We came to Tame the Tully and we’ve left knowing we now Treasure the Tully.
With deepest heartfelt thanks we’d like to acknowledge all the Tully and fellow Cassowary Coast residents and volunteers whom without, our 18th World Rafting Championship could not have been such a success.
We thought we’d share with you some of the stories teams have been sharing with us about their experiences and adventures in and around Tully.
Airing dirty laundry
Most teams had a team “sponsor” which was a local Tully shop or family who made it their mission to make teams feel as welcome as possible to Tully – there was an amazing team of Tully residents who went well beyond and would take team’s laundry and bring it back clean, fresh and dry (which was a welcome relief after the skies decided that Tully didn’t have enough water!)
Expert level bakers!
A couple of teams were fortunate enough to be the lucky recipients of the expertise of a local 8 year old Tully resident who baked cupcakes throughout the week.
No place like home…
All our safety team were volunteers – most have guided on the Tully or kayaked it over the past few decades. With such a fondness for the river, most of the team had travelled in from far and wide to be part of this awesome event. Aussies will have picked up the twang in the accents of many of the safety team who had flown in from New Zealand. But most notably was one member of the team who was only able to help out for one day – but he lives in Canberra (almost 2500 kms away!) so he flew up to help out for the one day! Dedication to the river and the event! Thank you!
Braving the elements
Something there was no shortage of was rain… and spectators! The opening ceremony saw hundreds of residents and well wishers line the streets of Tully braving the intermittent downpours. The largest cheers were reserved for the deserving Team Australia!
Experiencing Far North Queensland
Whether it was welcoming us into your business, your home, your school or your sport centre. We felt a genuine welcome and thank you for sharing everything with us. The Romanian Open Men would like to give a shout out to Paul Duca for sharing with them exotic fruits from the Tully Gorge!
Traditional owners past, present and future
The Tully River and lands surrounding it have great importance to the traditional land owners and we thank the GALU Traditional Owners Working Group for your hospitality and warm welcome to the region. The welcome to country extended to all our athletes and support crew was well received and we thank you for your well wishes and encouragement for a safe and engaging competition.
A huge thank you also for sharing the River Story with us all – an important dreamtime story that we have taken away with us to share with our own families.
River family
At the end of the gruelling Downriver race, showing true care and respect for one another, the Kiwi U23 Women’s boat raced further forward after crossing the finish line to assist in ensuring the safety of one of the Aussie women who was affected by an asthma attack. Jumping from raft to raft shouting “I’m a nurse” – there was no truer display of the camaraderie and caring for each other in this our river family.
Esther’s and her team
A massive shout out goes to Esther and the whole team of volunteers. Esther’s dedication and welcoming attitude made sure you all had a place to rest, unwind, make new friends and be an important part of this major event. At times, you may have felt like a small cog, but without you, the giant machine would not move and we could not have made this such an engaging and welcoming event. Thank you to each and every one of you.
And so we have now bid farewell to Tully but rest assured residents of the Cassowary Coast, you have made lasting impressions and memories on all of us who came to share and celebrate your river, your land, and your people.
#OneLove #OneRiver #OnePlanet #StrongerTogether
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #TreasureTheTully #TameTheTully #irfwrc #Tully #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #exploreTNQ #ttnq #tropicalcoastqueensland #cassowarycoast #wrctully2019 #experienceco #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
