Witness the Barwon River’s ‘yellow waterfall’ as thousands of ducks fall from the footbridge this Easter Saturday.
Rotary Club of Ocean Grove will host the 23rd Great Barwon River Duck Race on April 19, with more than 2000 yellow ducks racing along the Barwon River to the Ozone Jetty.
Organiser and ‘mother duck’ Heather Willson said the event would also feature many dressed-up corporate ducks and blue kids’ ducks competing along the river.
“The rotary club run it, so we give all the proceeds to local charities… and we had almost $30,000 to give away last year,” she said.
“We’re hoping for good weather, but that could change at any minute. The race varies in time because of the tides, and we must be careful not to get the wrong tide.
“The interesting part is that the tide probably has less influence than the wind. One year, we had a howling gale, and the ducks went straight over to one side and beached themselves.
“Last year, we sold virtually all the ducks, which is quite a lot. We had 2000 yellow ducks, 350 blue ducks, and about 40 corporate ducks, each decorated by a company.
“The best part is watching the yellow ducks fall from the footbridge. The bags sit on top of the footbridge, and, when I blow the horn, they all tip off and it’s like a great big yellow waterfall. It’s quite spectacular.”
The event will begin with the Corporate Duck race at 11am, followed by the Quacker Kids race at 11.15am before the yellow ducks are launched from the Barwon Heads footbridge at 11.30am.
Kids, adults and corporate ducks are still available. Visit trybooking.com/events/landing/1364254 for more information.
Jena Carr
