Welshpool Lawn Mower Race Day

The crew from AROLMRA (Australian Ride On Lawn Mower Racing Association) are heading back to Welshpool for a fun filled family day out with heaps of trackside action, as well as loads of rides and activities off the track. Something for everyone! Australia’s first mower race was dreamt up in a small, country pub in Harrietville Victoria in 1988. Five men challenged each other to a race around the local hills of the area after an alcohol-related argument. They chugged up the steep slopes belching smoke from their unmodified Briggs and Strattons , rounded a nominated gum tree, then flew down in “Angel Gear” – Australian outback slang for neutral – to the finish line. “Half the town’s 100 people, 300 sheep and 150 dogs were there” according to Brian Ross, six-time president of the Australian Ride-On Lawn Mower Racing Association (AROLMRA), the biggest lawn mower racing club in Australia. AROLMRA has over 100 members and a large following in Victoria, and all over Australia. It holds between eight and ten races a year. The majority of races are held to raise money for local service Clubs, Associations and Charity Organizations such as the CFA, Apex, Rotary and the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal.