After its successful launch last year, many praises were made for Shore Leave's celebration of premium produce, history and culture in the Mid-West, and it is on again in Geraldton.
Running through to Sunday May 1, the 2022 Shore Leave festival has again received support from the McGowan Government as part of a three-year funding agreement.
The event is being supported through Tourism Western Australia's Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions.
There will be a range of tasty, ticketed events across the next five days, including the popular Midwest Paddock to Plate, the Foreshore Feast, as well as long table lunches on the Geraldton Boardwalk and at the Abrolhos on East Wallabi Island.
Other ticketed events include Star Dreaming in Edith Cowan Square and Stargazing at Mingenew Space Centre in Yarragadee, with many free to enter events also on offer, including tonight's Iluka Welcome to Port on the Geraldton Foreshore, Friday afternoon's Sustainable Futures Conference at The Gerald Apartment Hotel, and the Mid West WA Food Marketplace on Sunday.
Another focus of the festival will be the Beach Price Markets at Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday, with a diverse range of seafood on sale and celebrity chef cooking demonstrations.
Find out more about the 2022 Shore Leave festival online at https://shoreleavefestival.com.au
As stated by Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Roger Cook:
"Based on Shore Leave's success in September last year, the McGowan Government is committed to continuing to support this important festival.
"Once again, 2022's Shore Leave event is drawing thousands of visitors to Geraldton and the Mid-West this week.
"The festival will inject about $2.7 million into the local economy over the next three years in a major boost for tourism and business.
"Organisers expect Shore Leave will help create about 200 jobs and offers opportunities for local tourism operators and volunteers to be involved."
As stated by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"The Shore Leave festival is well and truly meeting its core aim of bringing people to the Mid-West to share both the cultural and culinary diversity it celebrates.
"Shore Leave celebrates a range of great food from the ocean and the land, as well as the culture and adventure that make this region unique.
"Regional events like this are great for the people who live here to share the vibrancy of their community with visitors, along with their pride in showcasing the primary industry sectors of agriculture and fisheries that contribute to WA's economy."
As stated by Fisheries Minister Don Punch:
"It's great to see the importance of seafood to the Mid-West region and how we can best safeguard our fisheries against climate change, and marine heatwaves will be discussed by a panel of experts as part of the festival's program in the free Shore Leave Sustainable Futures Conference on Friday afternoon.
"Australia's most valuable rock lobster fishery, the Western Rock Lobster fishery, underpins jobs here in Geraldton and in surrounding Mid-West coastal communities, so it is great to see it forming a key part of the festival's celebrations.
"I strongly encourage everyone to check out Saturday's back of boat rock lobster sales at Fisherman's Wharf, forming part of the array of locally grown fresh seafood on offer at the Beach Price Markets, where chefs will be at the ready to barbeque lobster for those in pursuit of the freshest possible bites of a WA delicacy."
