Celebrate Australia Day 2012 at all Ipswich Swim Centres

IPSWICH Australia Day Celebrations will be extended from Bundamba Swim Centre to all Council owned pools as part of the extended flood recovery.

Mayor Paul Pisasale said it was decided just last week to extend Australia Day celebrations throughout Ipswich as part of the recovery from last year's devastating floods.

"Free family fun days will be held at all Swim Centres although the smaller pools at Leichhardt, Goodna and Rosewood will have entry numbers controlled to a maximum of around 250 for safety reasons.

"We commemorated a year of recovery from the flood last week with the unveiling of two monuments and this is just something we felt we could do for the community on Australia Day."

Parks, Sport and recreation Committee Chairperson, Councillor David Morrison said Australia Day celebrations had been held at Council Swim Centres since 1997.

"These celebrations have normally taken the form of a community pool party at Bundamba Swim Centre where up to 1600 people have enjoyed the free community activities.

"It is great to this year be able to extend this to the other Council owned swim centres.

"The basic objective has always been to showcase the Ipswich City Council's swim centres and an active community in the city.

"It displays to the community that Council is interested in providing and operating well-maintained centres that encourage leisure patronage as well as competitive use."

Cr Morrison said the Australia Day celebration in 2011 was supported by Ipswich City Rotary Club and a number of sponsor companies donating goods on the day which were used as give-aways.

"Although the major celebrations will remain at Bundamba where around 1600 people turn out each year, the lessees at Goodna and Rosewood and Leichhardt have agreed to include their centres in Australia Day celebrations as well.

"The smaller pools have offered the community free entry on Australia Day in the past with huge success, but I hope more people join in the true blue celebration of the event this year with prizes on offer nearly all day as part of the flood recovery effort."

Cr Morrison said the pool lessees were offering some tremendous prizes on the day.

"We have some wonderful swim centres across Ipswich and these are absolutely wonderful incentives and reason enough for anyone to turn up at the pool on Australia Day, January 26."

Celebrate Australia Day 2012 at all Ipswich Swim Centres

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival

These summer holidays, Mickey Mouse and his band of friends, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, will perform in the musical extravaganza Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival. Joined by Disney favourites, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story, this fun-filled concert experience is sure to entertain the whole family!

Disney hits are remixed to the hottest sounds of today featuring hip hop, pop, swing, reggae, rock, country and much more! The irresistible lineup of performers including, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian and Ursula; Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie, Woody, Buzz and Jessie are among the more than 25 Disney stars featured in this jam session!

You can't resist dancing, singing, playing your air-guitar and laughing with this band of characters! Come join them at Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival for a lively concert experience guaranteed to deliver enough rockin' memories to last a lifetime.

For more information visit www.disneylive.com.au

TOUR DATES*:

Wed 28 - Fri 30 Dec - Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Fri 6 & Sat 7 Jan - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Mon 9 & Tue 10 Jan - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tue 17 & Wed 18 Jan - Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Sat 21 Jan - WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Mon 23 & Tue 24 Jan - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Book at Ticketek

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival

Hatch Yourself Some Turtle Time - Turtles Queensland

Get set for three months of turtle time this January as hundreds of tiny hatchlings muscle their way out of their sandy nests and make a nightly dash for the warm waters off Mon Repos beach, east of Bundaberg in Queensland.

Just three hours drive south of Gladstone, the turtle encounter which has mesmerised thousands of visitors over the forty years since Mon Repos was classified as the most significant Loggerhead rookery in the South Pacific.

Nightly ranger-guided turtle tours are priced at $10:20 for adults and $5.40 for children (five to 17 years).

According to General Manager of Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism, James Corvan, January is the best time for turtle watchers thanks to the crossover between nesting season, when mature female loggerheads lay eggs and hatching season, when the first baby turtles emerge from their six to eight week incubation period and comically scurry down the beach.

"January offers a double dose of nature with both nesting and hatching a possibility," said Mr Corvan.

"By the end of 2011, around 150 mature loggerhead females had made their way to shore to nest.

"January promises the arrival of even more nesting turtles and at the same time the nightly emergence of hatchlings.

"On one hand, visitors will be able to get within inches of the giant females and watch them lay between 100 and 150 eggs each night. On the other, they will be asked by rangers to form a line-up and shine torches between onto the beach to create a path that will guide the 5 cm hatchlings to the ocean."

The hatching season continues through to the end of March.

Bookings are essential for the nightly Turtle Experience Tours. Please call Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4153 8888, email bookeasy@bundabergregion.org or visit www.bookbundabergregion.com.au.

Hatch Yourself Some Turtle Time - Turtles Queensland

Full list of events taking place on New Years Eve in Sydney 2011

See below for a full list of events taking place on New Years Eve in Sydney 2011

6:00 PM Pre Show Entertainment

Aerial Show

New Years Eve begins! Witness theatre in the sky with spectacular aerial flyovers above Sydney Harbour to signal the start of Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The flyovers, performed by pilot Matt Hall, a former RAAF Fighter Combat (Top Gun) Instructor will commence at 6pm. At 7pm, the Ted Noffs fire tug will arrive and blast tonnes of water into the skies, creating its own dream rainbow in the setting sun, before Matt Hall flies back at 8pm to perform another flyover.

8:00 PM Acknowledgement of Country

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Smoking Ceremony and Acknowledgement of Country

A smoking ceremony from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vessels will cleanse the Harbour of negative spirits as images projected on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons mark the start of the New Year countdown.

An Acknowledgement of Country on the Harbour will show our respect to the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and at 8.45pm the custodians call up the first reveal of the Bridge Effect with a series of teaser fireworks.

9:00 PM 9pm Family Fireworks

Designed and choreographed specifically for children, these fireworks will delight and dazzle audiences as the night sky fills with colour. This eight-minute performance is accompanied by a music soundtrack which features chart hits from 2011 including songs by Rhianna, JLo, Wes Carr and Jessica Maubuoy that will entertain the whole family and provide an upbeat and fun atmosphere for this family show. These fireworks are a prelude to the spectacular Sydney fireworks display to follow at midnight.

9:15 PM – 11:30PM Harbour of Light Parade ^TM

Following the 9pm Family Fireworks, a flotilla of vessels switch on their lights and begin a spectacular parade around Sydney Harbour. A crowd favourite, the Harbour of Light Parade features specially lit vessels sailing on a 15km circuit around Sydney Harbour. Selected from design entries, the vessels chosen to take part in the Parade will be illuminated to represent the 2011 Sydney New Year’s Eve theme Time to Dream. The Parade will include tall ships, Sydney’s Heritage Fleet, commercial charter vessels and Sydney Ferries.

Experience Sydney New Years Eve on a Harbour of Light Parade vessel.

Official Harbour of Light Parade vessels are given access inside the Harbour exclusion zone on Sydney New Year’s Eve. Passengers onboard will be treated to exclusive views of the 9pm Family fireworks, the stunning Bridge Effect and Midnight Displays from designated viewing areas. For more information about each official Harbour of Light Parade vessel and ticket sales, contact the individual vessel operator by clicking on the vessels listed below. Get your tickets early. Don’t miss out.

12:00 AM Midnight Fireworks

At the stroke of midnight, we celebrate the start of a new year! Sydney does this in style by lighting up the night sky with a spectacular Fireworks Display launched from seven barges on the Harbour, the rooftops of seven city skyscrapers and, unforgettably, from Sydney Harbour Bridge. Bringing more than 1.5 million people to the Harbour, this majestic 12-minute Fireworks Display is the reason why Sydney is the New Years Eve capital of the world.

Where can I watch the Sydney Fireworks?

Check out the Fireworks Vantage Points Interactive Map to discover the best places to watch the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks, along with information on facilities and services at each site.

View the Sydney Fireworks Vantage Points Map

Road Closures

Download the PDF for Sydney CBD & Ultimo/Pyrmont Road Closures & Special Event Clearways for New Year's Eve 2011/New Year's Day 2012.

*Please note: Road closure locations and times are subject to change by Police. Phone 132 701 for up to date information.

2011 Accessibility Information

Download the SNYE Accessibility Map, please see our accessibility page for additonal information.

2011 Vantage Point Map & Table

Download the PDF for the 2011 Sydney NYE Vantage Point Map and full listing.

2011 Alcohol Free Zones Map

Download the PDF for the 2011 Sydney New Year's Eve alcohol free zones map and information.

View Offical NNE Sydney Website

Sydney Attractions Opening Hours over Christmas and New Years Eve

Please find below our Trading Hours on Xmas Day and New Year’s Day -

	Sydney Aquarium	WILD LIFE Sydney	Sydney Tower Eye	Manly Ocean world
Xmas Day	9am to 5pm (last entry 4pm)	9am to 5pm (last entry 4pm)	Closed	Closed
New Year’s Day	9am to 6pm (last entry 5pm)	9am to 6pm (last entry 5pm)	9am to 10pm (last entry 9.30pm)	10am to 5.30pm (last entry 4.45pm)

All other days are –

	Sydney Aquarium	WILD LIFE Sydney	Sydney Tower Eye	Manly Ocean world
Trading Hours	9am to 8pm (last entry 7pm)	9am to 8pm (last entry 7pm)	9am to 10pm (last entry 9.30pm)	10am to 5.30pm (last entry 4.45pm)

Find Sydney Accommodation at Metro Hotels

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour: Bugs Garden Officially Launches at WILD LIFE Sydney

Keeper gets bugged as a new, interactive habitat opens at iconic Darling Harbour attraction

WILD LIFE Sydney, today unveiled Bugs Garden – a fully interactive habitat that will house a range of peculiar insects and unique creepy crawlies, offering visitors a chance to get up close with some of Australia’s most intriguing and frightful insects.

Open in time for the summer school holidays, Bugs Garden will offer visitors an interactive glimpse into the weird and wonderful life of bugs. The hands-on habitat will encourage visitors to uncover some of Australia’s most iconic and curious creepy crawlies including Locusts, Bees, Cockroaches, Stick Insects, Grasshoppers and Spiders.

To mark the opening of the new habitat, WILD LIFE Sydney this morning saw invertebrate keeper, Evan Armstrong, get bugged as he covered himself in bugs to celebrate the launch of the attraction’s newest offering.

Over the holidays, WILD LIFE Sydney is inviting visitors to unleash their inner ‘outdoor adventurer’ and delve into a journey of discovery with some of Australia’s most unique creepy crawlies. With WILD LIFE Sydney experts on hand to discuss the important role bugs play in our daily lives, as well as a variety of up close opportunities with the squirmy, squishy and creepy crawly insects, kids will be bugging mum and dad to head to WILD LIFE Sydney these school holidays.

Bugs Garden is the eighth habitat to join WILD LIFE Sydney and will sit amongst the likes of other iconic Australian habitats such as Kakadu Gorge, The Outback and Koala Encounters.

Where: WILD LIFE Sydney, Aquarium Wharf, Darling Harbour (next door to Sydney Aquarium)

Opening Hours: Now open 9am to 8pm daily

Bugs Garden Officially Launches at WILD LIFE Sydney

Melbourne Tourism News: Government Money Puts Teeth into Aquarium Tourist Draw

Melbourne Aquarium’s newest underwater attraction, Sharks of Shipwreck Cove, has just scored a AUD100,000 grant from the Australian Government.

Featuring a full-scale replica of a shipwreck looming from the darkness of the 2.2 million litre Oceanarium, the exhibit “creates the feeling of being submerged at the bottom of the ocean surrounded by shark-infested waters,” according to the aquarium’s website.

The Australian Government has helped fund Shipwreck Cove with a AUD100,000 grant from the T-QUAL Grants – Tourism Quality Projects program.

The Shipwreck Cove exhibit presents a new underwater attraction with animals never seen before in Australian aquariums. The project uses the latest technology and conservation ideas to display iconic species, with state-of-the-art acrylic materials and a unique water filtration system. Interactive features include shark-feeding and scuba-dive training.

Showcasing “over 20 iconic Australian sharks never before seen in Melbourne”, Shipwreck Cove exhibits White Tip and Black Tip, Dusky Whaler, Whiskery and Tawney Nurse juvenile sharks.

According to the website: “With daily shark feeding frenzies and heaps of exciting pirate-themed activities, there’s fun for the whole family.”

Speaking at the opening, Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said Shipwreck Cove was an example of innovative thinking in tourism development with potential flow-on benefits in terms of attracting visitors to Melbourne.

“This is an ideal vantage point for people of all ages to study the biology of these magnificent creatures and all the conservation issues that matter to their future,” Ferguson said.

“All visitor attractions need to stay ahead of the game. So we need to think creatively, to innovate and to invest. Only by offering visitors compelling reasons to experience what we offer, can we be confident of growth.

“That’s why the Australian Government is investing almost $40 million in the T-QUAL Grants program. This year, we announced AUD8 million in funding for 112 projects across Australia.

“When you add in the dollar-for-dollar component, in effect that means at least AUD16 million is being invested in tourism facilities across the country. All these projects have one goal in common – to lift the quality and variety of Australia’s tourism experiences.

“People will keep coming back if they know there are better, fresher things to see and do, and by helping to fund upgrades and new exhibits such as Shipwreck Cove at Melbourne Aquarium we encourage them to do just that.”

For more than a decade, the Melbourne Aquarium has been offering an informative journey through the world’s oceans as one of Melbourne’s key tourism drawcards.

Government Money Puts Teeth into Aquarium Tourist Draw