We a pleased, proud and excited to announce this year we are aiming to make our season finale, the Williams “Wildfire” Westernationals, bigger and better than ever! For those who have been to the larger than average events previously held you'll have a good idea of the event, and for those who haven't we can guarantee you're not going to want to miss it. It's time to roll up our sleeves, pull out all the stops, lay out the red carpets and get ready for "WARS STRIKES BACK"
With three days of launching from Friday the 20th through to Sunday the 22nd of September we're making sure we have the room, the time and the skies to launch a lot of rockets! The traditional favourites of the event are still part of the plan, with camping available on site, a Saturday night banquet and the classic awards including favourites such as the “Mariescombe Slice Off”, “Pink Hat” and “Sheraton”.
As an added bonus this year we are hosting the return of the the Australian Universities Rocket Competition, with teams from Australia and New Zealand coming across to fly their student designed and built rockets to altitudes up to 10,000ft. If you'd like to find out more, or if your an experienced rocketeer who would like to help mentor a team, check out their website at aurc.ayaa.com.au
The event is open to both those who would like to launch rockets as well as those who would just like to attend to watch, registration is absolutely required so we can plan catering and facilities for the required numbers. Event registration with be open through our online portal soon, and of course you can expect our classic event t-shirts to be available in our online store closer to the date.
Ticket prices (for those getting accommodation offsite) will be:
Adults $165
Children 6-17 One free with every adult, $100 per additional child
Children 5 and under free
Ticket prices with camping:
Adults $200
Children 6-17 One free with every adult, $100 per additional child
Children 5 and under free
We're also running an early bird special, and giving 10% off to all those who book and pay by June 30!
THE EVENT
A staple of the WARS calendar, WWW is an event that has ranged in scope from members camping, eating and launching rockets together to huge celebrations including seated three course dinners and fireworks, and everything in between. With wide recovery areas, fantastic scenery and wonderful company it is an ideal place to be for both the rocket enthusiast and any interested friends and family. This year the event runs over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the grounds open from 12pm noon on Thursday for arrival and setup until 11am Monday for pack up and departure. The range is generally open from 9am till 4pm each day for flying, feature flights are normally in the early afternoon subject to weather conditions. Besides the entertainment of rocketry there are events such as Saturday afternoons Mariescombe Slice Off, where attendees are welcome to submit their best afternoon tea snack to be judged by the crowd in the hope of winning a year holding the coveted Rolling Pin Trophy, and the Saturday Night Banquet where we get to relax and eat together and find out the winners of the various awards. Besides the Slice Off there is also the Sheraton Award for best campsite, open to flyers and non-flyers, and the Pink Hat award, usually awarded to someone really going the extra mile to not successfully fly a rocket.
THE LOCATION
The townsite of Williams, one of the oldest settled areas in Western Australia, is ideally situated about 160kms south of Perth (the capital city of WA), on the Albany Highway and is the "Gateway to the Great Southern Region". It is a small rural community with a local grocery store, arts and crafts shops, café, newsagency, petrol stations and accommodation.
http://www.williams.wa.gov.au/
“Mariescombe” – the Williams “Wildfire” Westernationals launch site is located 15km south of the townsite, and is a working farm within a wool, livestock and grain producing area.
Narrogin is larger town located 30km east of Williams with shopping centres and a variety of retail shops, banks, hospital, accommodation, petrol station, etc.
ON SITE ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES
Tents, caravans, RV’s, etc. are all welcome onsite at WWW for your comfortable stay. * Please note that access to the launch site is via a gravel road and farm tracks
Whilst there will be a generator onsite to provide power requirements for the event infrastructure, it is recommended that campers cater for their own specific needs.
Portable toilets will be available. Please be courteous and considerate when using amenities.
Further information will be contained in the Registration Package.
Limited drinking water is available onsite although water can be accessed at the Williams Roadhouse’s.
Camp fire (x 2) for your warmth and enjoyment. Children are to be strictly supervised.
OTHER ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Williams Motel & Shady Acre Caravan Park (08) 9885 1192 - Longtime supporters of WWW!
Williams Hotel (08) 9885 1016
Farm stays and other options