From hot air balloons to Shannon Noll: How your council will celebrate Aust Day
Concerts by Shannon Noll and Ricki-Lee Coulter, fireworks and all-day barbecues ... these are just some of the events planned for our national day in Sydney. Find out what celebrations your council has in place.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From pop and rock stars headlining concerts to firework spectaculars, hot air balloon rides, all-day barbecues and water park fun, Australia Day will be a celebration across all points of the compass in Sydney this Sunday.
To the west, councils are planning to roll out activities as diverse as the almost three million people who populate the heart of the arbour city.
About 20,000 people are expected to attend Blacktown City Council’s annual concert at Rooty Hill, where Shannon Noll is the headline act, while its citizenship ceremony for more than 500 will be arguably the country’s largest.
Pop queen Ricki-Lee Coulter is the feature performer at The Hills Shire Council’s almost five hours of celebrations in Bella Vista, where food trucks, carnival rides and face painting will provide entertainment before a fireworks finale.
Parramatta City Council has two days of events planned at Parramatta Park, including the opportunity for more than 350 locals to ride in hot air balloons.
“It is a unique part of the way we mark Australia Day,” Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter said. “The Australia Day long weekend is the perfect time to bring our community together to reflect on what unites us.”
Penrith City Council’s Australia Day celebrations include 10-hour pool parties at Ripples Leisure Centres in Penrith and St Marys.
In Sydney’s south, Sutherland Shire Council has a Cronulla Beach concert featuring evergreen singer Daryl Braithwaite, Australian Idol winner Dylan Wright and rock band Baby Animals, before the evening closes with fireworks after 9pm.
The previous evening a three-hour sunset cultural ceremony will be staged at Burnum Burnum Sanctuary in Woronora, where residents can join a yarning circle and support First Nations stallholders.
Georges River Council has Australia Day Awards and an Australia Day picnic at Carss Park planned, with Mayor Elise Borg saying: “Georges River is a community that thrives on inclusivity and respect, and this year’s Australia Day program reflects those values.
“From recognising the achievements of local heroes to celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, this program provides meaningful opportunities for the entire community to connect and learn from each other.”
Celebrations in the city’s north will include an Australia Day Breakfast at Newport Beach on Sunday morning with fours of activities to include live music, amusement rides and a thong throwing competition.
Hornsby Shire Council has a concert in Hornsby Park featuring The Funky Monkeys and the Lily Guerrero Band. Free tickets to Koala Park at West Pennant Hills were also available but excessive demand has forced council to create a waitlist.
City of Ryde Council will host a five-hour celebration at Meadowbank Park.
“Australia Day is a moment to come together as a community to reflect on our journey, celebrate our shared achievements, and embrace the diversity that makes us stronger,” Mayor Trenton Brown said.
In the east, Randwick City Council has three hours of activities in Kensington Park on Sunday, featuring food trucks, stilt walkers, circus games and live entertainment.
‘Culture on Country’, a celebration of local Aboriginal musicians and performers, will also be staged on the La Perouse Headland from 4pm.
But Sydney’s most visible and biggest budget celebrations will be held in the City of Sydney Council area, commencing with a Dawn Reflection which will see the Sydney Opera House sails lit with Aboriginal artwork.
Throughout Sunday, events will include the long-running Ferry and Tall Ships races, while the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes will perform aerobatic routines above the harbour for the first time in more than a decade.
The Overseas Passenger Terminal will be transformed into a “Mega Kidz Zone’” and the annual Oz Day 10km wheelchair race will work its way through The Rocks.
Angelina Blazevski, a dancer from Zetland, was planning to get among the action by going to the beach and attending the Australia Day Live concert at the Opera House.
“It’s a chance to hang with friends and have a really good time,” the 18-year-old said.
“We will probably have about four of us and we will all head out and have a good night.
“It’s probably the last opportunity to relax before we go back to studying and our everyday lives. It’s a good chance to celebrate.”
Fears for power grid as Sydneysiders beat heat
Power providers are set to monitor the energy grid amid fears extreme heat may cause it to overload on Tuesday, with temperatures tipped to hit 41C in Sydney’s west.
Development costs at the centre of bipartisan talks
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he would go into a meeting with Chris Minns with specific proposals to fix the planning system.