Thousands descend on Geraldton for SunSmart surf lifesaving carnival over Australia Day weekend

Back Beach will be packed out over the Australia Day weekend with Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club hosting the Sunsmart WA Country Carnival for the first time since 2018.

Over the long weekend, competitors from across the State will be in Geraldton for one of WA’s biggest annual surf lifesaving events - not just for competition but live music and events around the area.

Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club member Callum Ilich said it would be a big weekend with multiple events running.

“Everyone’s coming to Geraldton and they’re all going to be competing in surf lifesaving events,” he said.

“Whether that’s beach flags or beach sprints, board races, swim races, ski races, there will be relays as well, there’ll be boat races. It’s just a real spectacle of surf lifesaving.”

The last time the carnival was held in Geraldton was 2018 and it was the biggest sporting event in town for the year, with more than 700 competitors and 1800 visitors travelling to Geraldton over the weekend.

There was an estimated $1.2 million generated for the Geraldton economy as a result of the carnival, and this year is expected to be even bigger, with some top competition making the trip.

“There’s a lot of athletes in Western Australia who go on to be State champions, and some will go on to be national champions, so having that calibre of athlete down here is pretty impressive,” Ilich said.

Since being named as the host, the Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club has been all hands on deck preparing for the mass of people that will be visiting.

Hosting the carnival means that it gives others a chance to experience the Geraldton club, but also locals can compete without the travel to other regions being a barrier of entry.

“It’s a great opportunity for all of our local surf lifesaving clubs to see what’s going on elsewhere,” Ilich said.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to get involved on a carnival of this scale, which is usually difficult for us to attend.”

Bringing everyone to Geraldton will also give locals the edge with how the waves at Back Beach can differ from the waves in Perth or elsewhere in WA.

“Sometimes it’s a little tricky down in Perth beaches, they’re not quite like Back Beach here at Geraldton . . . so to bring everyone here almost levels the playing field somewhat,” Ilich said.

“Here we often have a double break . . . so what that means is you need to have good surf skills to be able to get out through this sort of stuff.”

The double break at Back Beach changes the playing field in competitions, which Ilich said could give locals an advantage if the visitors aren’t used to the Geraldton waters.

“Down at some other beaches if you time it well and you miss that shore break, it’s just smooth sailing, you’re almost just racing on flat water for the whole thing,” he said.

“This is a little bit more challenging . . . but just because you’re in front, doesn’t mean you’ve got it and just because you’re at the back, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost it.”

“Because if you catch the wave and the person in front of you doesn’t, then you can always finish in a sprint race up the beach.”

After the excitement of the carnival, there will be live music and food vans set up around the club with a sundowner on Friday and a Hawaiian-themed party on Saturday.

The competition kicks off on Friday at Pages Beach, with the little nipper’s events running from 10.30am-12pm, then the other divisions from 12.30pm.

The nipper, youth and open water events will all be running at Back Beach on Saturday, starting from 7.45am onwards.