With Water Safety Week upon us, the Darwin Waterfront is set to host the opening event of the program, Splashfest, an initiative to raise awareness about keeping safe in, around and on the water.

Splashfest is a free family event to be held on Sunday 23 September at the Darwin Waterfront from 9am – 1pm.

The event, held annually is run by Royal Lifesaving with support from the Northern Territory Government.

Royal Life Saving NT President, Penny Hart, said “Water Safety Week is a great event for Territorians to think about water safety and enjoy our wonderful facilities, as we prepare for the Wet Season.

Our theme this year is “Water Safety – what’s your story?”  We are looking forward to sharing water safety stories from across the Territory on our Facebook page.”

Ian Ford, Senior Director Sport and Active Recreation at the Department of Tourism and Culture said that swimming was a popular activity in the Territory and with the accessibility of wonderful waterholes in our local national parks, it is one of our natural assets.

“Each year, we see a high number of locals and visitors to the Top End enjoying swimming as part of an active lifestyle,” he said.

“With swimming being so popular, water safety is an important message to instil in our young people and it’s great to see such a keen interest from families.

The Northern Territory Government’s Learn to Swim Voucher Program for children aged five years and under, who are not yet enrolled in school or pre-school and have completed the free Water Safety Awareness Program, saw more than 4,300 vouchers redeemed last financial year.

Also, through the Government’s Sport Voucher Scheme, every school-enrolled child in the Northern Territory receives $100 vouchers twice annually that can be used for swimming activities with registered providers.

Children attending remote schools do not receive a printed voucher, and instead the school, in consultation with the local school council, determines the sport, recreation and cultural activities to be provided through an eligible activity provider. Last financial year more than $36,500 was provided for remote swimming programs through the Sport Voucher Scheme.

Families are encouraged to head down to Splashfest which will feature free entertainment for the whole family including waterslides, face painters, glitter tattooists, sand art and craft, stilt walkers, kids DJ, giant bubble fun, inflatable obstacle course, pop-up stalls, appearances from Boof the Barra and more.

For more information about the Sport Voucher Scheme and Learn to Swim Voucher Program, go to www.sportandrecreation.nt.gov.au

For more information about the water safety awareness program visit https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/programs/State-and-territory-activities/nt-water-safety-awareness-program.

Media Contact – Department of Tourism and Culture 0448 698 409