Question: Where can you attend a regatta nearly 100 miles away from a body of water?
Answer: Alice Springs, Australia.
Avid fans of rowing or sculling may be familiar with England’s Henley Royal Regatta. Hosted annually by the town of Henley-on-Thames, this prestigious race is sponsored by the likes of Moët & Chandon and attended by the who’s-who of British high society.
Australia has its own proud boating traditions—nearly every town with a beach, bay, or cove has at least one sailing club, with more than 40 in Sydney alone. But the country’s most unique regatta takes place not on the coast, but almost 100 miles away from the nearest body of water.
In the heart of the Australian Outback, the desert town of Alice Springs technically does have a river. It just happens to be dry 95% of the time. This did not stop the Alice Springs Rotary Club from proposing a regatta of their own. In a cheeky nod to Australia’s original British colonizers and their highfalutin river races, the first Henley-on-Todd Regatta took place in the dusty bed of the Todd River in 1962, with proceeds donated to charity. Since then, the volunteer-run event has raised over a million dollars for various humanitarian causes.
Every year on the third Saturday of August, thousands of locals and visitors gather for the big day. In one of many departures from the formality of traditional regattas (in fact, we’re hard pressed to find a single similarity), anyone who pays the entrance fee can enter any of the events—which include sand-shoveling competitions, boogieboard races, and a bathtub derby, in which racers carry a tub-bound passenger to glory.
But as with any great regatta, the "boats" take center stage. The event begins with a parade showcasing the bottomless vessels, which are often decorated elaborately by racers sporting even more outrageous costumes. The actual races are reminiscent of the Flintstones’ car, with teams propelling their boats on foot. In terms of building these homemade vessels, anything goes … outside of one simple rule: The boats must not be even remotely seaworthy.
The real main event, however, is the final "Battle of the Boats Spectacular," which sees three factions—the Vikings, the Pirates, and the Navy—face off on truck beds equipped with sails, water cannons, and other secret weapons (which, for at least one ship in 2022, involved both wet flour and gunpowder). In 2023, the Pirates prevailed for the second year in a row. Sadly, in 2024, the regatta was unexpectedly canceled due to a paperwork snafu that resulted in a lack of funding. But fear not: The event will return full steam ahead in August of 2025.
Otherwise, since its inception, the regatta has been canceled three times: twice because of the pandemic, and once in 1993.
Why? Due to local flooding, there was water in the Todd River.
Fun Facts About Alice Springs:
- What’s in a name? Alice Springs was named for Alice Todd, who was the wife of Charles Todd—the namesake of the (typically) dry Todd River. The "Springs" part, unfortunately, is a bit of a misnomer. A surveyor looking for a suitable spot to build a telegraph station chose the site because he found a water supply in the riverbed, which he believed to be a natural spring. Sadly, it was just a waterhole and not a permanent source. Still, the telegraph station was built as planned, and operated between 1872 and 1932. Today, it’s a historical reserve.
- A tale older than time: The Aboriginal Arrernte people are the Traditional Owners of the area, and have lived here for some 30,000 years. Their name for the township is Mparntwe, which translates to "watering place"—also in reference to the Todd River waterhole. Their territory encompasses several mountain ranges, which, according to Dreamtime creation stories, were created by giant caterpillars.
- Festival season: The Henley-on-Todd Regatta is far from the only beloved annual event in Alice Springs. Among the most popular festivals are Parrtjima, a light festival dedicated to telling traditional Arrernte stories; the Beanie Festival, held each winter when everyone needs a new hat; and the Desert Festival, featuring music, theater, film, and more.
- At your service: As the only well-appointed town within an area the size of Texas, Alice Springs provides essential services within the remote Australian Outback. Among them is the School of the Air, which began broadcasting lessons to children over the radio in the 1950s. Today, the school operates via satellite and reaches students up to 750 miles away. During COVID-19 lockdowns, when learning went remote around the world, many schools looked to the School of the Air for advice.
Discover the unique culture of "The Alice" and its rich Aboriginal heritage when you join O.A.T. for A South Pacific Odyssey: Australia, the Outback & New Zealand.
