The turn out to Wagga's annual riverside Australia Day celebrations that by 9am, the beach carpark was already full.
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Event-goers parked and walked from as far as the Playhouse to be there for the morning's activities.
But the walk was worth the effort.
Aside from the classic sausage 'sanga' breakfast, the official ceremony also saw 41 new Australians make their pledge to their new found home.
They had come from all over the globe, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, India, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Pakistan, Sudan, New Zealand, USA and Great Britain.
They now join the 112 different nationalities and 107 different language groups that exist in Wagga.
Acknowledging the controversy over the January 26 event, Wiradjuri elder Aunty Kath Withers implored community unity among the many groups that make up Wagga society.
"I also have to mention that this is a sad day," Aunty Kath said.
"We call it 'Survival Day' [...] This is an was and always will be indigenous land."
In other news:
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