Fishing, family fun and sports action all on offer in Central Qld this weekend

From festival fun to the grace of dance and even top-level sporting action, we give you the rundown on nine major events happening in the Gladstone and Rockhampton regions here.

Major events on Labour Day weekend in Rockhampton and Gladstone.

It is a long weekend and Central Queensland residents have a variety of events in which to take part or to watch.

From festival fun to the grace of dance and even top-level sporting competition, we detail 10 of the major events on offer in the Gladstone and Rockhampton regions here.

The dance section of the Rockhampton Eisteddfod is being held at the Pilbeam Theatre.

1. The region’s leading dancers are gracing the stage of the Pilbeam Theatre. The dance section of the Rockhampton Eisteddfod started on Thursday and continues through to next Wednesday. Four hundred entries have been received for the seven-day program. For the first time, all of the group sections will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Session start times are mornings 9am, afternoons 1.30pm, and evenings 7pm.

Anglers will flock to the region for the annual Boyne Tannum HookUp.

2. Anglers from all over will be looking to land the big one at the three-day Boyne Tannum HookUp, which starts on Friday. Billed as Australia’s biggest family fishing competition, it boasts a prize pool worth more than $375,000. Now in its 27th year, the event attracts thousands of registered fishing competitors and visitors to Bray Park, Boyne Island. Categories include live barramundi catch and release, three tagged fish and the live and non-live team fishing competition.

Masters hockey players will be in action at Rockhampton’s Kalka Shades.

3. Some of Queensland’s most experienced hockey players will be in action in Rockhampton at the weekend. The Rockhampton Hockey Association will host the Queensland Masters over-34 and over-50 men’s championships at Kalka Shades. Twenty-seven teams from Cairns to the Gold Coast and centres in between will compete. Play starts at 8am Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the finals on Monday. Rockhampton will field a team in the over-50s, while locals will combine with Mackay reps to make the CQ Mud Turtles team in the younger division.

Competitors will saddle up for three days of action at the Ridgelands Campdraft. Photo: Contributed.

4. There will be horsepower aplenty on show at the Ridgelands Campdraft. The annual event is being held at the Ridgelands Showgrounds, with the program starting at 6.30am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday’s program includes the futurity draft, ladies draft, open draft and restricted draft. There are more than 200 competitors, the majority of them from Central Queensland, who will complete almost 1100 runs over the three days.

More than 200 golfers will hit the fairways for the City of Rockhampton Open.

5. A full field of 224 golfers will hit the fairways at the City of Rockhampton Open at the Rockhampton Golf Course. Players will tee off at 8.30am Saturday and Sunday, competing in four grades - A1, A2, B and C. Biloela’s Dylan Parish will be back to defend his title, but can expect some tough competition from another former winner in Adam Mollis and Rockhampton’s Richie Pershouse, Daryl Miles and Damien Ling. Players will travel from as far afield as Townsville and Lismore. The City of Rockhampton Ladies Open on Friday has attracted about 80 players.

There will be plenty of entertainment on offer at the Golden Mount Festival in Mount Morgan.

6. Mount Morgan will be the venue for a full day of family fun and entertainment on Saturday. The annual Golden Mount Festival, the town’s premier event, starts at 8.30am. The jam-packed program includes markets, live music, a gold dig for both juniors and seniors, fireworks and the Gold Rush Procession. Running the Cutter, the iconic relay race where each runner carries a billy between the hotels and must drink a pot of beer, will start at 3.15pm.

Plenty of tennis will be played at the Rockhampton Regional Tennis Centre.

7. The Rockhampton Regional Tennis Centre will be a hive of activity with two major tournaments being played there. The 97th edition of the Town and Country doubles tournament starts at 9am Saturday and runs to Monday. Twenty-six men’s and women’s teams will be on court. Meanwhile, some of the game’s leading juniors will be on court for the 2022 Queensland Country Teams Cup. That event is open to under-18 players also runs from Saturday to Monday.

Kazzi Doyle with play with the Rocky Rustlers at the 47th Battalion Memorial Trophy.

8. Rugby league teams will descend on Gladstone for the 47th Battalion Memorial Trophy this weekend. Rockhampton, Gladstone and the Central Highlands will be among the eight men’s and six women’s teams in action. Games will be played at Marley Brown Oval and Briffney Creek Fields, starting at 9.30am Saturday and continuing from 9am Sunday.

Labour Day marches will be held in Rockhampton and Gladstone on Monday.

9. Central Queensland residents will celebrate Labour Day with parades and family fun on Monday. In Gladstone, the parade will start at 10am from the Gladstone Regional Council car park in Central Lane. A family fun day will follow from 10.30am at Area D of the Gladstone Marina. In Rockhampton, the parade will start at 2.30pm at the Knight Street entrance of Kershaw Gardens. The family fun day will be held from 3pm at the Rockhampton Recreation Club in Miles Street.