Celebrate Australia Day in Cronulla
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Wed 25 Dec 2013 - Thu 26 Dec 2013
Few enclaves attempt to embrace Australia Day like Cronulla so dust off the cobwebs from your patriotic fervour and head down to The Shire's shoreline for a hit of outdoor live music and witness some of the nation's hottest surfers unleashing their competitive edge in the
Australian Boardriders Battle .
Starting with the stage, what was originally Opera in the Park has now morphed over the years to embrace a far broader spectrum. MC
Brendan Jones (yes, Jonesy and Amanda) of
101.7 WSFM will cut the tape for the opening performance at 1pm in Cronulla Park, right on the beach. 8 hours later at 9pm, Kate Ceberano and her band will bring down the curtains. In between, take in a raft of other artists such as:
Mark Vincent – local boy comes good, the tenor who took the gong in the 2009 Australia's Got Talent.
Mental As Anything – if you can't make it down to the beach on Oz Day, these perennial funsters regularly cram
The Brass Monkey around the corner.
Alex Gibson – singer songwriter who "packs em in" at venues such as
#8206 ;">
The Basement ,
Lizottes and also back at The Brass Monkey.
And that's a taste.
The performances may kick start at 1pm but like any well-attended outdoor family friendly freebie, arrive EARLY to grab your prime spot. A quiet morning will be easy to fill in with the beach directly behind the stage.
While it will be tempting to pack a picnic,
Cronulla Lions will be running a BBQ and your patronage here will aid a worthy cause –
The Dandelion Support Network offers much needed services to families in need.
Having marked your territory in front of the stage, another diversion is a mere 200 metre stroll to North Cronulla Beach where you will be in the company of some Australian surfing royalty.
Few countries boast a surfing culture as rich as The Lucky Country. At the pointy end of that culture, Australia's competitive surfing history comprises a legion of world champions. Where did these guys cut their teeth? Legends such as Mark Richards, Tom Carrol, Mark Occhilupo, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and the rest earnt their first stripes via the boardriders club of their local beach. These clubs are the grass roots heart and soul of a sport as iconic of the Australian identity as AFL and cricket.
100 of the nation's premier clubs have been chipping away at each other since October and on the Australia Day long weekend, the last 16 standing will face off at North Cronulla.
Apart from bragging rights for the next year, $105 000 is also up for grabs courtesy of some generous sponsorship. Those sponsors,
Be The Influence , are a benevolent push aimed at tackling binge drinking.
Apart from the action in the water, you just may also walk away with a brand new Rav4 if you purchase a ticket in the monster raffle.
One tip - if coming down to Cronulla any time over the long weekend – you won't be on your own. If you can't get down here with the sparrows, forget parking nearby (although all parking is free if you can secure it). Australia Day in Cronulla is hectic. Consider either leaving the car at home or at least a suburb inland and jumping the train.
If all this sounds too overwhelming, the concert is being live streamed on a BIG screen at Cooper St Reserve in Engadine. Personally though, it's never the same if you're there at the game but elbow to elbow isn't everybody's cup of tea.
So put some starch into your Oz Day. Visit Cronulla, watch the surfing, go surfing, listen to the live music and support a charity or two. "Australians All Let Us ............."
#australia_day
#beaches
#cronulla
#family
#free
#outdoor
#south
#december
!date 25/12/2013 -- 26/12/2013
%wnsydney
185573 - 2023-06-16 02:37:49