Keyrings for the platinum edition of the Weipa Fishing Classic on 6-8 June are now on sale and will provide entry to the event, as well as a chance to be included in the coveted top 30 draw. Photo: Supplied.
They may not be the golden tickets that granted access to Willy Wonka’s chocolate kingdom, but platinum keyrings have started to cause a buzz on western Cape York ahead of one of the region’s biggest annual events in June.
Tickets – in the familiar form of numbered, fish-shaped keyrings – have gone on sale for the 2025 Weipa Fishing Classic (WFC) and president Lisa Lui said she believed the eye-catching design of the 20th anniversary offering would quickly become a collector’s item for event diehards.
“The first keyring sales spark excitement for the Weipa Fishing Classic, marking the beginning of the event’s build-up,” she said.
“We had a fantastic day at the Weipa showcase for the initial sales, and there’s already a lot of enthusiasm for the Classic.
“The keyrings are collector’s items; I know people who have one for every year they’ve been in Weipa; others, who have moved away, often have friends or family buy their tickets and send them after the Classic.”
The $70 keyrings provide entry to the three-day event, random draws and the coveted top 30 prize draw on the final night of the WFC.
Ms Lui said some Weipa residents wanted the same numbers each year and that they had developed a technique to monitor keyring sales to ensure they could bag their preferred numbers.
“Some people have their numbers that they want every year,” she said.
“We put the keyrings out in batches of 100, and you will have people track the batches we sell to make sure they are there when that batch of numbers is laid out and search through them to find their numbers.”
The WFC committee will be selling the keyrings every Saturday, with the exception of the Easter long weekend, on the grassed area beside the Woolworths car park from 9am-12pm until they are sold out.
Ms Lui said those from out of town could also get in on the action ahead of their arrival in Weipa for the milestone edition of the event.
“For those from out of town, tickets can be purchased remotely and will be held until they arrive for the Classic,” she explained.
“Tickets are non-transferable, so we will hold them in case of any unforeseen circumstances; if they can’t make it, they can be reimbursed, or designate a local friend or family member to pick up the tickets as a proxy.”
The keyrings causing all the buzz ahead of the 2025 Weipa Fishing Classic will be available for purchase every Saturday between now and the event, except the Easter long weekend, on the grassed area beside the Woolworths car park. Photo: Supplied.
