We just finished the first ever Tinny Rally and it was a great success.

Participants said the highlights were the remote Murray Sunset National Park, the Woolshed Brewery and the Historic Overland Corner Hotel.

Mish from Brisbane has done a great video showcasing the 7 days, watch it below.

We had teams come from as far away from Queensland (a husband and wife team in their 60s), a Sydney team of mates in their early 30s, a team fron Brisbane that got their boat license especially for the rally and had no boating experience and a heap of other fun characters.

Lessons from Our First Tinny Rally

We’ve just completed the first ever Tinny Rally — and it was a huge success.

Participants said the highlights were the remote sections of the Murray Sunset National Park, the Woolshed Brewery, and the Historic Overland Corner Hotel.

Mish from Brisbane has put together a great video capturing the 7 days — watch it below.

Tinny Rally from Mildura to Mannum – Team #2 “Without a Paddle” (Oct 2024)

We had teams come from as far as Queensland (a husband and wife team in their 60s), a group of mates from Sydney in their early 30s, and even a Brisbane team who got their boat licence specifically for the rally and had no prior boating experience.

Boat Speed & Fuel – Key Learning

One of the biggest learnings for participants was boat speed and fuel consumption under full expedition load.

Most teams had tested their boats prior to the rally. However, around one-third arrived on Day 1 and discovered their real-world speed and fuel usage was different once fully loaded.

Carrying sufficient fuel for long river legs (up to 190km between fuel stops), along with eskies, food, camping gear and personal equipment, significantly affects performance — especially smaller tinnies.

Some participants:

• Travelled slower than expected

• Used more fuel than planned

• Struggled to get on the plane

• Needed to offload weight

• Experienced longer travel days

• A small number ran out of fuel

The key takeaway: fully load your vessel and test it under realistic conditions before the rally.

General Observations (Not Prescriptive Advice)

Every boat performs differently depending on:

• Hull design

• Motor type (2-stroke vs 4-stroke)

• Prop setup

• Weight distribution

• Passenger weight

• Total gear load

As a general observation from participant experience:

• Around 37kph allows comfortable daily river legs.

• Slower speeds may result in longer days on the water.

• Some single-person setups with 25hp performed well on lighter 3.7m–4m boats.

• Two-person setups around 40hp on ~4.2m boats were commonly reported as comfortable.

• Larger hulls with lower horsepower sometimes struggled when heavily loaded.

These are not recommendations or requirements — simply real-world participant feedback.

Every team is responsible for ensuring their vessel is suitable, legally compliant, properly powered, and safe for the conditions.

Vessel Limits

Tinny Rally is limited to boats up to 5 metres in length and 60hp maximum.

Smaller boats are generally easier to handle in shallow sections of river, though conditions vary year to year.

Participants are responsible for:

• Ensuring their vessel is appropriate for the journey

• Calculating fuel requirements

• Testing performance under full load

• Operating safely within their own limits

Tinny Rally is a self-supported river expedition.

Preparation matters.

Test properly. Load realistically. Know your boat.