The Rowathon Day
The Flying Doctor Rowathon is an annual one day marathon row held on the Darling and Murray Rivers and hosted by Wentworth District Rowing Club (WDRC) in Wentworth, New South Wales. It is the longest one day marathon rowing regatta in Australia and raises funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In 2024 we again raised funds for their Wellness (Mental Health) Programs in remote communities.
The 2024 Flying Doctor Rowathon.
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The 2024 Rowathon Experience starts on Friday afternoon with boat rigging at Apex Park, Mildura and collection of Rowathon information from WDRC.
The traditional informal BBQ dinner hosted by WDRC commences at approximately 6.00pm. It's an opportunity to relax with crew and enjoy the sunset reflections over the Darling River. There is ample parking by the river and this is also the location for the pre-regatta breakfast on Saturday morning.
The program is as follows:
Breakfast is available at WDRC by the river bank from about 5.30am on Saturday morning. After participants fill their tummies with yummy goodness the first leg crews travel to Apex Park, Mildura to prepare for the first leg, launch boats and start rowing, making sure the starter records your start time.
Full crew instructions including maps of the course are given out in the week before the Rowathon, at the Friday evening BBQ and during breakfast, before the start.
Participants can review the course on the river charts from the "Charts & Maps" menu. The first leg takes in chart "Murray below Mildura" and crews row approximately 25km down the Murray to Coomealla Golf Course landing - ref "Murray above lock 10". After morning tea, a rest and crew changes, crews row approximately 25km down stream to WDRC for lunch and a well earned rest.
After lunch, crews in the third and final leg will row up the Darling, approximately 12.5 km to a buoy , turn around and row back to WDRC to complete the leg. - ref chart "Darling chart 1"
See maps below.....
So the approximate distances are:
1st leg = 25km; 2nd leg = 25km and 3 leg = about 25km
A flat fee pays for breakfast, morning tea, lunch and end of rowing snacks. It is not necessary to take cutlery or crockery to the row, as everything is provided at the meal stops. Nor will you need to take any money, as you will have paid for your meals with your registration.
The day finishes with the Survivor's Dinner in the WDRC boat shed where crews can compare great rowing feats, times and sore parts, always with a deal of satisfaction.
The dinner is paid with the entry form. During the evening we will auction a limited number of special items to raise funds for the RFDS.
We also expect to have a stall near the WDRC boat shed, at the end of the day, selling local produce and donated items, again to raise funds for the RFDS.
The Rowathon is not necessarily a race, but there are some serious records to be broken by those who enjoy a challenge. Crews will be timed over the three legs of the course and the aggregates compared for awarding the trophies. If you and your crew want it to be less competitive, you can enjoy an extraordinary row at a more leisurely pace along the beauty and grandeur of our nations great rivers.
Generally, crews have rest breaks on the water every 20 - 25 minutes, as well as taking three formal breaks on the riverbank with their Support Crews. Above and below the morning, lunch and afternoon stops there will be signs marking the points at which your boat will be timed in and out of each of these two formal breaks. Times do not significantly count for the Jack Joel Trophy but are of great interest to crews which, by rowing the full distance unchanged, vie for the Ian Law Trophy. We also have the Col Rogers Trophy for the "Fastest Boat" over the course with crew changes allowed and the Wentworth Perpetual Trophy for the fastest boat with no changes doing just the half marathon (first two legs). So "be in it to win it."
Location Maps for the 2024 Flying Doctor Rowathon including roads to get to the stops.
Maps for 2024.pdf