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Sport and recreation - News and events

Events | Featured projects | Announcements | Recreational activities

Events

ANZ Netball Championship Grand Final - Location TBA

27 July 2009

The 14-round 2009 season began on Saturday April 4. In a repeat of the 2008 format, each team will once again take on their home country rivals twice and play teams from across the Tasman once. The top four teams after the home and away season will contest the ANZ Championship Finals Series from July 11 with the season finale on either July 26 or 27.

The Drumley Walk - Beaudesert, Queensland

13 - 16 August 2009

Billy Drumley was a local hero who worked to make his community a better place. This annual walk honours this man, and all men and women who have worked to make their local community a better place. Now in its fifth year, it follows the footsteps of Billy Drumley in the early 1900s as he regularly set off on a 60km journey to check on his sister and her family. His trail goes from the country centre of Beaudesert, up through the forests of the Gold Coast hinterland, and down along the Nerang River to the coastal centre of Southport. Beaudesert.

Featured projects

The Rides Calendar - New South Wales

Big Ride 2007. Image courtesy of Bicycle NSW.

Bicycle NSW offers over 100 free organised and guided bike rides each month. They vary in length, difficulty and scenery. All you need is a bike in good working order, a helmet and the desire to see New South Wales by bike. Children are welcome on some rides, some rides provide refreshments, some are for mountain bikes only, and some are for the over 50s.

Play by the Rules

Image courtesy of Play by the Rules.

Participation in sport and recreation, particularly at the community level, should be fun. Preventing and eliminating discrimination and harassment goes a long way to ensure enjoyment from participation. Play by the Rules is a program that provides information and online training on discrimination, harassment and child protection to address inappropriate behaviour in sport. The Play by the Rules program complements the Australian Sports Commission's Harassment-free Sport Strategy.

Preventing Sport Rage - New South Wales

New South Wales Sport and Recreation's online sport-rage prevention program, unveiled last year, is proving a popular source of information on addressing bad behaviour in sport. The site has specific tips for parents, players and coaches to encourage them to become good role models and help create a positive sporting environment.

Running a Club - Victoria

Clubs provide enormous community and social benefits. They also have a responsibility to offer a fair, safe and equitable sporting environment. When running a club, it is important to consider and enforce codes of conduct, risk management strategies and member protection guidelines to ensure everyone has a fun, safe and inclusive experience.

Announcements

Melbourne's new National Sports Museum

13 March 2008

Melbourne's new National Sports Museum is located at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Cricket display From Backyard to Baggy Green takes pride of place in the collection of 2300 items representing Australia's sporting history and includes the display of cricket bats from 1770 to the present. The AFL football team, a set of goalposts and a life-sized statue of former Carlton captain Alex Jesaulenko taking the mark of the century in the 1970 grand final. The Brabham-Repco car in which Sir Jack Brabham won the F1 championships in 1966 has been lent to the museum. The Faster, Higher, Stronger section is devoted to Olympic memorabilia. The museum is hoping for 350,000 visitors in the first year. The museum has been built with a $25m grant from the Federal Government and replaces tech Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum.

Recreation activities

The beach

Most of Australia's population lives close to the coastline and the beach has long occupied a special place in the Australian identity. For more information about Australian's beaches, visit our Australian beach story.

Walks

Walkers, South Australia. Image courtesy of South Australian Office for Recreation and Sport

Before the colonisation of Australia, Indigenous Aborigines walked the land as hunters and gatherers. In the early years of colonisation, putting 'one foot in front of the other' was simply a means of transport. Over the years, however, walking has evolved into a recreational activity and today it is a popular way for people to enjoy the outdoors and Australia's unique bushland, flora and fauna. For more information, see our story on Walks - city walks, bushwalking and rogaining.

Rocks and mountains

Australia is a very flat continent where the average elevation is just 330 metres, the lowest in the world. What Australia lacks in height is more that made up for in the variety, geological age and unique appearance of its mountains and rocky outcrops - some of the oldest and most interesting exposed rocks in the world. For more information - see our story on Rocks and mountains.

National parks

Australia has over 500 national parks. Over 28 million hectares of land is designated as national parkland, accounting for almost four per cent of Australia's land areas. In addition, a further six per cent of Australia is protected and includes state forests, nature parks and conservation reserves. Further information can be found in our story on National Parks.

Zoos and aquariums

Australia has a wealth of public and private zoos and aquariums. Some include exotic species such as big cats and elephants, while others focus on Australian animals and birds. Some emphasise their breeding programs for endangered animals. For a list of Australia's zoos and aquariums, visit our Australian story on Zoos.

Key online resources

Sporting events and recreational activities by state or territory

Collection resources and online publications

Institutions and government organisations

Peak bodies and associations