Thousands gathered in the park in stunning weather for the annual Lake Mac Festival, which celebrates all things Australian.

Families were out in full force, taking advantage of the warmer weather, which was absent from last year’s festival.

Some even brought their four-legged friends to join in the celebrations.

From barbecues to Australian flag paraphernalia to swimming in the lake, the festival had it all.

The kids were kept occupied all afternoon with a movie on the big screen, face painting and a mobile video games van.

Community Activities Lake Macquarie set up a splash zone and a giant water slide, which proved popular with all ages.

The Toronto-based not-for-profit organisation’s youth group, Bright Minds, organised the ‘splash down stress free’ zone to show the community a good time whilst spreading important information and resources about mental health among youth.

The Lake Macquarie District Scouts also held their annual canoe race, which saw scouts from Belmont and Warners Bay districts, among others, go head-to-head for the coveted title.

Later in the afternoon the audience was treated to performances on stage by local talent.

The evening concert was headlined by 1927, which performed hits such as That’s When I Think of You and If I could, before the legendary Richard Clapton took to the stage to wow the crowd.

A fireworks display over the lake rounded out the day with a bang.

The annual festival is hosted by Lake Macquarie council and is widely supported by the community, drawing about 5000 revellers every year.

It’s just one of the ways the council celebrates and recognises the national day.

The council welcomed 44 new citizens at a citizenship ceremony its Speers Point chambers on Tuesday.

Hailing from 19 countries, the new citizens took the oath with pride in front of friends and family.

The council also announced the recipients of its 2016 Australia Day Awards last week.

Geraldine Moran was named Citizen of the Year for her work with Windale’s Centre for Hope.

Ms Moran has worked tirelessly to transform the lives of “at risk” children aged six to 18 years old.