Tag Archives: Australia

Longest distance by a dragon boat in 24 hours

The greatest distance travelled by a dragon boat in 24 hours is 186.54 km (115.91 mi) and was achieved by Komodo Paddle Club (Australia) on Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, Australia on 9-10 November 2012. The team consisted of 20 paddlers and 3 ‘sweeps’, who performed this in aid of the charity Cerebral Palsy Australia.

Longest fence

Longest fence The dingo-proof wire fence enclosing the main sheep areas of Australia is 1.8m 6ft high, plus 30cm 1ft underground and stretches for 5531km 3437miles. The Queensland state government discontinued full maintenance in 1982.

Longest golf shot seated

The longest golf shot hit whilst seated was 143.702 m (471 ft 5 in) by Dave Sawtell (Australia) on the Gold Creek Country Club’s 18th hole in Nicholls, ACT, Australia, on 26 February 2011. Sawtell, born with spina bifida, made his attempt from his wheelchair onto an uphill course. The event took place in between rounds of the opening event of the World Longdrive Championships Australia.

Longest iron lung patient

June Middleton of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, relied on an iron lung to keep her alive from contracting polio in April 1949 until her death in October 2009. Ms June Middleton (b. 4 May 1926) spends approximately 16 hours each day on the negative pressure respirator and did so for over 60 years. She died on 30 October 2009 aged 83 having spent just over 60 years in the iron lung. Ref http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1224291/Polio-survivor-spent-60-years-iron-lung-dies-aged-83.html

Longest journey by a wind-powered car

Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer (both Germany) travelled 5,000 km (3,100 miles) from Perth to Melbourne, Australia, in 18 days in January/February 2011. Their car, the Wind Explorer, weighs just 220 kg (485.02 lb) and is powered by the wind; a wind turbine charges a lithium-ion battery pack to provide propulsion and, when the wind is strong enough, kite resembling a parasail is used to harness the power of the wind directly. With the exception of around $10 worth of electricity when the wind was Continue reading →

Longest journey pushing a wheelbarrow

The longest wheelbarrow push was one of some 14,500 km (9,000 miles), from 24 April 1975 to 6 May 1978 by Bob Hanley (Australia), starting and finishing at Sydney and pushing through Townsville, Mt Isa, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, the Nullarbor Plain, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.