Bunbury Swim Thru draws record entries

THE 33rd Barrett Bunbury Swim Thru was the biggest one yet with more than 140 swimmers taking to the Leschenault Inlet on Saturday.

Kate Bird, of Bunbury, was the fastest female finishing the 1.6km swim in just over 22 minutes.

Andrew Donaldson, of Wembley, was the fastest male at 20 minutes.

However, the Swim Thru's winner is the swimmer who finishes closest to their nominated time.

Lucy Nankervis, of Bunbury, won first prize finishing five seconds behind her nominated time of 45 minutes.

William Barrett and Sons proprietor Errol Barrett, who has competed in all 33 swims, said the swim was harder than past years.

"The south-westerly made the water quite choppy, which slowed us down a little," he said.

Mr Barrett said the swim was another great success with all swimmers except two finishing the race.

With entrants from around the South West and Perth area each year, Mr Barrett said Saturday's swim attracted more visitors than ever.

"There were a lot of people from outside of our catchment area, which was great to see," he said.

The Barrett Swim Thru raised about $3500 for the Bunbury Surf Lifesaving Club.

The swim was part of the Aqua Spectacular, which covered a weekend of events held in Bunbury that were attended by thousands of people.

Over the three days, the events held included the Multicultural Night Under the Stars, the Millard Classic Fishing Competition and dragon boat racing on the inlet.

Dolphin Discovery Centre general manager David Kerr said the Aqua Spectacular was a celebration of the Bunbury community.

Mr Kerr said the Aqua Spectacular could be expanded next year, with new events over a longer period.

The event dates back to 1990 but has been re-invented since 2010.

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