As discussion continues around the suitability of the Fitzroy River as a potential rowing venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a remarkable chapter in Australia’s sporting history is once again coming to the surface – one that links the mighty river with the nation’s first recognised world champion.
Long before Australia celebrated Olympic gold medallists and world champions across countless sporting disciplines, Edward “Ned” Trickett etched his name into history.
In 1876, the Sydney waterman became the first Australian to be recognised as a world champion in any sport after claiming the World Sculling Championship on London’s River Thames.
Trickett’s achievements made headlines around the world and helped establish Australia’s reputation as a sporting nation. Yet few people realise the pioneering athlete would later call Rockhampton home.
Following a series of international races, including his famous encounters with Canadian rowing legend Edward Hanlan, Trickett returned to Australia. In 1884, he moved to Rockhampton and took over the Oxford Arms Hotel.
Among the most extraordinary chapters of his career was the renewal of his rivalry with Hanlan on the Fitzroy River itself.
The pair had previously met on the Championship Course on the River Thames in London in 1882. Racing for stakes of £500 a side, Trickett unveiled an innovative 29-pound boat, but Hanlan delivered a dominant performance.
Six years later, in 1888, the two men met again on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton. An estimated 10,000 spectators lined the riverbanks to witness one of rowing’s greatest rivalries played out in Central Queensland.
Although Hanlan prevailed once again, the event cemented Rockhampton’s place in Australian rowing history.
Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said the story of Ned Trickett highlighted that Central Queensland’s connection with elite rowing stretched back generations.
“As discussions continue around the Fitzroy River’s potential role in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is fascinating to reflect on the fact that Australia’s first recognised world champion not only called Rockhampton home, but raced on the Fitzroy River itself,” Mary said.
“The prospect of Olympic and Paralympic competition returning to these waters more than 140 years later demonstrates that the Fitzroy River has long been part of Australia’s sporting story.”
Rockhampton historian and Time Safaris Walking Tours founder, Phil Hore said Trickett’s story offered a remarkable insight into the scale and significance of competitive rowing in the region during the late 1800s.
“Their race between World Champions on the Fitzroy in 1888 was so well supported by the CQ region, it drew a crowd of around 10,000 at a time Rockhampton’s population was only 2,000.”
“You can only imagine what an Olympic race would for the area,” Phil said.
More than a century before Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River had already played host to one of the greatest rivalries in world rowing.
“It is a remarkable legacy and one that deserves to be celebrated,” Phil said.
Today, the legacy of Edward “Ned” Trickett – Australia’s first recognised world champion – serves as a powerful reminder that Central Queensland’s association with elite rowing is not a new chapter, but one that began almost 150 years ago.
View Phil’s full story here:
