Landmarks get the blues

The two biggest landmarks of the Capes region will turn blue next month for a fundraising event which could have national and international appeal.

The Geographe Bay and Augusta-Margaret River Tourism Associations will light the Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin lighthouses in striking blue for the third Illuminate on Saturday, October 12.

Previously turning pink and purple for the McGrath Foundation and Starlight Foundation respectively, this year’s chosen charity is the Leukaemia Foundation.

GBTA attraction manager Mark Delane said they were planning a shorter, sharper spectacle in 2013.

He hoped this would attract more people and centralise attention around the illumination of the lighthouses.

“We’ve decided this year to condense the program from previous years. Having two hours of power allows us to have more of a festival feel,” Mr Delane said.

“We’ll start at 5pm and we’ll have a combination of live music until sunset, when we light up the lighthouse in blue. There’ll also be some food vendors available.”

Mr Delane said Illuminate was perfect for kids, taking place on the last weekend of the two-week school break.

He said families could go on a lighthouse tour for a gold coin donation and take advantage of the fantastic whale-watching opportunities off the coast.

Illuminate coincides with the Leukaemia Foundation’s Light the Night campaign running through spring, which aims to raise $1 million for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma research.

Leukaemia Foundation marketing and communications officer Chara Faux said the campaign slogan Where Hope Shines fit particularly well with Illuminate.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing the lighthouse lit up in blue. The blue lantern represents hope and we see the lighthouse being lit up as a symbol of a cure for blood cancers,” she said.

As for Illuminate’s future, Mr Delane was adamant the event would be a permanent fixture on the regional calendar.

He believed the idea “has some legs to go national or international” as a unique way to celebrate lighthouses, including those at Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.

“We want to keep reminding people they’re here and they obviously still serve a purpose as a signal maritime operations aid.

There’s a lot of history about them, they’re two of the oldest attractions in the region and still relevant,” he said.