Australia festivals and events
Margaret River Wine Festival
The Margaret River wine region is a very special place. Known as the Cape region of the south west, it seduces travellers with life_s simple pleasures. Peace and quiet, award-winning wines, fine food, pristine beaches, breathtaking scenery, and a slow and easy lifestyle, it whispers for us to relax, unwind and enjoy.
One of the most perfect introductions to the area is the annual Margaret River Wine Festival – it caters for all tastes so there is plenty for everyone to see and do.
Whether you_re a dedicated wine buff or just enjoy lying under a huge gum tree sipping exceptional wine, nibbling on fresh delicacies prepared from the region_s finest produce or listening to a jazz band pump out its rhythms, you_ll be captivated.
The festival features more than 70 different events in which to immerse yourself – mellow music on the lawns of the wineries, art exhibitions, cooking classes, street parties, bonfires, bush poetry, mad-cap wine barrel racing, late night music venues and much more.
Prepare yourself for indulgence in gastronomic delights at world-class wineries and the gourmet vineyard restaurants. Responsible for over one per cent of Australia_s wine but more than 20 per cent of Australia_s premium wine, the 50 or so wineries in the region are open for cellar door sales and tastings.
Boutique beer breweries, exquisite cheese products, jams and condiment producers, marron (freshwater crayfish) farms, olive groves and even chocolate and fudge factories add to the gourmet experience.
Australia Day, Sydney
Australians love a celebration and you_ll never see a party quite like an Australia Day in Sydney. Australia_s national day, which commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, is the largest one-day event in New South Wales.
The city is abuzz with festivity. Hundreds of thousands of spectators pack the harbour foreshore throughout the entire day to watch all the favourite annual events – the Ferrython, the Tall Ships Race, the Flags Afloat Parade among others.
Ferries decorated in flags, banners and streamers dashing up the harbour towards the finish line under Sydney Harbour Bridge are quite a sight to see. The Australia Day Regatta, the oldest sailing regatta in the world, held every year since 1837, is another famous tradition.