Entertainment at the Gold Coast Boat Show

by Bob Wonders on 17 Oct 2007 Entertainment – it’s the name of the game at the Gold Coast Boat Show. A good time for all, that’s the aim of Marine Queensland, organiser of the inaugural Gold Coast Boat Show set to throw open the gates at the Carrara Sports Complex next weekend.

How to catch fish, how to handle small boats, see spectacular wakeboarding demonstrations, try your hand at rock wall climbing or just enjoy the roving entertainment, the Gold Coast Boat Show offers enjoyment for all in the family.
In addition to displays featuring hundreds of new trailer boats and other water craft, the three-day show (October 26-28)will feature a dozen or more of southern Queensland’s best-known fishing experts on stage in a daily Fishing Expo.

The Fishing Expo presenters, among them media personalities Paul Burt, Dave Downie and Expo organiser Bill Corten, are widely experienced in all aspects of Gold Coast fishing, from the estuaries to the seaway to the expanse of the open sea. They will host more than 30 sessions over the three days, with subjects ranging from offshore and deep water angling to crabbing Gold Coast waterways, how to fish the Nerang River and boat handling techniques for bar crossings.

Lure fishing tips will be demonstrated using live fish in the giant Reef Science Tank, which will form a backdrop to the Fishing Expo stage. A show highlight from the fishing viewpoint will be the daily live weigh –in for the Bream Classic competition. Each day, 10 teams representing the Australian Bream Tournament and Australian Fishing Championships sponsors will each weigh their five largest bream on the Expo stage.

The bream will be kept alive in specially-designed live wells, weighed alive and then released into the Nerang River after the show. Bill Corten said he felt the best part of the event was that show patrons get access to the anglers and their boats after the weigh-in.

'We all know there’s nothing like chewing the fat with some of the best in the business,' he said.

'It’s a great way to pick up some valuable hints and tips and see how products on display at the show are actually used in the real world,' he added.

The Nerang River will also be the setting for some of Australia’s top flight ‘skiers and ‘boarders, performing every day in easy view of show visitors. While boats of all shapes and sizes will be on display, the show will highlight the popularity of trailerable boats on the Gold Coast, where more than 80 percent of the registered 26,000-plus vessels are less than 6.0-metres in length.

Marine Queensland general manager Barry Hibberd said the Gold Coast was the state’s largest boating community with 13 percent of all Queensland registrations and was a driving force in the six percent annual growth in boat ownership.

The Gold Coast Boat Show will open at 10am through to 6pm each day.
Admission prices are $10 (single adult) and $8 (Pensioners, students and concessions) with children under 12-years admitted free. Ample parking is available on site for a gold coin donation.

For further information contact Marine Queensland, telephone (07) 3899-3333 or visit the website, www.gcboatshow.com.au