World-class rowing – and a lakeside festival – gliding to Canberra’s newest beach

Posted on 21 October, 2026

Did you know that a bevy of Olympians and World Champion rowers are descending on our shores at the end of this month to race for some of the best prize money in international rowing?

Did you also know that Canberra has a beautiful new beach (pristine white sand imported from Sydney) in order to receive them?

Black Mountain Peninsula and Red Shed will become the site of a three-day rowing spectacular, The Golden Oar, that promises nail-biting competition from top athletes, fun races, family-friendly activities and lots of food to make it a proper festival.

The plan is to grow The Golden Oar into one of rowing’s premier events, drawing international competitors and their media contingents to spend three days in the national capital, beaming Lake Burley Griffin and surrounds to the rest of the world.

For Canberrans, it’s set to be an incredible weekend of celebrating our beloved lake – and a chance to be part of something globally significant.

The brainchild of Red Shed founder and president John Gasson, whose wife Jeanette Gasson is a former Australian rowing champion, the festival centres around Red Shed, which is a community resource and rowing epicentre for Canberra, based on the pristine shores of Black Mountain Peninsula.

The Golden Oar has grown strongly since last year’s debut, with more than $200,000 in prizes on offer, one of the richest purses in the sport.

The calibre of the field underlines the festival’s ambition, with Croatia’s Martin and Valent Sinković – three-time Olympic gold medallists – returning to race alongside Australian Olympians Tara Rigney and Laura Gourley. They join a line-up that also includes current Australian national squad athletes, Australian Olympian Georgie Rowe and New Zealand Olympic silver medallist Logan Ullrich, with crews drawn from across Europe, the United States, Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Romania is sending two of the sport’s biggest names. Rowing legends Simona Radiș and Adriana Adam, the reigning world champions in the women’s double sculls, will race on Lake Burley Griffin, with Radiș also a two-time Olympic champion.

John says the field is something special for Australian rowing. “It’s rare to see this many world-class and Olympic athletes racing together in this country,” he says.

The competition is designed to reward versatility as much as raw speed. Mixed crews will be tested across a 1500-metre buoyed race, a three-kilometre time trial and a 450-metre sprint, while a Friday evening mixed doubles showcase will put the action directly in front of spectators at Tarcoola Reach.

For Gasson, the prize pool is both a statement of intent and a commitment to future growth.

“This is just the beginning. We want to keep growing the prize money and put The Golden Oar on the map as the place to compete.”

Just as important as the racing is the setting. The new Canberra Coastal Rowing Arena at Black Mountain Peninsula brings a sand beach and terraced amphitheatre-style seating to the lakeshore. From the elevated banks, spectators will look across the course towards Black Mountain, while the sprint finish unfolds only metres from the crowd.

The arena will also host a demonstration of coastal rowing beach sprints – the explosive discipline that will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028. Athletes run across the sand, launch through the shallows, race on the water and charge back to the finish, making the sport easy to follow even for first-time spectators.

Gasson says the event is the natural next step for the not-for-profit club and its ambition to make rowing more accessible.

“It’s a natural progression for all we have built at Red Shed and how we want to promote rowing. We love that this will inspire young kids in Canberra, and our pro-am will have young kids racing with Olympians – what an incredible opportunity.”

That connection between elite sport and community participation runs through the weekend. The Golden Oar Pro-Am will place community rowers in crews with Olympians, while families can try the RowNation Erg Relay, take part in an open-water swim or build and race their own cardboard boats.

There are lucky dOAR prizes up for grabs throughout the weekend too, thanks to Supabarn, E & S Commercial and other local supporters. Register online before the event at GoldenOar.com.au to be in the draw.

“So much fun to watch, and so great to bring kids onto the beach to build sandcastles while the races go on behind them,” Gasson says.

On shore, the experience will feel more festival than traditional regatta. Entry is free, and visitors can settle in with a picnic rug for live music, local breweries and wineries, handcraft markets, a dedicated kids’ zone with face painting, and food spread across the foreshore.

The menu stretches from pop-ups from Kingston’s Molto Italian and Manuka’s Public to a huge range of foods from 15 vendors, promising a mix of Japanese dishes, roti, kebabs, crêpes, charcoal barbecue, ice cream, fairy floss and the festival-essential tornado potato. Families can make a full day of it without leaving the lakeside.

The hospitality marquee is the other way to do it. Right on the water, looking straight down the course, with premium catering and Laurent-Perrier behind the bar. Packages are available for four sessions across the weekend and you can take as many or as few as you like for a high-end approach to the event.

The Golden Oar is expected to draw more than 4500 people across the three days, with professional commentary, a big screen and livestreaming bringing every race closer. International media will also carry the images beyond Canberra, making it essential that we get behind it to impress the rest of the world.

“An international media contingent will be broadcasting Canberra’s blue skies and Lake Burley Griffin to the world,” Gasson says. “It’s a proud day for Canberra.”

For a club that began with a community-first mission, the scale of The Golden Oar is remarkable – bringing together world-class athletes, serious prize money and new public sporting infrastructure, all wrapped into a free day out by the water. See. You. There!