai
- A free community breakfast and flag-raising ceremony will be held at the Wondai Regional Art Gallery at 7:00am, after which guests will be invited to paint, draw or sketch on provided canvases and boomerangs on what Australia Day and its theme “Reflect, Respect and Celebrate” means to them. Judges will assess the works at 5:00pm and announce the winners at 6:00pm, after which there’ll be free pizza.
- A line dancing class will be held at Wondai’s Memorial Hall in Mackenzie Street from 9:30am to noon, followed by a morning tea. Class fees are $5 – which includes the morning tea – but you need to BYO mug.
- An Australia Day Luau will be held at the Wondai Swimming Pool from noon. Hawaiian dress (or Aussie dress) is encouraged and entry is normal pool admission fees.
- The Cecil Hotel will be offering a $10 schooner and sausage sizzle deal. Bogan dress is suggested but optional.
- Dimities Cottage will be running an all-you-can-eat BYO buffet lunch from noon to 2:00pm. Tickets are $25 per head but a booking is essential if you want to be sure of a seat: (07) 4168-5744.
- The Sawmill Hotel will have a barbecue sausage sizzle from 11:30am featuring sandwiches, homemade rissoles and free bar snacks a well as sausages on bread.
Yarraman
- A free pool party will be held at the Yarraman Aquatic Centre from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Entry is free but all children aged 12 and below must be accompanied by an adult.
- The Royal Hotel will host an Australia Day Party from 1:00pm with “sumo wrestling” competitions, yabby races and a pie-eating competition. There’ll also be free pool all day.
NB. Some of the events listed here are sponsored by the South Burnett Regional Council and local not-for-profit groups; others are purely commercial.
