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Welcome to the Ryde Aquatic Festival Website
The 2008 Ryde Aquatic Festival was an outstanding success with our major beneficaries, Ryde Hospital and Life Education the real winners on the day! To view photographs of the runners and walkers as they crossed the 2008 finishing line, please go to http://www.abbeydigital.com.au/
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The 2009 Ryde Aquatic Festival will be held at
Kissing Point Park, Putney on
Sunday 13th September 2009
Organised by the Rotary Club of Gladesville to celebrate the historical significance of the waterways to the City of Ryde, the Ryde Aquatic Festival is a free annual fun-day for the whole family and its purpose is to raise funds for Ryde Hospital, Life Education, tertiary bursaries for children and other Rotary projects.
The greater City of Ryde is mostly surrounded by the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers and in the 1850's crowds in excess of 100,000 spectators travelled by foot, horse & cart or by boat to the place now known as Kissing Point Park in Putney to witness the Australian and World Rowing Regattas, which were then Australia's premier sporting events.
The area was later named Kissing Point because when berthing, the old vessels used to slide their bows onto the shallow beach until the bottom of the boat was 'kissing the sand.' Kissing Point Park is also the site of the first brewery built in Australia.
The Ryde Aquatic Festival gets under way at 9.00am with the Bridge-To-Bridge 5km and 10km Fun Run & Walk. The spectacular Dragon Boat Challenge starts on the water at 9.00am and runs continuously throughout the day, while the Billy Cart Derby commences at noon and the Children's Fun Games get under way at 11.30am.
We also have family entertainment, kids rides and lots of food stalls and other displays.
Please enjoy our website and whether you are a participant or if you just want to stroll around the beautiful grounds while taking in some fresh air and enjoying the events, we look forward to seeing you at this great annual event. |
