WA To Host Australian Open Water and Short Course Nationals In A Major Coup
The waters of Western Australia are quickly becoming the latest home of Australian open water swimming with today’s announcement that the Australian Open Water Championships will return to Bunbury in 2027 and 2028 and to Perth for next year’s Short Course Pool Nationals.
The Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Swim Festival are back in Bunbury’s picturesque Koombana Bay from January 21 to 24, following a successful 2026 event that attracted more than 1000 swimmers, and in excess of 900 athletes from outside the South West region that generated more than $2.8 million in economic impact.
Currently one of Australia’s strongest regions for open water swimming, the return keeps the Championship and mass participation event in WA’s South West region for a fifth year, with Bunbury already announced as the 2028 venue.
WA has always been an open water mecca with the Rottnest Island Classic an annual go to for open water swimmers from around Australia and the first World Aquatics Open Water Championship swum in the Swan River in 1991 and won by the State’s legendary marathon swimmer Shelley-Taylor Smith.
Koombana Bay, Bunbury, site of the 2027 Australian OW Champs Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia).
Now it is synonymous with Paris Olympian and World Relay champion, local hero Kyle Lee – himself a Rottnest Island Channel winner – and a Bunbury local who along with Paris silver medallist and World Champion Moesha Johnson dominated this year’s Australian Championships.
Lee won the 5km and 10km double and spearheaded his North Shore, WA team to gold in the 4x1500m relay while Johnson (Miami, QLD) – now widely recognised as the world’s No 1 female open water swimmer will be out to defend her 5km and 10m titles as well as the 3km knockout.
Swimming Australia CEO Rob Woodhouse welcomed its return saying: “We are also pleased to return to Bunbury after the success of the 2026 event, and we hope the dolphins that joined our swimmers last time will welcome us back again in 2027 and 2028.”
While City of Bunbury Mayor, Jaysen Miguel said Bunbury was thrilled to once again welcome the nation’s best open water swimmers to Koombana Bay.
“The 2026 event was an incredible success, drawing more than 1000 swimmers and delivering a significant boost to our local economy. Events like this shine a spotlight on Bunbury and the wider South West as a premier destination – not just for sport, but for our beautiful waterways, our hospitality and our community spirit,” said Mayor Miguel.
NUMBER ONE: The world’s No 1 open water swimmer Moesha Johnson will be back in. Bunbury in 2027. Photo Courtesy Adam Crane (Swimming Australia)
Koombana Bay’s sheltered waters, our vibrant waterfront and the natural beauty of the South West make Bunbury the perfect stage for this event, and if the swimmers are lucky, our resident dolphins might just join them in the water again.
“With Bunbury also confirmed as the 2028 host, we’re proud to be cementing our reputation as the home of open water swimming in Western Australia, and we can’t wait to welcome swimmers, their families and visitors back to our shores.”
And in another major coup for WA, the Australian Short Course Championships will be staged at the Perth High Performance Centre (Perth HPC), marking Western Australia’s first National pool event since 2012, with around 500 swimmers expected to compete across three days in 2027 from September 29 to October 1.
“We are delighted to bring a national pool event back to Perth for the first time in more than a decade,” Woodhouse said.“Perth has a proud history of hosting Swimming Australia events, and we look forward to working with Venues West and Swimming WA to deliver next year’s Australian Short Course Championships at the Perth HPC.
The events are supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia, with additional support from the City of Bunbury for the Australian Open Water Championships.
CEO of Swimming WA, Emily Randall WA said: “Bunbury is the perfect place to host the Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Festival, bringing open water athletes from across the country together to swim in the beautiful waters in the South West region of WA.”
“It is very exciting to be hosting the Australian Short Course Championships in 2027 at the Perth High Performance Centre. One year out of LA 2028, WA athletes have the opportunity to compete against Australia’s best swimmers on home turf without the usual requirements to travel interstate.”
Western Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment, The Hon. Samantha Rowe MLC, said securing both the Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Swim Festival in January 2027, as well as the Australian Short Course Championships later in the year, highlights WA’s strength as a premier destination for world-class sporting events.
“These events not only bring elite competition to Western Australia, but also attract thousands of visitors, spectators and support staff which deliver huge economic benefits to our tourism and hospitality sectors,” said Rowe.
“(We) are committed to building a diverse, year-round events calendar that prioritises supporting local jobs and businesses, drives visitation to our regional areas, and highlights the best of Western Australia to the world.”
