Vibrant festival a chance to celebrate what makes WA and the Goldfields extraordinary
Community, creativity and culture was on full display during Kalgoorlie-Boulder's WA Day celebrations.
The vibrant festival was presented by the Museum of the Goldfields and featured a jam-packed program with live performances, hands-on activities and market stalls.
There were plenty of children's activities on offer including Radrock Climbing Adventure's 4m-high course, face painting, a petting zoo and bouncy castles.
Curious minds could try their hand at gold panning, bubble fun with Super Sarah, the Mini Mining Zone, and the Camels and Cameleers exhibition at Museum In A Container.
On stage, there were performances from across the globe including acts from Puca Irish Music, The Salt Lake Shantymen, Filipino Dancers, and Ras Banamungu with African drumming.
Mayor Glenn Wilson said the event was an opportunity to celebrate what makes WA and the Goldfields extraordinary.
'WA Day is a spectacular day if you're West Australian, if you were born here, if you've made the decision to call Western Australia home, it gives us a great opportunity to share the pride in this big, bold State,' he said.
'Here in Kalgoorlie-Boulder . . . we're tough, we're resourceful and we're proud of our roots, but we're also very generous, welcoming and community minded.
'We're also a great community that looks out for each other, we look out for our neighbours, our friends, someone we've never met, we always lend a helping hand.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Thousands attend fun-filled Pinjarra festival
More than 20,000 people visited Pinjarra during the WA Day long weekend to join in the festivities at the 2025 Pinjarra Festival. Held in the Edenvale Heritage Precinct, the festival featured market stalls, free kids' activities, workshops, amusements, vintage cars and machinery displays, arts displays, and a plethora of food and drink options. The festival had lots of entertainment options for both children and adults. Credit: Supplied Musical acts Mel and the Misfits, Michael Ward Music, Midnight Rose, Applejack and Moonshine, and Alex Wayne Music all performed across the weekend alongside roving entertainment. Your local paper, whenever you want it. Shire of Murray president Douglas McLarty said he was proud to see the shire host an event that showcased the best of Pinjarra and the Murray region. 'Each year the Pinjarra Festival gets bigger and better,' he said. The festival started in 1999 and has grown each year since. Credit: Supplied 'Everyone who joined us over the weekend celebrated our community and our vibrant culture. We look forward to another great event next year.' The event was supported by the Shire of Murray, Lotterywest, South32, Doral, Tourism WA, Alcoa, Cleanaway and Community Bank Pinjarra.
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Local talent on display at Wavefest, Rueben Lemmes and Isi Campbell claim prestigious open titles
The Albany Boardriders Club hosted its annual Wavefest event at Muttonbird over the WA Day long weekend, with more than 60 surfers travelling from across the south coast to compete. 2023 champion Rueben Lemmes came back to reclaim glory with a win in the open men's and Denmark surf sensation Isi Campbell took out the open women's category. The event ran heats on Saturday then returned for finals on Monday, dodging unfavourable weather and swell forecasts on Sunday, and Albany Boardriders' competition director David Beeck said high-standard surfing was on display all weekend. 'There's a bit of a buzz going on around surfing down here at the moment, we saw some great action and some high quality surfing over the weekend, and there's definitely more people wanting to get involved which is always great to see,' he said. There was plenty of young talent on show in both the open categories, with Campbell taking to the waves while defending open men's champion Zen Shepherd was back out in the line-up. 'There's definitely a solid young crew coming up through the ranks, we're noticing more Albany kids in there as well as some Denmark ones, and the calibre of competition they put on over the Wavefest this year was incredible to see,' Beeck said. Lemmes clinched victory in a close fight over defending champion Shepherd, with Luke Anderson and young gun Tyce Shepherd coming in third and fourth respectively. Campbell outlasted strong challenges in the final of the open women's with Albany local Holly Minter snatching second spot, followed by Karina Hick in third and Sascha Roberts in fourth place. Jess Ngeh defended her over-30s women's title, with Hick picking up another placing for the weekend, this time second spot. Narelle Wakefield and Maeli Cherel rounded out the top four. Josh Coumans claimed victory in the over-35 men's ahead of Jeff Lee who was a close second while Rhys Jones and Andy McKinnon were third and fourth in the final. Albany surfer Darryn Oostdam won the over-45 men's final from Beeck in second place and Jason Oostdam and Adam Wheeler coming in third and fourth. The Southern Ocean Surf Reef is being constructed at Middleton Beach and Beeck said he believed the new break close to Albany's city centre was going to invite even more interest in surfing. 'I think the surf reef is going to do wonders, and it already is, because the Denmark kids have Ocean Beach to surf on right on their back door, but without Middleton all of Albany's breaks are a lot less accessible,' he said. 'I've been down at the new reef and seen plenty of kids riding their bikes down before school in the morning for a surf or after school, so I think it'll bring a whole new tribe of young groms to us and open surfing up to a lot of new people in Albany as well.'
West Australian
6 days ago
- West Australian
More than 1500 people turn out for WA Day at the Geraldton Museum
A gloomy forecast gave way to sunshine as more than 1500 people turned out for WA Day celebrations at the Geraldton Museum on Monday. The chance of bad weather forced organisers to turn to plan B, with some of the events and activities cancelled or moved indoors. However, clear skies prevailed for most of the day allowing locals and families the chance to enjoy a day packed full of activities. The free event provided open access to explore the museum and exhibits including the Best Moments on Country exhibition, to mark National Reconciliation Week 2025. The day offered guests the chance to take part in art workshops, face painting and plenty of hands-on fun for kids. Outside, the museum lawns and Museum Lane were transformed into a vibrant festival space with food vans offering a multicultural feast. Museum of Geraldton regional manager Leigh O'Brien estimated between 1500-2000 people attended and enjoyed the activities during the day. WA Day is a day of celebration for all things Western Australian, recognising the importance of Aboriginal history, the role of early European settlers and the multitude of cultures who have made, and continue to make the State their home.
