It’s a well-known fact that the land of Australia is a weird and wacky place, mainly due to the creatures that live there, place names and more. The festivals certainly continue the trait. Read on for a pick of the bizarre events and festivals celebrated in Australia…
Tunarama
Get ready for some tuna tossin’ at the Tunarama festival held in Port Lincoln each year. It’s like hammer throw, except the hammer throw is replaced with a frozen tuna tied to a rope weighing around nine kilos. Aim of the game: throw the tuna as far as you can. The event attracts as many as 25,000 people each year to view this seafood spectacular.
Henley-on-Todd Regatta
Yacht races and other nautical based events are the theme of this festival, but with a rather baffling twist. It is held in Alice Springs in Northern Territory in the centre of the country; 1500km away from the nearest large area of water. Teams of four or eight people construct all manner of bottomless crafts from bathtubs, to canoes, rowing boats and yachts and simply run the length of the dry river bed instead of sail. There are separate races for each craft of choice. Weird? Yes, so it’s best just to go with the flow and enjoy a good laugh.
Rock Paper Scissors Championships
If you thought Rock – Paper – Scissors was just a game, think again. There are committees, governing bodies and official rules so it’s a pretty serious event with over one thousand spectators and competitors. The Australia Rock Paper Scissors Championships are held annually in the capital city of Canberra with several heats and multiple competitors battling it out using strategy, wits, speed and dexterity. There are also Air Guitar Championships, Lip Sync Championships and you’ve guessed it, Thumb Wrestling Championships!
Boorowa Irish Woolfest
The small town of Boorowa in New South Wales hosts the annual Boorowa Irish Woolfest as a celebration of their Celtic heritage. The usual festivities such as street performers, music and food feature but the main event of the festival is “the Running of the Sheep”. A ten thousand strong crowd cheer the sheep on as they run through the town, chased by a man on a quad bike. There’s even a Blessing of the Fleece Ceremony!
Camel Cup
The Camel Cup isn’t hard to fathom, it’s essentially just camel racing. Might sound dull but it’s said to be quite entertaining to watch and highly unpredictable. You might have put your money on the camel that decides to be stubbornly sit down at the starting line, refusing to put even one toe forward. On the contrary other camels can reach speeds of 42mph. The event is hosted annually in Blatherskite Park.
Have you been to any of these festivals? If so, share your experience in the comments below.
