The Australian Boat Race returned to the Yarra River on Sunday 19 October, with the best student-athlete rowers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney taking to the water. Hundreds of spectators were treated to a competitive morning of rowing, which saw the Sydney crews retain the Edmund Barton and Bella Guerrin Trophies for another year.
The first race of the morning was the 2km Women’s College race, which pitted Melbourne’s Trinity College against Sydney’s St Paul’s College. Despite it being their debut appearance in the Women’s race, an event that Ormond College from Melbourne had won previously on eight consecutive occasions, Trinity powered through the course to finish 3 boat lengths ahead of their opponent.
Next up, Trinity College (Melb) and St John’s College (Syd) raced in the 2km Men’s College race. In a closely contested race, Trinity managed to edge out St John’s by a boat length following a strong finish, their fourth men’s victory in a row. Congratulations to Trinity for securing both College race trophies.
With the College races out of the way, it was time for the Men’s Australian Boat Race – a 3.2km race along the Yarra River for the Edmund Barton trophy. The Sydney crew, captained by Jackson Kench (Bachelor of Economics and Advanced Studies), established a lead after the second bend in the course and built on it over the race, ending the race 3 lengths ahead of the Melbourne crew. This result is the tenth consecutive victory for Sydney in the Men’s race.
After the race, Jackson Kench reflected on the importance of the Australian Boat Race:
“The Australian Boat Race is a great opportunity to showcase the two universities and a unique chance for student-athletes to compete on the water”, said Kench.
The final race of the day was the Women’s Australian Boat Race for the Bella Guerin trophy, and it would be the closest race of the day. The race was neck-and-neck throughout, with Sydney pulling ahead in the final section of the course to emerge victorious by under a single length.
Melbourne Women’s Captain Eliza Gaffney (Juris Doctor) spoke about the closeness of the race.
“In the past couple of years, we’ve been a bit behind the Sydney Uni crew,” said Gaffney. “We’re happy to be super competitive, and there’s always next year”.
The day was a testament to the great competitive spirit between Australia’s two oldest Universities and showcased world-class quality and sportsmanship from the student-athletes involved.
The University of Melbourne would like to thank event partners Rowing Victoria, 776BC, Sportscast Australia, along with Melbourne University Boat Club, Sydney University Boat Club and Sydney Uni Sport for their support and contributions to the 2025 event.
The Australian Boat Race is set to return to Sydney in 2026.
