Busselton announced as host for Australian Ocean Water Championship and OceanSwim festival for third time

Busselton will host the Australian Open Water Championships and OceanSwim Festival for the third consecutive year in 2025. The championships and festival will take place at Busselton Jetty from January 23 to 26and will see hundreds of swimmers of varying expertise compete in South West waters. The high-performance racing will see selection on the line for the world championships, as well as a community focused OceanSwim event on January 25. That is expected to attract hundreds of amateur swimming enthusiasts across a variety of distances including a 500m, 1.25km, 2.5km, 5km, 7.5km and 10km race. Outside of the water, the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Busselton will be taking place, offering free family-friendly events and entertainment such as an outdoor cinema, twilight picnic and a concert on the foreshore. Swimming WA Chief executive Emily Randall said the event was one of the best ways to showcase the South West’s beauty. “This event showcases WA’s stunning coastline and the iconic Busselton Jetty, bringing our community together to celebrate the sport we love,” she said. City of Busselton Mayor Phill Cronin said Busselton was the perfect place for the event. “The crystal clear waters of Geographe Bay not only make for an iconic swim course for competitors, but spectators can delight in the Busselton Jetty and foreshore as a stunning backdrop from which to cheer them on,” he said. Tourism minister Rita Saffioti said laarge-scale events, and added accommodation and flights to the town, were helping transform Busselton into an even greater tourism destination. “With services from Melbourne and Sydney flying into Busselton three times a week and the brand-new Hilton Garden Inn Busselton providing an increase in the amount of world-class accommodation available in town, it’s never been easier for visitors from the east coast to travel to Australia’s South West,” she said.