Central Darling Shire is looking forward to welcoming one of the world’s elite adventurers to White Cliffs for the 2026 Australia Day celebrations.

In Short

• World-Class Guest: Andrew Lock OAM, the first person in the British Commonwealth to summit all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, is the official 2026 Australia Day Ambassador for the Shire.

• Heroic Pedigree: Beyond mountaineering, Lock is a recipient of the Commendation for Bravery and the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal for his rescue efforts on Everest and in Nepal.

• Community Events: Residents of White Cliffs will have the rare opportunity to hear Lock speak on resilience, leadership, and his experiences in the "death zone."

Andrew Lock OAM is Australia’s most accomplished high-altitude mountaineer.

He is the only Australian - and the first person in the entire British Commonwealth - to climb all fourteen of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, including Mount Everest twice.

This extraordinary achievement places him among a select group of just eighteen people globally who have completed this feat.

His climbs have taken him to the most dangerous environments on earth, where he has faced avalanches, extreme cold and life-or-death decisions.

In 2004, while filming for the Discovery Channel’s Ultimate Survival: Everest, Andrew risked his own life to rescue three climbers near the summit, an act that earned him a Commendation for Bravery.

In 2010, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to mountaineering. He was also awarded the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal for emergency response service

carried out in Nepal immediately following the 2015 Nepal earthquake in which 10000 people perished.

Beyond the mountains, Andrew is a sought-after motivational speaker and leadership consultant, translating lessons from the “death zone” into strategies for resilience, teamwork and risk management. He has authored acclaimed books, including Summit 8000 and

Master of Thin Air, and regularly appears in media and documentaries.

His challenge and leadership expertise isn’t limited to high altitude, however.

He has led multiple scientific research expeditions to Australia’s most remote Antarctic territory, including Heard Island, sailed yachts to Antarctica and back again, led small teams across the Arctic in the depths of winter, won his division in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and

motorbiked through the Wakhan Corridor and other remote areas of Central Asia.

He has also led national security operations and crisis management teams, reflecting his ability to perform under pressure in the harshest conditions.

"Central Darling Shire Council would like to acknowledge and thank the Australia Day Council of NSW," a spokesperson said.

"The Australia Day Ambassadors program has made it possible for Andrew to visit White Cliffs for Australia Day in 2026. This program sees inspirational Australians from a variety of backgrounds invited each year to speak, about what it truly means to be Australian, at community events across NSW."

Information about Australia Day events in the Shire will be available on the Council website.