What’s On this January-26
However you observe your day off, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and cafes that are staying open and a whole range of events marking the day. In fact, here are 16 of them.
Published 25 January 2025
Australia Day! The national public holiday! January-26! We struggle every year to work out how to get this one right. We know how much local businesses need a boost but we also know that for many people, this is not a day of celebration. We haven’t got this one perfect, we know.
However you observe your day off, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and cafes that are staying open. In fact this year, falling on a Sunday, has meant there are an abundance of things to do and places to go. Here are 16 events and on this Jan 26:
australia day parties & EVENTS
The Rock is hosting a party with a “Irwins Lookalike contest” and live music, and Fitzy’s is hosting live entertainment at their Green & Gold Aussie Day Party. Head to Bone Idol for an Aussie BBQ, live entertainment, and an afternoon of free bar and lawn games, or the Blue Mountain Hotel for a more relaxed ‘Blues Jam’, outdoor games, and chicken wing eating contest.
Feeling competitive? You’ll find a massive Lawn Bowls competition (a total of $5,000.00 in Prize money) at Rink 46 (along with a bucking bull, petting zoo, face-painting and jumping castle), whilst The Portadown Hotel is holding an all-day Tag-Team Poker Competition.
The City Golf Club, is hosting it’s family-friendly Aussie Day celebration complete with Aussie games (think: thong throws, eggs toss, tug-o-war, mechanical bull and lamington eating competition) with facepainting and balloon twisting for the kids, as well as roving magicians and fireworks at 8pm.
For the history buff! Highfields Pioneer Village is holding a family-friendly open day including whip wracking, sheep-sheering, indigenous dance workshop, baby animal nursery and tours of The Big Cow, and Jondaryn Woolshed is opening for their Australia Day event complete with a waterpark for the kids (bring your togs), lots of food, shearing, machinery, animal nursery, dog trials, machinery, Treasure hunt, whip cracking, horse & cart rides, lamb Bbq and Damper Hut.
Learn all about Bushfoods and biodiversity at this free nature walk and talk at the Gumbi Gumbi gardens, and discover the wonders of Australia's native bushfoods, medicinal plants, and utility trees, or discover the DownsSteam Railway Museum as they host a sausage sizzle, municipal band and facepainting, with vintage carriage and steam train trips to Wyreema throughout day.
For those willing to venture slightly further afield, a trip to Cambooya’s Bull and Barley Inn comes complete with Thong Throwing, Aussie Iron Man Challenge, Mechanical Bull, Kid’s Egg & Spoon Races and live entertainment, and Oakey’s annual Australia Day is a bonanza of Raft Regattas & Dunny Races, Truck Pulls, Tug-O-War & Billy Boiling competitions, Thong Throwing, Sack Races their annual BBQ breakfast.
Head down the range to The Withcott Hotel for Pig Races, or out to the Greenmount Pub for Goldfish racing, best-dressed comps, face painting and jumping castles.
Official Toowoomba events kick-off at Picnic Point at 8:30am and include Welcome to Country, Flag raising & National Anthem, Mayoral message, free sausage sizzle, scones, flag tattoos and Dreamtime games; continuing with community entertainment and free ice creams from 10am.
Whatever you decide to do, after a big few years, it's worth showing your local some support.
