First New Norfolk Boxing Day Regatta
The New Norfolk Regatta Association holds the first Boxing Day Regatta on the River Derwent. Rowing is a popular event on the program.
Club history
The New Norfolk Regatta Association held the first Boxing Day Regatta in 1854 on the River Derwent at New Norfolk, Tasmania. Rowing was a popular event on the program. In the 1860s, six steamboats were needed to ferry people from Hobart up to New Norfolk for the regatta, and spectators reached 20,000 in the early 1900s.
The community’s need for a rowing club was met in 1928, when New Norfolk Rowing Club was founded by Dr David I Fitzpatrick, captain and stroke of the first eight.
1929: the club’s first winning maiden eight.
The new home of New Norfolk Rowing Club, the Derwent Valley Boat House on the New Norfolk Esplanade, was officially opened on 23 January 2021. Club president Peter Nichols welcomed official guests, and the Boat House was declared open by the Governor of Tasmania, Kate Warner. The New Norfolk and Derwent Valley News reported on the opening.