Darwin Beer Can Regatta
The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is Australia's answer to the Henly Royal Regatta. Sort of. Ok, No-one does beer & bar-b’s better then the Ozzies. Make vessels and dragon ships out of empty beer cans. Fight in them. Race in them at sea or on land. Both Landlubbers & Sea Dogs are welcome. Kick back at this relaxed tropical town which more commonly referred to as the gateway to Asia.
When 29 July 2007. It usually falls the last Sunday July or first in August. That depends on the tide.
Where Mindil beach, Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Why In 1974 Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin on Christmas Eve. The beer can Regatta was created to recycle and help the region recover. Apparently the workmen putting Darwin back together drank copious amounts of beer due to the heat and threw the cans into the street. The original Regatta of 1975 was created to get rid of these cans. All proceeds go to the local Lions Club Who The Regatta is mostly a family day, but increasingly popular with tourists. If you’re in the area it’s definitely worth going for the avo’ session.
Entry It’s €50 to enter all the events for the day. All proceeds go to the Darwin Lions Club. What to Expect The Darwin Beer Cabn Reggata has amazing looking floating objects. Most regulars to this event drink a lot of beer year-round and raise beer can regatta to an art form. • Dragon Boat Demonstration Ladies demonstrate their skills in a Dragon boat race. • Battle of Mindil Chaos. No rules. Use flour bombs, water pistols anything really. It doesn’t have to help you win, but it does have to stop your nearest rival from winning. You can win this by finding a hidden object underwater on the course. The prize ? what you find. Needless to say a long stick comes in very handy in this event. • Adult Can Boat Challenge This is the ultimate race. 1000 (est.)beer cans, 4 adults 1 boat. Skill is needed here and it is taken seriously. It’s a speed race any interference with opponents will result in booing.
• There is a hole in one competition. A dinghy is placed out to sea , the first one to get the ball into it wins the dinghy. • Tug ‘o’ war with teams of 8. • His & her thong throwing competition (thong as in flip flops :( ) My Personal Darwin Regatta Travelling around Australia in the Outback you are bound to have many romantic encounters. I was told by a girl that there was a thong throwing competition on Mindil Beach. The fact that we were in Kitty O Sheas Irish Bar may have impaired my judgement. As I soon found out Thong in Australia has a very different meaning. People were throwing flip flops. I got to the Regatta early the next morning. Very early, in fact just in time to see all the kiddie events. I would recommend people to skip this part unless you have kids. Remember you have to watch all the adults events after. Did the girl turn up ? let’s forget about her ! What to wear North Australia - Darwin any time of the year. It’s 32 degrees, your on a beach with a bar – banana hammock & bikini time mate. Where to drink Bar on the beach. The Darwin Beer Can Regatta has a strict NO BYOB POLICY. It’s going to be Darwin Stubbys all-round. Where to Eat Darwin is probably the most UnAustralian city in Australia. There are all day food markets (10am-10pm) and stalls on land and at sea. Darwin is famous for a diverse population with a broad range of quality restaurants and markets. Where to stay Travelling around the Outback I slept in my camper van but most people there found accommodation easy to come by as the festival pulls intimate numbers.
DONT MISS THIS The plundering and fighting that takes place in the shallows. The bottomless boat race is also quite funny. Very Flintstone-esque. Dangers/annoyances Beware of misplaced beer cans with sharp edges Getting there I was road tripping in a camper van so I drove & and slept in it. Greyhound Pioneer and McCaffertys provide coach service from most cities. The Ghan train service also runs from Adelaide to Darwin. Getting around Walk it, cycle it. Big cycle lanes very clean environment. Airports Darwin Airport – 20 mins to Mindil Beach Internet, Bank/ATM good availability. Weather June & July are the best times of year to visit Darwin, least rain, most clear days and temperature 21-32 degrees. Just rght for the Darwin Beer Can Regatta. Festival Pig Fact Darwin is closer to the capital of 3 other countries then it is to it’s wn capital Canberra( Philipinnes - Manila, East Timor – Dili & Port Moresby – Papau New Guinea)
Darwin Beer Can Regatta Official Website
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