Australian sporting events II
Because Oz has so many damn weird sporting events, we couldn't contain them in just one article. So here's the follow-up to our viral first blog about the most unusual Australian sports.
Game on!
Beer Can Regatta
Think that an empty beer can has no purpose? To the residents of Darwin, beer-less tins are the basis of a beloved sporting event that makes great use of what is otherwise trash.
Beginning in 1974, the residents of Darwin (which is the capital of beer consumption in Australia) started the Beer Can Regatta. Boats were made from empty aluminium cans and raced from Mindil Beach out to a buoy and back. The winner is then crowned the Beer Can Regatta King or Queen.
Of course, in recent years the event has shifted to a much more family-friendly approach and all can types are now accepted, with the promotion of responsible drinking.
V8-powered boats? More like VB-powered!
Cockroach Races
What do you do when you have a cockroach infestation? Well, you have two options. One is to call the exterminator. The other is to grab the fastest one and turn it into a racer!
That’s exactly what two blokes in Brisbane did back in the late 70s. After a few schooners of beer, they decided to race the cockroaches from their area in a vacant parking lot.
Thus began the sport of cockroach racing!
Yep, we agree. It's pretty gross. But trust us when we say that after you’ve seen a cockroach dash off as fast as it can with everyone cheering on, it's pretty exciting.
For this reason, you can watch the event (which features 14 different types of cockroach races including steeplechase) and bet on the action.
Just be careful where you step. Nobody wants to see the champ squashed!
Gumboot Tossing
While you can find gumboot tossing events the world over, Aussies are quick to claim it as their own. The popular sport (colloquially known as welly-wanging) originated somewhere in rural Queensland way back in the 1970s.
The concept is pretty simple: competitors toss an old rubber gumboot as far as they can. The goal? To throw it further than anyone else. It’s not unheard of for some athletes to get more than 30 metres in a single toss!
Gumboot tossing has become a mainstay of Australian culture and is now considered one of the most popular rural sports Down Under.
If you ever find yourself in outback Oz, don’t forget to check out the local gumboot tossing competition. And if you ever find yourself missing a gumboot, don’t be alarmed… it might be part of a local competition!
Dunny Derby
Just when you thought throwing a gumboot or racing a bunch of beer cans on the water was weird, wait till you get a load of the Dunny Derby!
Again, this weird sport is held in Queensland (we're seeing a pattern here). And on every second September, the Dunny Derby takes place as part of Winton’s Outback Festival.
It's the kind of event that will make you turn your head out of sheer disbelief: a race involving one person sitting on a 'throne' while two others act as 'pushers' and two more play the role as 'pullers'.
This event is the very definition of bizarre, but the 200-metre race is made even tougher by several challenges along the course, such as one that requires the competitors to stop and pick up a roll of toilet paper or brushes and also empty their buckets.
What's in the buckets you ask?
Come to Winton to find out!
Goanna Pulling
Now before you blow up about us Aussies being cruel to animals, we want to make it clear that the Goanna Pulling Festival in Wooli, NSW, is not what you think!
Goannas are indeed lizards that are endemic to Australia. But this event doesn't involve pulling them like a rope. It's actually a tug-of-war game where two competitors face each other with a heavy leather strap around their necks. They then take turns trying to pull the other person over.
Winners are able to celebrate by doing a goanna dance (well... we assume that's the case). Losers have to wear their goanna costume for a month. Either way, it's a hell of a time. And with different weight divisions, even the smallest wannabe lizard competitors can have a go.
So why not put your tongue away and give it a crack?
World Moonrock Throwing Competition
Another crazy event in Queensland? Yep... we're definitely seeing a sign now! But this weird sport isn't some crazy race or game. It's actually a moonrock throwing competition!
The World Moonrock Throwing Competition is an annual event held as part of the Richmond Fossil Festival in rural Queensland. Competitors throw various-sized rocks (from golf balls to huge slabs) as far as they can for the chance to win.
As for the moonrocks themselves, they're not what you think. They don't come from the moon and they don't contain precious minerals. They're essentially standard rocks that may or may not contain fossils. And apparently, they're pretty bloody fun to throw!
So there you have it, folks!
From gumboot tossing to moonrock throwing, Australia has plenty of weird and wacky sports you can get stuck into. Who knows? You might even find yourself atop the podium for one of these bizarre events some day!
Good luck!
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