First Lights Binalup: Massive crowd ‘captivated’ by first-ever Albany drone show at Binalup/Middleton Beach

Thousands were impressed by a spectacular drone light show in the night sky over Binalup/Middleton Beach on Saturday. Grey skies, rain and inclement weather threatened throughout the day before clearing in time for First Lights Binalup to go off without a hitch as crowds packed out the beach and foreshore. The drone show, presented by Fremantle Biennale and the City of Albany, was an opportunity to tell the Menang-Noongar story of Mammang Koort, the beating heart of the whale, in a way never seen before. Indigenous leaders welcomed the crowd to the event and provided a background to the story before 160 drones appeared above Mt Adelaide forming into the shape of a whale swimming towards the cove. Albany-raised acclaimed Noongar author Kim Scott narrated the show from start to finish over a subdued soundtrack with other voices interspersed adding to the storytelling elements throughout. Scott’s words rang out over the cove: “We are still here. . . where the whale rests, Mammang Koort.” The 10-minute show told the history of the area, its significance to the region’s first people and how they have observed nature interacting within the space over thousands of years. After the drones had reformed back into the shape of a whale to swim back over Mt Adelaide to end the display, the enthralled crowd broke into applause for the first show of its kind in Albany. Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said he had never seen crowds like it at Binalup/Middleton Beach. He said the display was a “marvellous” exercise and said the crowd was “captivated” throughout. “It was great to see something wonderful like that, which is something that we’d never seen in Albany before,” he said. “I thought there would be a good crowd, but I was a bit surprised and I don’t know how we’d judge the numbers on it. “To say thousands would be fair, how many thousand were there I don’t know.” He said there had been some nerves about the weather before it cleared in time for the event. “We’re always nervous about the weather in Albany,” he said. Before the main event, the crowd entertained themselves by playing with balls of multicoloured light provided by the City as part of ART Lights. Southern Edge Arts warmed the crowd up just before 6.30pm with a fire-twirling performance on the beach. The event was supported by Federal and State Government funds, including a $100,000 Lotterywest grant, as well as the Minderoo Foundation.