This year’s Mareeba Shire Council, Bendigo Bank-sponsored Great Wheelbarrow Race, saw 34 teams of young and old, aged from 14 to 86 sprinting with empty barrows 140 klm along the Wheel Barrow Way highway from Mareeba to Chillagoe.
Starting Friday, the charity event, in its 21st year has become so popular it was covered by the Channel 7 Sunrise Show and ABC Back Roads.
Since its beginning the event has raised an outstanding $2,543,601 for charity.
Each team has up to 10 runners followed by a vehicle which pulls up alongside a runner and they change over on the run on average every 50 metres which allows competitors to maintain a fast rate.
The runners and their backup team stick to the left lane and have council traffic controllers along the way.
There were no mishaps and only a few minor injuries in arguably one of the Far North’s premium events.
The teams overnight at the former tobacco town of Dimbulah, then camp at the one-pub railway stop, Almaden before finishing the remaining 38klm stretch to Chillagoe Sunday morning.
Late in the 1800’s when work was scarce and transportation was limited, miners often used to travel about the region using a wheelbarrow to carry all of their possessions. In 2004, as a tribute to these early pioneers and to honour their amazing trail-blazing feats, the road between Mareeba and Chillagoe was named the Wheelbarrow Way.
The following quote from a Mr Peel, an early settler in Chillagoe captures the essence of the spirit that is being celebrated with the development of the Wheelbarrow Way.
“Dad pushed a wheelbarrow in which were stacked all our belongings. A few pieces of iron which would be used as a shelter, maybe some hessian, a spade, a lantern, a few kitchen things and very little else. Mum and the children walked behind, Mum usually with babe in arms.”
average age of 75, the oldest being 86
A photo gallery is available by contacting the Editor, cairnsnews@protonmail.com
Lets hope they hold another event next year. There was a big crowd there bringing money to the western area. Editor
Move Over Alice Springs and Henley on Todd Regatta. The Pointy End of the Big Pineapple has a great wheelbarrow race.
Is there a pub – the Tobacco Leaf and Barrow?
If the contestants have contents in the wheelbarrow I have a pretty good idea of some contents and the dump destination. An Albo perhaps wrapped in last week’s budgie papers in the dash to the Chillagoe Land Fill? Nominate a CoVID Commissar from the LGA with the grass and bindie cuttings – off to the green waste bin. What about a Palaszczuk bot transported by flaming dumpster to the Dump.
I see many, politically and semitically incorrect possibilities here.
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