History
Reg Smith at the Alice Springs Meteorological Bureau proposed for an actual regatta along the lines of the famous Henley Royal Regatta (at Henley-on-Thames, thus the name of the regatta) in 1962. The idea was taken up by the Rotary club of Alice Springs, and despite the fact that the town was 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) from the nearest large body of water this was never seen as a problem.
Watching seemingly sane people race in bottomless "eights", "Oxford tubs", "bath tubs" and yachts through the deep coarse sand of the Todd River is a unique spectacle amongst world sporting events and attracts many local and international participants.
The Henley-On-Todd Regatta is run entirely on a volunteer basis by three Rotary Clubs based in 'the Alice'.
The Todd River was named by surveyor W. W. Mills after Lady Alice Todd (née Alice Gillam Bell), wife of Sir Charles Todd, Postmaster General of South Australia and driving force for the Australian Overland Telegraph Line from Port Augusta to Darwin. The river is usually dry, but prone to flooding during the wet season. Alice Springs was discovered in 1871 during the construction of this line.
Read more about this topic: Henley-on-Todd Regatta
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