Everyone knows that Aussies are a nation of sports-mad people, but are you familiar with some of these more ... ummm ... unusual "sporting" activities that some Aussies participate in?

I'm reminded of the Great Dunny Derby, held every second year in the town of Winton in the outback of Queensland. There are about 837,000 square kilometres of Outback Queensland.

Winton has recreated itself from a quiet rural town, to a tourist destinationt based on its association with Australia's national song, "Waltzing Matilda".

Banjo Paterson wrote the poem while staying on Dagworth Station outside Winton. It was set to music and sung in public for the first time in Winton at the North Gregory Hotel.

There's now a $3.3 million Waltzing Matilda Centre that prides itself on being "the only centre in the world dedicated to a song." As well as state of the art technology and history, it incorporates an Outback Regional Art gallery and a vast collection of pioneering memorabilia in the Qantilda Museum. It highlights the life of the swaggie, introduces the characters behind Australia's most famous legend, and explores the spirit of the Australian character.

The Centre is architecturally inspired by the station homesteads of the Outback, with several linked buildings surrounding a spectacular Billabong Courtyard, the stage for a unique light and sound show.

Winton is also the official home of Dunny Racing. Twenty Outback Outhouses race over a 250 metre track, each with a jockey sitting in the usual position, and pulled by a team of four. The race is called by a professional race caller, and all the jockeys are weighed in before and after each race. Bookmakers are present so you can bet on your favourite team. Over $3,000 is up for grabs with contestants competing from all over Queensland. After the Derby you can sing and dance to your favourite Country Music.

Don't fancy a Dunny Derby? Then how about a boat race along a river that hasn't seen water for years? Try the Todd River Race on for size!

If boats aren't your thing, why not a penny-farthing race?

Feeling fit? Then try your luck pushing a wheelbarrow filled with iron ore 120 km though the wilds of Western Australia.

After that, you'll need a drink, so you can get a start on next year's Darwin Beer Can Regatta. All craft have to be created from ... you guessed it ... beer cans!

Or something a tad more subdued ... such as making a scarecrow for a vineyard?

What about knitting a jumper? Easy-peasy, you say? The trick is you first have to catch your sheep ...

Aussie sports can be odd, but our Kiwi cousins embrace odd things that are just plain scary!

Travel to Australia

Aussie Dunny Derby