Henley-On-Todd: The Waterless Regatta

Every August, Alice Springs, a large town in the heart of Australia’s Northern Territory, holds an unusual boat race on Todd River, a river that’s rarely wet. The “boats” are bottomless which enable the “rowers” to poke out their legs and run over the hot sands. The annual event sees hundreds of participants run along the dry riverbed in quirky boats fashioned out of metal frames in the shape of yachts, kayaks as well as regular rowing boats. The final event of the day, known as the Battle of the boats, involves three land vehicles decorated as boats fighting each other with water cannons and water bombs.

Henley-On-Todd regatta