Alice Springs Dry River Boat Race

Alice Springs has a TV show (The Alice), is near Uluru, and is famous for it’s quirky festival- the Henley on the Todd Boat Regatta. The Aussies have such a great sense of humour and love “taking the piss” out of themselves. The Dry River Regatta is a perfect example of this. The fact that the nearest body of water is 1500K away doesn’t seem to hamper the boat race in the slightest…except in 1993 when the event had to be cancelled due to flooding….Bring on the water cannons! Wa Ha HA HOOOO EEEEEE!

Generally around the end of August or early September, this years event is August 25th. Come celebrate 46 years of this Regatta by watching or participating in such events as the:

Boogie Board: 5 crew tow, and 1 stands, kneels or sits on the board, over the waves, around the slalom course to a turning buoy, and back to the finish line

The Surf Lifesaving Event: A team of 4. The “lifesaver” paddles/shovels the surf ski along the rails to pick up the damsel-in-distress. Both are reeled back by the other 2 members of the team

Or …dun dun dun…

The Battle Boat Spectacular!!!!! 3 battle boats, powered by four wheel drives, churn through the sand bristling with flour mortars and high powered water cannons.

No Need to bring your own boat, all is provided. Just bring your sense of adventure, a thirst for beer, some sunscreen, thongs, and a jolly good sense of humour. Check out their website to register here.

From their Website:
In 1962, Reg Smith and his compatriots at the Alice Springs Meteorological Bureau proposed they hold an actual regatta along the lines of the famous Henley-on-Thames, a race between Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The idea was taken up by the Rotary club of Alice Springs, and the fact that the town was 1,500 km’s from the nearest large body of water was never seen as a problem.