Territorians celebrate the 2024 edition of Australia Day
Utes, morning runs and festivals celebrating the NT’s cultural diversity marked a massive 2024 edition of Australia Day. Check out all the photos in our rolling coverage here.
Northern Territory
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Flags, utes and mullets were the flavour of the day as thousands of Territorians celebrated everything great about being Australian.
Kieryn Johnston, known more commonly as the NT Mullet Man, was among the first to set off from Hidden Valley as part of the annual ute run in a vehicle covered in flags, and a blow up croc.
The RedCentre NATS best mullet winner was taking part in the drive to Noonamah for the third year, after moving up from Western Australia five years ago.
“It’s awesome, it’s good for the kids, good for everyone really, it’s just a bit of fun to get to drive around and get a bit of publicity,” he said.
“This is 100 per cent what being Australian is all about, we’ve all got our utes and our flags and all sizes whether big or small we all take part.
“Everyone calls me ‘mullet’ because I won the mullet competition in Alice Springs, that’s what everyone knows me as.”
He was joined by plenty of others in the convoy honking their horns and showing off their car ornaments to mark the big day.
Fiona Peters was another who had been hitting the road for eight years, and loves being a part of it every year.
“I’ve probably been doing this for eight years now, and I love it, wouldn’t miss it,” she said.
“This is all about celebrating what it means to be Australian and we love supporting it.”
Meanwhile, Liam Gotts was the big winner at the annual OZ Run after entering the Darwin Waterfront event with very little training.
“I just came along and thought I would give it a crack,” he said.
“Always good to come first.”
The festivities didn’t stop there as Top Enders packed into the Territory Netball Stadium for the Festival of Us which celebrates cultural diversity.
Multicultural food, all abilities sport workshops and fun games were available across the centre, while dancers took the stage to rouse attendees to their feet.
Melbourne AFLW player, professional boxer and advocate Tayla Harris delivered the keynote at the festival talking about her journey in sport, and made sure she spent plenty of time talking to young fans.
“This appearance was a few months in the making, and when the opportunity came I was so excited to come up, and made sure I could stay a bit longer,” Harris said.
“I’ve never actually been to Darwin so I was excited to not only speak, but to enjoy the event itself.
“I just love getting the chance to tell my story and talking to people, and if it impacts even one person in a positive way then the trip will have been worth it.”
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