The Darwin Rocksitters Club was an Australian rocksitting club. Formed in Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1974 by a group of journalists at East Point, its members practised rocksitting, the practice of sitting on rocks and drinking beer for as long as possible. The group were awarded an official world record for longest rocksit in October 1978 and then again in 1980, shortly after which rocksitting declined due to the enforcement of public drinking laws.
Rocksitting, sometimes known as rock sitting, is the practice of sitting on rocks and drinking beer for as long as possible. The rocks they sat on would be a metre underwater at high tide. [1] [2] The Darwin Rocksitters Club began in 1974 when a group of journalists gathered on the cliffs at East Point on a Saturday afternoon to drink beer, tell stories, and watch the sunset. This soon became a regular event and the club began to meet every Saturday. [1] [3] One of the members of the club, Robin Davy, said of it: [2]
You have to remember, in those days Darwin was smaller, nobody was watching TV, no iPhones, none of that. We had to make fun and that was the way we did it.
— Robin Davy, ABC Radio Darwin, 2018
The group grew rapidly and published a list of Official Rules for a Rock-sit-athon and the first rule was "there shall be no funny business on The Rock". The third and fifth rules were simply "[n]o funny business". [2]
The group attempted to break the world record by sitting for five days; their success was ignored by an official record-keeping company for drinking too much beer. However, other clubs formed in Victoria and New Zealand and the New Zealand club, The Parua Bay Sitters, soon broke their record when they sat for six days. [2] [4]
Darwin won the title back with an eight-day sit in October 1978, [5] which was run to commemorate the passing of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 , and the new Northern Territory flag was raised. [6] Several other marathon sits were conducted, often to raise money for charity. These included a 12-day world record that was set in 1980, [7] although this was jeopardised on the 11th day when an official complaint was made to the Northern Territory Police Commissioner concerning drinking in a public space, prompting police to visit the sitters and take the names of all people sitting at or visiting the rock. [8] Also in 1980 the rocksitters held their first sit on the inaugural flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and also held a sit on Uluru. [9]
Two popular stories of the rocksitters are that two people once met at the rock and went on to get married and that many other former sitters have had their ashes scattered on the rock. [10] Rocksitting declined with the enforcement of public drinking laws. The club was debated in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1978, with concerns being raised that the club (and events like the Darwin Beer Can Regatta) were affecting the Northern Territory's image in the rest of Australia, and that "down south many people think Territorians to be backward, drunken country hicks". [11]
A memorial plaque to the Darwin Rocksitters Club was first put in place at East Point in 1987 by foundation member Beat Erismann (photographer) in honour of their 10th anniversary. [12] [13] This was later damaged and replaced in 2001. [14] In the 1980s, the original rocks used by the club were broken up by a lightning strike and further damage was done to the remaining rocks during heavy swells in 2012. [15] Their 40th anniversary was celebrated in 2017. [16]
In May 2024 members of the Darwin Rocksitters club met in Darwin to celebrate their 50th anniversary and at the meet up former Northern Territory politician Dawn Lawrie said that: "[w]hen I was a member in parliament … I wanted to find people who were kind, articulate, intelligent and charming and I found the Rocksitters". [17]
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP), commonly known as the Country Liberals, is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics, it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal elections as an affiliate of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia, the two partners in the federal coalition.
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Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small, developing, easterly storm was originally expected to pass clear of the city, but it would turn towards it early on 24 December. After 10:00 p.m. ACST, damage became severe, with wind gusts reaching 217 km/h before instruments failed. The anemometer in Darwin Airport control tower had its needle bent in half by the strength of the gusts.
The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is a festival event which has been held annually since 1974 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia at Mindil Beach. The inaugural event had 63 entries and was attended by about 22,000 people which was about half of Darwin's population at the time.
The Victoria Hotel, or The Vic as it is commonly known, is a heritage listed pub located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Built in 1890, it is an important historical building but is currently closed.
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Lia Emele Finocchiaro is an Australian politician. She has been a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for the seat of Spillett since her election in 2016. She became Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory after the resignation of Gary Higgins on 1 February 2020. She was previously the member for Drysdale from 2012 to 2016.
The Darwin Festival, founded as the Bougainvillea Festival in 1979 and named Festival of Darwin from 1996 to 2002, is an annual arts festival in Darwin, Northern Territory. It celebrates the multicultural aspects of the Northern Territory lifestyle. The festival is held over 18 days in August and comprises a series of events including outdoor concerts, workshops, theatre, dance music, comedy, cabaret, film and visual arts. The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair is held under the umbrella of the festival, and the Garma Festival, NATSIAA art awards, and National Indigenous Music Awards are within the festival period.
Ormond Harold Edward George Snell, best known as Harold Snell, was a soldier, miner, primary producer, carpenter, builder and businessman in the Northern Territory of Australia. He built many historic buildings in Darwin.
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Ellen Mary Stack was an Australian medical doctor and the first female Lord Mayor of an Australian capital city. She was the mayor of the City of Darwin, Northern Territory, from 1975 to 1979, and lord mayor from 1979 to 1980. She is best known for her work following the destruction of Darwin due to Cyclone Tracy.
Hotel Darwin was a hotel located on the Esplanade in central Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was commonly known as the "Grand Old Duchess". Despite surviving the Bombing of Darwin and Cyclone Tracy, the hotel was demolished in 1999. A bar at the rear of the original site formerly known as the Hot & Cold Bar now functions under the name Hotel Darwin.
The Star Theatre was the first purpose-built cinema in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. Destroyed during Cyclone Tracy, it was the centre of Darwin's social life between the 1930s and 1960s.
Lameroo Beach is a small beach located off the esplanade in central Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was the location of the town's historic baths between 1922 and 1974. The name for Lameroo Beach comes from a corrupted interpretation of the nearby Aboriginal site Damoe-Ra, which means "eye" or "spring" in Larrakia.
The Fujita salvage operation was a two-year marine salvage operation of World War II shipwrecks in Darwin Harbour in the Northern Territory of Australia from 1959 to 1961.
Lee Toy Kim better known as Granny Lum Loy or Lu Moo was a renowned Chinese businesswoman in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Barbara James was an author, historian, journalist, political adviser and activist based in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. James is best known for documenting the contribution of women to the development of the Northern Territory in books and articles, most significantly, the award-winning No Man’s Land: Women in the Northern Territory. She was also a press secretary and adviser to Bob Collins, Leader of the Territory Opposition and Senator for the Northern Territory and later Clare Martin, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Olga Havnen is an Aboriginal leader, advocate and activist in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is currently the chief executive officer of the Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.
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