It's The Only Place To Be This Weekend

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday September 21, 2005

Chris Watson

Boats, sailing equipment, fishing gear ... that and much more is at The Herald Hunter Boat Show this weekend.

Newcastle Entertainment

Centre is about to become

the only place for boating

enthusiasts for one weekend.

That weekend is this weekend,

when

The Herald Boat Show,

covering the Hunter and Central

Coast, will attract up to 10,000

people to displays of boats, equipment,

boating advice, fishing gear

and all things nautical.

A visit will be a great day out

for all the family with trailer boats

galore, electronics, fishing gear,

all sorts of accessories, fishing

displays with barrumundi in a seethrough

supertank and the chance

to win a $22,400 boat and trailer

package.

It?s hard to think of a reason

not to go. There will be up to 40

exhibitors - some for the first

time - and around 200 boats on

display, including a few Boating

Industry Association of NSW (BIA)

Boat-of-the-Year award winners.

As well as boats there will be

fishing tackle displays, financial

advice, NSW Maritime and

Whitsunday Rent a Yacht exhibitions.

The boat show is organised by

the BIA, which took it over three

years ago and has seen it go from

strength to strength.

The BIA also annually organises

the Sydney International Boat

Show, the largest recreational

boating show in the southern

hemisphere which this year

attracted 89,451 people to its

Darling Harbour displays of more

than 300 exhibitors.

?This year again showed that

Sydney really deserves its international

rating,? said Domenic

Genua, marketing and event

manager for NSW BIA. ?Visitors

at Darling Harbour were from

the United States, China, United

Kingdom, South Africa, Italy,

Greece, New Zealand, Thailand

and Singapore, to name only a

few.?

Newcastle has a long way to

go before it can stand with the

Sydney show, but it does showcase

the best of boating from

Newcastle and the Central Coast.

The BIA has made a commitment

to continue developing its

activities in the Hunter region and

in particular to ensure the boat

show continues.

Among this year?s exhibitors

spread over about 8000

square metres of display space

are Belmont Affordable Boats,

Berowra Waters Marina, Big Catch

Fishing Tackle, Blakes Marine,

Capital Finance, Club Marine,

Coast Life Marine, Craigcat,

d?Albora Marinas, Endeavour

Marine, GRE Marine Sales, Jim

Nicol Honda Marine, Lavere

Products, Lewis Ski Boats, Mirage

Sport Boats, Newcastle Jet Ski

Centre, Newcastle Marine World,

NSW Maritime, Pacific Yachting,

Solas Propellers, Terrace Boating,

TR Marineworld, Twin Peaks

Leisure, Warners Bay Marine,

Waves Overseas, Whitsunday

Rent A Yacht, Stormy Australia,

Bias Mail Orders, Zelous Marine

Trimming, Just Propellers,

JD?s Boatshed, Collins Marine,

Australian Volunteer Coast Guard,

Coast to Coast Boating, Penrith

Powerboat Centre, the BIA,

Hirecraft, Avante Marine Group,

Tomo?s Marine and Wild Water

Sports.

The line up of exhibitors shows

the marine industry has embraced

the boat show as the key event for

the region to show the latest and

most innovative products.

The boat show encompasses

a display of recreational vessels

to suit those who are either keen

boaters or novices looking to set

sail, sing along with a Jimmy

Buffet song and embrace the boating

lifestyle.

Australians of all ages are now

embracing boating in greater

numbers as they discover what

the fantastic Australian coastline

has to offer.

NSW Maritime reports there are

now 200,000 registered boats in

NSW and 442,000 licensed boat

drivers.

?Boating as an activity is increasing

by 3 per cent to 4 per cent a

year,? a NSW Maritime spokesman

said. ?It?s a steady climb?.

To give an idea of the growth

in boating, in the last 12 months

there were 76,000 calls to the

NSW Maritime info line while the

page views on its website leapt

from 800,000 to 2.3 million.

That?s a lot of interest from a lot

of people.

And it?s not just the realm of

the rich. Recent surveys by NSW

Maritime show the most commonly

owned vessel is a small

power boat to 12 metres, with 66

per cent of respondents falling

into that category.

And boating, while very popular

with recreational cruisers, is also

very important to the millions of

Australians who have a passion

for fishing, which is why Brian

Anson Smith and his supertank

are back at the show this year

to share with the audience tips

on fishing and show them what

really happens when the bait is

cast. Smith has been to the last

two boat shows with his barramundi-

filled supertank, arguably

Australia?s biggest fish bowl measuring

12.5 metres by 2.5 metres

and containing 14,000 litres of

water, and its glass sides allow

him to demonstrate how

fish react to different lures and

casting techniques.

The fishing sessions are

conducted about half a dozen

times each day, run for about 30

minutes each and are free.

JUST THE FACTS

What: Newcastle Boat

Show

When: September 23 to 25

Where: Newcastle

Entertainment Centre,

Brown Rd, Broadmeadow.

Parking: Free - enter via

Griffiths Rd

Hours: Friday 1.30pm to

5.30pm; Saturday 9.30am

to 5.30pm; Sunday 9.30am

to 5.30pm

Costs: Adults $10; Children

$5 (six to 17 years, five

years and under free);

Senior/pensioner $8 (card

required); Family $25 (two

adults and up to three

children)

Editor: Chris Watson

Writer: Chris Watson

Design: David Coleman

Advertising:

Glenda Peate

BIA website:

www.bia.org.au

Cover photo: The boat of

the year, the Maritimo 60

Boats, sailing equipment, fishing gear . . . that and much more is at

The Herald Hunter Boat Show this weekend.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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