Moomba - Birdman rally - 10th March

Melbourne is very big on major events, and one very long established one is Moomba which takes place every year on Labour Day weekend. In case you were wondering, Moomba is an Aboriginal word meaning "Let's get together and have fun" so that pretty much sums it up. There are various activities, mainly based around the Yarra River which runs through the city, and we wandered along to see the Birdman Rally. This is basically an excuse for people to dress up in silly costumes and jump into the river on the pretence that they are actually trying to fly...

Admittedly some did give the flying idea their best shot, whilst others clearly just felt like jumping in the river! It was fun to watch and was carefully judged from a boat by Lord Mayor John So amongst others. Incidentally, not sure if anyone in the UK will have heard of John So, but he has recently been voted the world's most popular mayor, and certainly got a far louder cheer from the crowd than anyone else that day.

Here are some photos for you:


A very pretty but not especially useful flying machine


At least this one tried - I think his flight of a few metres was enough to make him the winner

Birdman website: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=243&pa=3421&pg=3431


Moomba site: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=243&pg=1832