- The 2011 Darwin Beer Can Regatta took place on July 10 at Darwin's Mindil Beach. The 2012 event is scheduled to take place on July 15.
Trust the larrikin Territorians to come up with some weird and wonderful regattas.
In the Northern Territory's Alice Springs, they have the Henley-on-Todd Regatta. There, in Australia's Red Centre, they race their boats on a dry riverbed.
In Darwin at least, they hold their Beer Can Regatta in the water. Only thing is: the boats are made of empty beer cans.
Yearly affair
The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is held yearly in July or August (on a day when the tides are propitious) at Darwin's Mindil Beach.
Thousands of aluminium beer cans are fashioned into boats of all kinds: canoes, speedboats, Viking warships, whatever the madcap mind can conjure.
Children may join the Darwin Beer Can Regatta, but they can only use softdrink cans.
Then the race is on.
Dry land race
On the beach itself, there is the Henley-on-Mindil where, as in Alice Springs, bottomless boats race on the beach.
The festival
Regatta day is an activities-filled day with tugs-of-war, slalom events, and even thong-throwing, to complement the race in the water.
Then there's the Mindil Beach Markets which go into the night following the regatta.
Aiding charity
The Darwin Beer Can Regatta, which started in 1974, is organised by the Combined Lions Clubs of Darwin and helps raise funds for various charities.
Getting there
Mindil Beach is at the southern end of Fannie Bay, off Gilrouth Ave and close to the Darwin casino. Fannie Bay lies northwest of the city centre.
