04/12/2025
Authentic or Abomination? 😂
Whatever your thoughts about Margaret River's Christmas Tree, we'd love to celebrate this coming Christmas with you on the Margaret River High School Oval tomorrow night from 6:30pm!
Christmas tree critics
Margaret River residents have taken to social media to voice their intense displeasure with the appearance of their town's Christmas tree.
Local Teesha Hindmarsh describes the Christmas display as an "abomination", with lights haphazardly draped over the tree.
"It has gone viral, and we look a bit silly for it now," she says.
"In previous years, they made the top park look beautiful, and they really emphasise on making the tree look beautiful."
Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Julia Jean-Rice defended the tree as "authentically Margaret River" and unique.
"No, it's not perfect, but of course we're open to hearing feedback," she says.
"Let's embrace the Christmas spirit, and remember the true meaning of Christmas, which is kindness, compassion and connection, not perfection."
Ms Jean-Rice says the shire wasn't considering changing the display in response to the backlash.
"A bit of an explanation ... this was our first year using some new lights because the old ones we had weren't safe anymore, and they were a bit trickier to install than we expected."
"It's unique, and yes, it's not perfect, but there are certainly more important issues in our shire."
"Authentic" or "abomination" - What do you think about Margaret River's Christmas tree effort?