Australia Day - get amongst it

BELOW are the details of Australia Day activities in the Derwent Valley this Thursday, January 26.

At Tynwald Park Oval, New Norfolk:
11am: Start of fun run & walk (entries close 10.30am)
11.30: Children's activities with Derwent Valley Youth Future Action Team
11.30: Free barbecue and drinks provided by New Norfolk Lions Club
11.30: Derwent Valley Concert Band performance
Noon: National Anthem & flag raising
12.30pm: Welcome to Australia Day Ambassador Phil Huzzard by Woolworth's manager
12.40 (approx): Derwent Valley Council Australia Day Award presentations.

At the New Norfolk Olympic Swimming Pool: free entry, games, activities and prizes all day.

At Kensington Park, New Norfolk: an eight-event harness racing program including the New Norfolk Pacing Cup and E.C. Plunkett Memorial. Click here for race fields.

At Bushy Park, the War Memorial Swimming Pool will be offer free admission from 10am-6pm and a free barbecue lunch at 12.30pm.

At Maydena: the Community Association will once again host its traditional walk to Junee Caves. Meet at the Maydena Swimming Pool at 10am and then walk, ride or run 4.2km to the cave, where drinks and biscuits will be provided before the walk back to the Community Hall for a free sausage sizzle with some fun and games including a children's colouring competition, a quiz for the adults, gumboot throwing and a lawnmower tag-team relay. There will be free admission to the Maydena public pool (children must at all times be accompanied by an adult) but after the Australia Day events are completed the pool gate will be closed and it will be back the the standard system of purchasing a key from the general store.

At Ellendale, celebrations will start at 3pm at the Ellendale Recreation Ground. Awards will be presented for the Central Highlands Australian of the Year, Junior of the Year and Event of the Year. Following formalitieis, there will be a number of demonstrations including: bush poetry, whip cracking, sheep shearing and shingle splitting. At 5.30pm, the "Aussie bush dance experience" will provide something for all the family. Bushdance band Buttongrass Serenade will play at the Ellendale Hall. Australia Day celebrations at Ellendale will conclude around 8pm. The Australia Day Ambassador at Ellendale will be Robin Daubeny.