Bunbury to host 2026 Aust open Water Champs

BUNBURY’S large population of bottlenose dolphins is set to be joined by the green and gold of Australia’s open water swimmers following today’s announcement the 2026 Australian Open Water Championships and OceanSwim festival will be held in Bunbury, Western Australia.

The four-day festival in January is Australia’s premier event for open water swimming, featuring the Open and Junior National Championships alongside vibrant community participation events.

Taking place in Koombana Bay from 22-25 January, hundreds of elite athletes – including an international field – will vie for a $50,000 prize purse on offer for the Top Eight finishes of the men’s and women’s 10km.

The men’s field is set to be headlined by proud Bunbury Olympian Kyle Lee who broke through for his maiden national open water title in January and then went home with the triple crown.

“I am so excited that I get the chance to swim in front of a ‘home crowd’ so to speak and to share one of favourite places in the world with the open water community,” he said.

“We travel around the world to compete in various events and to have a national championships in my backyard for the first time is really special – the water is so clean, and yes you are pretty much guaranteed to see a dolphin there … and I don’t mean us Aussie swimmers.”

Emily Randall, CEO Swimming WA, added: “For our WA Olympian Kyle Lee, this is home, and it’s incredible that Australia’s best open water swimmers are coming to Bunbury – right in his backyard.”

“Koombana Bay is just incredible – tucked into the coastline, calm, pristine, and framed like a natural amphitheatre. It’s the perfect place for the swimmers to race and for our community to get right behind them.

“A round of our OWS Series has taken place in Bunbury most open water seasons since 2016 and we have a very passionate local open water swimming community, who I’m sure will be just as excited as we are to see this news.”

For the third year running, the event blends high-performance racing with the community focused OceanSwim races, attracting hundreds of amateur swimming enthusiasts.

A variety of distances are on offer for the community swim, including 500m, 1.25km, 2.5km, 5km, 7.5km and 10km options, with registrations to be taken right up to race time.

Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said: “Bunbury is proud to host the 2026 Australian Open Water Championships and OceanSwim Festival, the latest in a growing list of major sporting events that continue to put our city on the national map.”

“Events like this bring incredible energy to our community, boost our local economy, and showcase Bunbury’s natural beauty such as Koombana Bay to visitors from across Australia and beyond.

“We’re thrilled to welcome elite athletes and everyday swimmers alike, and we look forward to seeing Bunbury shine on the national stage once again.”

Swimming Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Rob Woodhouse said the popularity of the festival in recent years was testament to the quality of the location, the excellence of racing experience, and professionalism of the event.

“The picturesque location and ocean swimming culture in WA creates an experience for the swimmers unlike any in Australia, to have our best ocean swimmers and weekend warriors experiencing quality racing is a January must,” he said.

“And we couldn’t deliver it without our partners – the WA State Government, Swimming WA, Tourism WA, and of course, the City and people of Bunbury.”

The 2026 marks the fourth consecutive year that the annual event will be staged in Western Australia following three successful events at Busselton Jetty from 2023-2025.

Last year’s Open Water Championships and OceanSwim Festival attracted more than 1200 participants and injected more than $3.3 million into the local economy.

While the location for the 2028 event—scheduled to run from 19-22 January in Western Australia —is yet to be determined, both Championships are expected to attract thousands of visitors.

Western Australia Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said: “The Australian Open Water Championship and OceanSwim Festival is becoming an exciting and prominent fixture on the Western Australian sporting events calendar, showcasing the state’s world-class coastline to the rest of the nation.”

“The WA Government is proud to support mass participation events like this, as they attract participants and spectators from outside the region, boosting the visitor economy and supporting jobs by driving business to the hospitality and tourism sectors.

“Maintaining a dynamic, year-round calendar of events is a cornerstone of our overarching events strategy, helping ensure that WA’s vibrant regional communities continue to flourish.”

The 2026 Open Water Championships are a key milestone event on the qualification pathway to international competition, including the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in California.

The 2026 and 2028 events are proudly supported by the WA Government, through the Regional Events Program, and will be hosted by Swimming Australia with assistance from Swimming WA.