Avon Descent

Today the Avon Descent is Australia's biggest whitewater classic event and attracts over 800 contestants each year from around the world. It is considered to be one of the toughest river races in the world. In the early years of the event there were no rules or safety regulations and people went down the river in anything that could float, including homemade rafts and rubber inner tubes. Today, however, there are strict safety rules and regulations which include a compulsory swimming test. There has only been one fatality in the history of the event. The first leg of the race begins at a concrete chute at the weir at Northam.Historically this starting line has claimed many victims, however a concrete chute was built in 2003 to make the start less hazardous. 

As the race proceeds entrants must face hazards which include tea trees, rapids, meter drops and rocks. In some years fog has reduced visibility to less than 10 meters making the descent even more hazardous. Day one ends at Cobblers Pool where all entrants camp overnight in a paddock along the river bank. The second day sees the contestants shoot the rapids at Bells Falls and wind their way through the rocks to the finishing line at Guildford on the Swan River. The event sees all types of craft from speed boats to Kayaks to rubber dinghies.