Bookings start strong for Saltwater's first year

The City of Busselton says bookings for Saltwater have been strong since it opened the website and booking portal for the entertainment and events venue last month.

The City said the precinct had reached 78 percent completion this week, with significant progress made on the construction over the past few months.

“The facade and auditorium are the focal points at the moment, with window frames installed and glazing nearing completion,” the City’s Director of Economic and Business Development Maxine Palmer said.

“Saltwater is rapidly evolving into the cultural hub the community has been waiting for.”

Ms Palmer said the City had been busy booking national touring theatre productions, entertainment and art exhibitions.

“The website and booking portal only went live last month and we’ve already booked more than 100 event days for the first year,” she said.

“We will see a diverse range of entertainment presented at the Saltwater Theatre in It’s opening year, including the WA Symphony Orchestra, a yet-to-be-announced well-known Australian comedian, and an award-winning adaptation of the much-loved children’s book, Where’s the Green Sheep?

“In terms of visual art, the new Saltwater Gallery will dramatically enhance the City’s cultural landscape, presenting ever-changing national touring exhibitions and high-calibre regional art.

“We look forward to featuring touring art exhibitions from Melbourne’s ACMI Museum as well as high-profile South West artists such as Christian Fletcher and Elmari Steyn.”

Ms Palmer said the opening of Saltwater’s gallery would also herald the return of the popular Busselton Art Award, while several large, multi-day conferences had been booked, including the 2025 Acoustics Convention.

Business Events Perth CEO, Gareth Martin said Saltwater would support the development of the South West as an internationally recognised destination and contribute to the local economy.

“Business events are a strong driver of direct economic impact through tourism visitation as well as broader knowledge sharing for local communities and a catalyst for trade and investment promoting the best of Australia’s South West,” he said.

“The Asia Pacific region as a whole is the fastest growing meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition market globally with an estimated industry revenue growth from $229 billion in 2017 to a projected $441 billion by 2025.

“Securing increased business events to Australia’s South West flows directly through to increased airline passenger traffic for the Busselton Margaret River Airport and delegate activation of world-class facilities at the Busselton Jetty, award-winning wineries, breweries, art galleries, accommodation providers and industry operators across the region.”

Ms Palmer said the venue would also provide a space for schools and community groups.

“Several regional high schools have booked graduation ceremonies for 2025 and local dance schools have reserved the Saltwater Theatre for their end of year concerts,” she said. “Hosting these special events at Saltwater will not only mean local families won’t need to travel to Bunbury for graduations and concerts, it will also benefit local businesses by activating the CBD’s night-time economy.

“Local community groups are entitled to discounted rates for venue hire, so if your organisation is considering booking a space, please contact the Saltwater team soon to avoid disappointment.”