Australian country music star James Blundell will headline the entertainment for the 2025 Weipa Rodeo as western Cape York prepares to celebrate 20 years of the event. Photo: Justin’s Photo Works.
Entertainment for the 20th Weipa Rodeo is set to hit the right notes with the announcement an Australian country music star will take to the stage for both nights of the milestone event.
James Blundell will make his maiden trip to western Cape York to perform on 22-23 August and told Cape York Weekly he could not wait to get bauxite dust on his boots.
“I’ve never been to Weipa,” he said.
“It’s combining two great loves of mine – being to a place I’ve never been, and rodeo, which is one of those addictions.”
With a career spanning almost four decades, Blundell said rodeo patrons could expect a mix of old and new songs, with the promise crowd favourites would definitely be on the set list.
“It’s going to be a mix of the old and new stuff,” he said.
“I’m always conscious of not playing too much new stuff, especially in a traditional crowd; there are just sets that make sense to play in a setting like that.”
Weipa Rodeo Association entertainment co-ordinator and former president Steve Fairbrother said securing Blundell was a coup for the event’s 20th anniversary, and said musician Danny Phegan, who is no stranger to performing on western Cape York, had played a pivotal role in making it a reality.
“I said to Danny, ‘I don’t really know what I want, but we want to make it good for 20 [years]’,” Mr Fairbrother said.
“Danny was at Tamworth at the time, and came up with a couple of suggestions, and one of them was James Blundell.
“Danny’s become like part of the family up here in Weipa, and we relied on his help and we secured James.”
Mr Fairbrother said both musicians would perform during the two-day event, adding he believed many would converge on Weipa just for the live entertainment line-up headlined by Blundell.
“Mate, it’s fantastic for the rodeo; once we start putting our [social media] clips together with both James and Danny, it’s going to draw people to town just to watch the entertainment,” he said.
“The rodeo’s about families and all of the community.
“James will be playing both nights; I plan on having Danny sing the national anthem on the Friday night and James sing the national anthem on the Saturday night.
“It’s a pretty spectacular thing when they do that in the arena with the grand entry.”
There will be plenty of exhilarating action in the arena, as well as an enviable live music lineup on offer, when gates open at the 20th Weipa Rodeo in August. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
