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Rocky Valley Foreshore came alive for the 5th Annual Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships on January 24th and 25th, 2009.
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Click here to view photos taken during the 2008 event!
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Click here to download the 2009 Dragon Boat Flyer
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About the Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships...
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 Hundreds of competitors converge on the foreshore of the pristine alpine waters to battle it out dragon head to dragon head. Held on the highest lake in Australia, (approx 1600m above sea level), the Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships is held on the Rocky Valley foreshore, surrounded by magnificent 360 degree vistas of the Bogong High plains. Teams from Melbourne, interstate and surrounding regions all head to Falls Creek for highest Dragon boat event in Australia.
It is a highly social weekend with plenty of camaraderie, fierce competition and friendly rivalry, especially when the mountains, Perisher, Hotham and Falls Creek battle it out... On the foreshore food and drinks including a bar will be available. Saturday night the action continues back in the village with dinners and pre race parties and on Sunday night it is the official Dragon Boat After Party with live entertainment.
Never paddled a dragon boat before? There is no experience necessary on Saturday we provide all the necessary safety and skills training. The Victorian Dragon Boats Association will provide experienced helms and instructors. The race itself is held on the Sunday and the race distance is approximately 200m.
Originating in China over 2,500 years ago, the races were used to worship the dragon deity. It is still used today for annual water rituals and the traditional veneration of the dragon deity. Today dragon boat racing is amongst the fastest growing of team water sports. So get your social, sporting or work group together and join the high life in Falls Creek for a sun-drenched, fun filled weekend of dragon boating, Australia Day celebrations and social events.
At the highest dragon boat event in Australia, the altitude will challenge your fitness, the locals will be-friend you and win or lose it will be a great weekend! We can always blame it on the alpine air!
Join the high life for a festive weekend and compete in the Victorian Mile High Dragon boat championships, call 1800 2 FALLS and our friendly reservation staff will package you and your team a fabulous Falls Creek mile high experience.
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Join us for the 2009 Mile High Dragon Boat Championships
January 24-25, 2009! - Click here to download our 2009 entry form.
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Unfortunately we did not get enough orders for the 2008 Dragon Boat t-shirts to make a second order. Our apologies for any inconvenience.
Next year we hope to order more t-shirts so that we have enough for everyone!
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Melbourne Flames take out the 2008 Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships!!
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14 teams, the largest contingent of 'paddlers' to participate in this very colourful event, competed on a 200 metre course set by the Victorian Dragon Boat Association.
Throughout the day's heats the event favourite, the Melbourne Flames, who are the current Victorian champions, made their intentions clear - that they intended to repeat their efforts two years ago when they won the Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships.
Even with only 16 people in their boat they were the only team to paddle the 200 metre course in under 50 seconds.
The hotly contested Pink Ribbon trophy was won by the Geelong-based Dragons Abreast team aptly named the Juggernauts, edging out local favourites the Braveheart Pink team of breast cancer survivors from Albury/Wodonga. A composite team of Peninsula Dragonflys and Melbourne-based Dragons Abreast Dambusters came third.
However, it was obvious all the women (and the other teams) who competed in the popular dragon boat event were winners before they started.
Deni Schimana, the coordinator of the wining team from Geelong, the Dragons Abreast Juggernauts said:"We had a tight-knit team of all breast cancer survivors in our boat (including four girls undergoing treatment again) which was first formed five years ago.
"We have grown for a core group of six or seven women to our current squad of 50. We are reaching out to more and more women, as are the other Dragons Abreast teams that competed at Falls Creek."
The outstanding camaraderie between the ladies competing against one another in the Pink Ribbon trophy and the other teams in the numerous categories was remarkable.
A Deni Schimana one-liner "We are all in the same boat" aptly summed up the days' competition. Whilst the Melbourne Flames eventually took out their second win, just edging out another Melbourne-based team Dog Paddle on the finish line, local favourites The Man (who won this year's Mountain Challenge) were not disgraced.
Neither were a second Bravehearts team (Pink) who competed in their first final in the Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships. It last race of the day was a very exciting conclusion to the numerous heats held throughout the day.
In a very competitive 'gold medal' final, the fastest four qualifiers in this year's Victorian Mile High Dragon Boat Championships the Melbourne Flames, the Dog Paddlers, The Man and Bravehearts Pink enthralled a large number of spectators.
It was a very close race with each of the four teams matching strokes until a few metres from the finish line when the the Melbourne Flames showed too much class and were declared the winners.
In recognition of the event's heritage the dragon heads on each boat were blessed and the painting of the eyes was carried out eight Buddhist Monks from Melbourne.
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Click here to download a PDF of the official race results...
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