NOOSA FESTIVAL OF WATER – 10am-3pm – Sunday 26th June 2016.

The Noosa Festival of Water, hosted by the MRCCC, took place on Sunday 26th June at the Noosa Botanic Gardens on the shores of Lake Macdonald in Cooroy.

Fine winter weather and the beautiful garden and lake setting provided a wonderful backdrop for the day’s events, which kicked off with the Lake Macdonald Catch and Release Bass Fishing Competition over at Mary River Cod Park. Run by the volunteers from the Lake Macdonald Fish Stocking group and sponsored by Hooked on Angling and Outdoors, the competition attracted 33 entries from as far afield as Maryborough and Brisbane. Joel Sommerville won in the junior section, while Matt Smith took out the honours in the adult section.

Noosa Mayor, Tony Wellington got the entertainment started in the Amphitheatre with the Noosa Pipe Band in the Macdonald tartan. Keith Gall, the very talented girls in Phenix Band and the fantastic energy and sound of Sommer Rd provided musical entertainment, and Lyndon Davis and the Gubbi Gubbi dancers once again captivated crowds with their indigenous stories and dance. Festival favourite Martin Fingland from Geckoes Wildlife rounded out the program with a presentation of native creatures, including a very cuddly wombat.

The Festival provided opportunities for kids to learn to fish with the Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Group. Kids could also dabble in the arts with Vanessa and Ruth in the Creative Kids marquee, have their face painted and have a go on the jumping castle. Kids and adults were all able to experience kayaking and standup paddleboarding on Lake Macdonald, experience Alan Burnett’s very popular snake and reptile show, meet the Dingoes from the Fraser Coast Wildlife Sanctuary and learn more about our region through and array of displays and information stalls.

The Noosa Water Taxi offered free trips across Lake Macdonald, definitely one of the most popular activities of the day.  Over at Mary River Cod park, Festival patrons were able to visit the Gerry Cook Hatchery where Darren helped people learn about the breeding program for the endangered Mary River cod, and people were able to say hello to Geraldine, long term hatchery resident and cod mother to many thousands of Mary River cod fingerlings!

Noosa Council have identified the Noosa Festival of Water as one of their annual signature events and will partially support staging the Festival for the next three years.  Other Festival sponsors include Noosa Landcare, Hooked on Angling and Outdoors, the Bendigo Community Bank, Cooroy, Seqwater and Queensland Water and Landcarers. Jacky and staff at the Noosa Botanic Gardens provide a magnificent venue for the Festival each year.

The success of the Noosa Festival of Water is primarily due to the massive in-kind contribution of so many volunteers who help to stage the Festival every year. Visit http://noosafestivalofwater.org/ or like the Noosa Festival of Water on Facebook to stay up to date with plans for the 13th annual Noosa Festival of Water, Sunday 25th June 2017.