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 2022 we will again be raising funds for their Wellness (Mental Health) Programs in remote communities.

The 2022 Rowathon Experience will start on Friday afternoon with boat rigging at Wentworth District Rowing Club (WDRC) and collection of Rowathon information.

COVID QR Check IN - There will be a QR Code check-in at the Rowing Club and you MUST check in each day that you visit/attend the Club area, i.e. Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday morning and may be Sunday morning. You know that this is a Government requirement.

The traditional informal BBQ hosted by WDRC will commence at approximately 6.00pm. An opportunity to relax with your crew and enjoy the sunset reflections over the Darling River. There will be ample parking by the river and this is also the location for the pre-regatta breakfast on Saturday morning.

The proposed program is as follows:

Breakfast will be available at WDRC by the river bank from about 6.00am on Saturday morning with a briefing at approximately 6.30am. After you have filled your tummies with yummy goodness the first leg crews will get ready for a great day's rowing. Check-in at 6.40, launch boats and row down the Darling to Lock 10 for a 7.00am pass through.

Full crew instructions including maps of the course will be given out in the week before the Rowathon and during breakfast, before the start.

You can review the course on the river charts from the "Charts & Maps" menu. The first leg takes in chart " Murray Above Lock 10" followed by the chart "Murray below Lock 10" which includes the proposed morning tea stop at "Ana Branch Station" camping area, then on to "Murray at Lock 9" Chart.

After passing through Lock 10, crews will row down the mighty Murray to morning tea at the Fort Courage Camping ground, near Ana Branch Station, a distance of approximately 28 Km, enjoying the amazing scenery along the way. After a well earned rest, crews will head 32km further down the river to the lunch stop which is just before Lock 9, again enjoying the wonderful outback river scenery. After lunch crews will gather to pass through lock 9, following which they will have a short 12km row to Ned's Corner where the rowing will finish.

All boats will need to be de-rigged and loaded on to trailers for the trip back to WDRC. Crews will travel back to Wentworth for a recovery nibbles and drinks on the lawns in front of the rowing club.

A flat fee pays for breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. 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 Roast 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."

Planned lunch location near Lock 9.