Locations

The focus of rowing training was first Cornelian Bay and then New Town Bay, but over the years calmer water has been sought for training at both Franklin and New Norfolk.

Special training camps were first held in the 1930’s. In the Easter vacation of 1932 the senior crew held a camp at Sorell Creek, near Boyer, with “the resulting long rows obtained assisting material.” Both senior and junior crews went to Sorell Creek in 1933. The June 1933 Echoes records the event:

“Both crews went to a holiday camp at Sorell Creek during the Easter holidays. The junior crew left on Good Friday, and reached Sorell Creek without mishap, but the senior crew, which was unable to leave until the following Wednesday, had the misfortune to have to battle against a howling north westerly gale on the voyage upstream. The boys expected to reach Sorell Creek by 1.30pm but at 2 o’clock they were located on the shore near Prince of Wales Bay. Mr Unwin, whose car was away in the country at the time, obtained the help of Captain Huxley, who took out supplies of food and clothing to the boys. After satisfying their needs, they were taken to Sorell Creek, where they pitched their tents, and made themselves comfortable. They returned for the boat the next day. The stay at Sorell Creek was a most enjoyable one, and the combination gained stood the crews in good stead later on. The senior crew had a very pleasant trip back form the camp, rowing from Sorell Creek to Claremont in one stretch, under very pleasant weather conditions.”

There is no further mention of rowing camps until the 1970’s, when the 1972 season commenced, with a rowing camp at Meadowbank Dam on the Archer property. The Meadowbank Dam venue was also used on a number of subsequent occasions.

Rowing venues have been all around the State, the Derwent, the Tamar, the Huon, the Mersey, Lake Dulverton at Oatlands and in more recent times the international standard venue at Lake Barrington.

On a number of occasions crews have ventured interstate to compete, rowing against Geelong Grammar on the Barwon River in 1960, in Brisbane in 1974, on the Yarra in Melbourne in 1976, and in Canberra in 1979.