This long weekend will see the official Blessing of the Fleet celebrations kick off in Augusta, with a range of events planned for the annual Whalesong Festival.
Billed as a celebration of the connection between earth and sea, the festival aims to promote the region's fishing, boating and marine industries.
Held in June to coincide with the annual migration of Humpbacks, Southern Right whales, pygmy whales and rare blue whales into their favoured Augusta 'playpen', the festival will begin on Saturday June 1 with a Cultural Workshop and walking tour from the Augusta Community Resource centre, followed by a sundowner at the Augusta Yacht Club.
The cultural workshop will be led by Wadandi custodian Iszaac Webb, with an in-depth discovery tour of the traditional history of the far South West including whale stories. The workshop also includes a light lunch and will end with a walking tour of significant indigenous sites along the Blackwood
Down at the Augusta Marina on Sunday, the celebrations get going from the early morning with a programme of live music, family friendly activities, kids entertainment and local stalls surrounding the stirring Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, as well as live abalone cooking demonstrations from Ocean Grown Abalone and whale watching tours departing regularly.
Festivalgoers will be able to check out the site of the brand new abalone centre at the Marina, where the world's first wild caught abalone farm has bloomed into one of the region's most successful new industries.
Continuing the focus on the State's most south western point, a guided tour of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse grounds on Sunday will include short movies with lighthouse keeper and Augusta historian Paul Sofilas, focusing on the early European settlement of Augusta, including the town's whaling and naval history.
A Cape to Cape Flora and Fauna Tour on Monday will round out the long weekend, where participants will be able to venture out from Quarry Bay with guides from the Friends of the Cape to Cape Track for a tour of the breathtaking flora and fauna of one of the world's unique biodiversity hotspots.
The Augusta Whalesong Festival runs from Saturday June 1 to Monday June 3 at various locations in the region, with the Blessing of the Fleet and festival celebrations at the Augusta Marina from 9am. For festival programme and info visit www.whalesongfestival.com.au
