Celebrate Australia Day 2026 with free family fun
Published on 19 January 2026
Celebrate Australia Day 2026 at the Beaufort Goldfields Recreation Reserve on Monday 26 January.
Three new citizens will take part in a Citizenship Ceremony; the 2026 Australia Day Awards will be presented and there will be a range of free and fun activities for the whole family between 10 am and 2 pm.
This year’s Australia Day address will be delivered by Susan Fayad, who is the World Heritage & Regional Development Lead, City of Ballarat.
Ms Fayad leads the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid for 15 local governments - a project that honours the global significance of the 19th-century gold rush while recognising its profound impacts and creating new opportunities for regional communities.
She said her message for Australia Day is simple – “when we embrace our shared and diverse story and champion each other, we build stronger communities and create a future we can all be proud of.”
Pyrenees Shire Council Mayor Damian Ferrari said Australia Day was a time to come together and celebrate everything residents love about our great country.
“Australia Day recognises the wonderful nation we have become, despite some of the recent and tragic challenges we have faced,” Cr Ferrari said.
“This is an opportune time to pull together and celebrate everything we cherish about Australia.
“It’s also a time to recognise the achievements of our amazing citizens through our Australia Day Awards and to welcome three new citizens to our country.”
Free activities on the day will include:
- Gold Panning Competition - Sponsored by E.E Day & Sons, Gold Ballarat
- Western Bulldogs roadshow
- Wicked Wildlife
- Airbrush tattooing
- Face painting
- Beaufort CFA display
- Fural's woodworking workshop
- Mini golf
This event is proudly hosted by the Waterloo Community Group and Pyrenees Shire Council with support from the National Australia Day Council.