Old Bar Beach Festival - About Old Bar

Countdown to the Old Bar Beach Festival. October 3 & 4

Old Bar Beach Festival Flying High

An important part of the heritage of Old Bar that is celebrated each year at the Old Bar Beach Festival is the historical significance of the Old Bar Airstrip. Today it remains one of the few examples of an historic grassed airfield in a coastal town setting, with most having been upgraded with tarmac.

It was the site of a major air pageant as early as 1930 and also has direct association with many aviation pioneers such as Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, Jean Batten and Nancy Bird Walton who often used the airstrip. The heritage value of the airstrip is recognised during the Festival with various flying displays and veteran aircraft on display. The program for 2009 is now taking shape.

There will be flying displays from a Tiger Moth as well as helicopter rides, joy flights and sky diving demonstrations. Other small planes and gyrocopters will also participate. This year the Festival has obtained rights to show the film, Flying Sheila's, the amazing story of 8 unique Australian female pilots who helped shape Australian aviation history. One of the eight is of course Nancy Bird Walton, who opened the Old Bar Beach Festival in 2006. The film has won various awards in Europe. So yet again it's up, up and away for more amazing events and activities at the Old Bar beach Festival come October 3 and 4.

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