3 weird and wonderful ‘sports’ unique to SA

Posted 20 December, 2018 Jeremy Rochow

Farmers Union Iced Coffee, the frog cake and FruChocs – we’ve got some interesting icons here in South Australia, but have you heard of tinny racing, fish chucking and cow riding? We’ve found 3 unique SA ‘sports’ you might want to check out this summer.

 

Tuna toss, Tunarama

January 24-27 Port Lincoln has long been known for its fishing industry, so it seems appropriate for the town to host a tuna toss competition. The event, held during the annual Tunarama Festival, sees competitors whirl a 10kg rubber fish above their head before chucking it as far as 20m.  

 

It came into existence when the festival committee noticed the primary method of unloading the overflowing boats was throwing the fish onto the waiting trucks. In 1979, the first Tuna Toss was held, with John Penny – who trained for the hammer-throw at the Olympics – winning the inaugural competition. It has since expanded to include a tuna toss for both men and women, and a salmon toss for children.

 

Compass Cup

January 26 You’ve probably seen the Melbourne Cup, but have you witnessed Australia’s only cow race, the Compass Cup? Mount Compass, about 70km south of Adelaide, hosts the quirky race that stops the town.

 

The event began in 1973 when the local rural youth were looking for ways to raise money for the local community, and someone thought hopping aboard an untrained cow and riding it would be fun.  

The race has since evolved into a full-day event, with a variety of attractions for the whole family. You can even bid on a cow in the auction to ride in the race – if all goes well, you might just win the Cup.

 

Dinghy Derby

February 3 Known as the wildest boat race on the river, the Dinghy Derby at Renmark has come a long way since its inception in the early 1980s. The race has transformed from a humble bet between a few mates to see who had the fastest tinny, to an event with more than a hundred competitors taking part.

 

Now, two-people teams – a driver and a navigator – weave through the River Murray’s backwaters and creeks in a modified dinghy, reaching speeds of up to 90km/h as they dodge obstacles like snags and hidden logs.