Maitland residents turned out in force on Thursday's Australia Day public holiday to cool off on what was the hottest day of the year so far. Whether it was at the pool or the river, the aim of the day for many was to escape the heat. Maitland Aquatic Centre was the place to be throughout the day with free entry on offer from 10am to 4pm. The centre reached its capacity of 500 at 11am, just one hour into the free entry period, and operated on a one in, one out basis after that. Related: In the afternoon, hundreds took to the Hunter River on inflatable rafts in the Maitland River Regatta from 3pm, many cooling off with a swim at Lorn Beach at the end. There were even a few tipped over rafts mid-course that seemed not-so-accidental - anything to beat the heat. According to Maitland City Council, more than 2000 people attended the festivities at RH Taylor Reserve, Lorn where there was food trucks, rides, free face paint and live entertainment. The Moore family from Rutherford took part in the regatta, and said it was great fun. "It was good, I felt it," they said. "It's the first time we've done it." They said it took about 30 minutes to paddle down the river. Earlier in the day, Maitland City Council hosted its annual Australia Day awards ceremony at East Maitland Bowling Club, with 29 new Australian citizens inducted and Maitland's Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year being named. Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold said it was an honour to preside over the ceremony, "inducting 29 new Australian citizens and presenting our annual Australia Day awards to some of Maitland's best and brightest". "A late shower didn't dampen anyone's spirits either, it was great to see so many people out and about, enjoying the day off and having fun on the river, at the pool and at RH Taylor Reserve," he said. In other news:
