Where else in the world would anyone be silly enough to hold a regatta in a dry creek bed? Yes, you’ve guessed it, only in the centre of Australia.
Next Saturday, Alice Springs hosts the annual Henley on Todd Regatta which is an event organised and managed by the combined Rotary Clubs of Alice Springs. Thousands of people will come from all over the world to watch a few dozen “boats” race up the usually dry Todd River which runs through the township of Alice Springs that has about 25,000 people. There’s also a number of fun events and prizes that follow.
Most of the boats are built by people who know nothing about boat building. Some are carried by the crew and others are mounted on a variety of trucks, tractors and other vehicles sponsored by local business organisations.
The Todd River spends most of its time waterless. Several times annually, a great flood of water runs through it, but it soon dries up. Only once since the Henley on Todd Regatta has been running has the Todd River actually been flowing with water when the race was to be held. On that occasion, it had to be cancelled.
If you want to know more about this silly event, click here.
Dark Horse
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Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!