If you're anywhere near Apex Park early Tuesday morning, you might be wondering why the riverbank is suddenly lined with 90 tinnies.
The answer is the Tinny Rally — and what started with one bloke taking a cheap little boat down the Murray has grown into an adventure attracting more than 180 people from across Australia and overseas.
On Tuesday 13 October, 90 tinnies will begin leaving Apex Park from daybreak, bound for Mannum in South Australia on an extraordinary 726-kilometre journey down the Murray River.
Most are expected to be away by about 9.30am, giving locals a chance to see what has become quite a sight before the fleet disappears downstream.
“Seeing 90 tinnies lined up along the riverbank and then disappearing down the Murray is a pretty cool sight,” event organiser Dan Willersdorf told Out & About Sunraysia.
And they're certainly not all locals.
Participants are travelling from across Australia, with the rally now beginning to attract international adventurers from New Zealand, Hong Kong and the United States.
It started with one cheap tinny
The origins of the Tinny Rally are considerably smaller.
Dan grew up around the Murray and had always wanted to travel a substantial section of the river.
Eventually, instead of continuing to talk about it, he bought a cheap little tinny and did it.
“I took a cheap little tinny and went from just upstream of Mildura to Mannum completely solo and unsupported,” he said.
“It was the middle of winter, there were long stretches with basically no phone service, and I carried a spare motor in the boat in case I broke down.
“That trip proved the idea could actually work.”
Mildura was the obvious starting point.
“I grew up around this part of the river, and from here you get a fantastic 726km journey all the way down to Mannum.”
Dan later went back and did it again, this time properly mapping the journey.
Campsites, sandbars, hazards, fuel stops and daily distances were recorded, along with the places worth stopping at along the way.
Much of that work eventually became the Navigator's Chart now supplied to rally participants.
The Murray doesn't always follow the plan
Travelling the Murray in a little tinny also taught Dan that what looks straightforward on a map isn't necessarily straightforward on the water.
“On one trip I dragged the tinny through about 500 metres of shallow water,” he said.
“I had a pull starter fail and had to figure out how to repair it on the river. Another day I thought I'd destroyed the gearbox, but it turned out to be a slipping prop bush.”
It also showed him what would eventually become one of the rally's biggest attractions.
“You can spend hours in completely remote country, camp on a sandbar, then pull up the next day and walk into an old river pub.
“That contrast became a big part of the rally.”
From 36 people to more than 180
The first Tinny Rally attracted just 36 people.
This time there will be more than 180 participants aboard 90 boats, with rallies generally selling out about six months in advance.
Even Dan admits the growth caught him by surprise.
“What surprised me was how quickly people understood the idea,” he said.
“Take an ordinary tinny and turn it into an expedition boat for a week.
“People see it and think, ‘I want to do that.’”
And ordinary tinnies really are part of the attraction.
Some participants have arrived with boats costing only a few hundred dollars.
One of Dan's favourite stories involves a bloke named Dom, who attempted the rally in a tiny 3.5-metre boat powered by a 15hp outboard.
He almost made it without incident.
“On day six it sank.”
But apparently even sinking wasn't enough to end Dom's rally.
“We got it out, patched the damaged section with a piece of aluminium cut from an old street sign, got it going again and he kept going,” Dan said.
“That probably sums up Tinny Rally pretty well.”
Pack carefully — weight matters
Taking a small boat 726 kilometres down the Murray requires a bit more preparation than throwing in an esky and heading off for the afternoon.
Crews need fuel, camping equipment, tools, spare parts and safety gear while remaining sufficiently self-reliant to deal with problems along the way.
But Dan says there's one mistake newcomers regularly make.
“The biggest thing people underestimate is weight,” he said.
“Small tinnies are incredibly sensitive to how much gear you pile into them.
“People pack too much, then suddenly the boat struggles to get on the plane or burns far more fuel than they expected.”
And over seven days on the Murray, something going wrong is almost expected.
Props, batteries, electrical faults, motors, loose components and unexpectedly shallow water are among the problems crews can encounter.
That's intentional to some degree.
“It's not for tourists”
While considerable support sits behind the rally, Dan is determined not to turn it into a guided river cruise.
“Because it's not for tourists,” he said.
“People come because they want a genuine adventure. They run their own boat, make their own decisions, camp along the river and deal with whatever the week throws at them.”
Mechanics, support boats, spare motors and tinnies, road crews, mapping and logistical support are there if things go seriously wrong.
But participants are still expected to solve problems themselves.
“We don't want to take away the part where people actually have to have an adventure themselves,” Dan said.
“It also attracts a particular sort of person — people willing to have a crack, help each other out and not get too upset when everything doesn't go exactly to plan.
“That has probably become one of the best parts of it.”
Bringing people back to Murray towns
There's also another benefit as 180-plus people make their way down the river.
The Tinny Rally isn't a charity rally and participants aren't required to raise money, although charity auctions are generally held during the final-night awards.
Instead, one of the less obvious benefits is the money participants spend in the communities they pass through.
Fuel stations, pubs, cafés, caravan parks, accommodation providers and other businesses along the Murray all see some of that activity.
“A lot of businesses along the Murray have had a tough few years, particularly after the floods,” Dan said.
“Having more than 180 people buying fuel, eating at pubs and cafés, staying in caravan parks and accommodation and discovering these little river towns puts some life back into those places.”
Mildura gets the first taste of that activity as participants arrive, prepare their boats and get ready for departure.
📅 Tuesday 13 October
📍 Apex Park, Mildura
🚤 Boats begin leaving from daybreak
⏰ Most are expected to be away by around 9.30am
With around 90 tinnies lined up along the Murray before departure, Tuesday morning will be the best opportunity for locals to see the rally fleet together before it heads downstream.
And then comes Tuesday morning.
Ninety little boats lined along the Murray at Apex Park, loaded with tents, tools, fuel and enough gear to survive a week travelling downriver.
By about 9.30am, most will have disappeared around the bends and begun the long journey towards Mannum.
For many participants, though, Dan says the thing they remember most at the other end isn't necessarily the scenery or even completing the 726 kilometres.
It's the people they did it with.
“You spend a week travelling with people who have all chosen to do something a little bit ridiculous and adventurous, and it creates a great group,” he said.
“A lot of friendships come out of it.”
Some have also told organisers that simply getting away for a week, spending time outdoors, having an adventure and being around good people did them a world of good mentally.
And from one bloke, one cheap tinny and a solo winter trip down the Murray, that little adventure has become something considerably bigger.
This Tuesday morning, Mildura gets to watch the next 90 begin theirs.
