Darwin Rocksitters Club

The Darwin Rocksitters Club was a club formed in Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1974. Rocksitting, sometimes known as rock sitting, is the practice of sitting on rocks and drinking beer for as long as they were able. The rocks they sat on would be a metre underwater at high tide.^[1][2]

Darwins Rocksitters Club at East Point in 1977

Rocksitters at East Point (Darwin) in 1977

Rocksitters from the Darwin Rocksitters Club in 1978

History

The Darwin Rocksitters Club began in 1974 when a group of journalists gathered on the cliffs at East Point on a Sunday afternoon to drink beer, tell stories, and watch the sunset. This soon became a regular event and the club began to meet every Sunday.^[1][3] One of the members of the club, Robin Davy, said of it:^[2]

You have to remember, in those days Darwin was smaller, nobody was watching TV, no iPhones, none of that. We had to make fun and that was the way we did it.

— Robin Davy, ABC Radio Darwin, 2018

The group grew rapidly and published a list of Official Rules for a Rock-sit-athon and the first rule was "there shall be no funny business on The Rock". The third and fifth rules were simply "[n]o funny business".^[2]

The group attempted to break the world record by sitting for five days; their success was ignored by an official record-keeping company for drinking too much beer. However, other clubs formed in Victoria and New Zealand and the new Zealand club, The Parua Bay Sitters, soon broke their record when they sat for six days.^[2][4]

Darwin won the title back with an eight day sit October 1978,^[5] which was run to commemorate the passing of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978, and the new Northern Territory flag was raised.^[6] Several other marathon sits were conducted, often to raise money for charity. These included a 12-day world record that was set in 1980,^[7] although this was jeopardised on the 11th day when an official complaint was made to the Northern Territory Police Commissioner concerning drinking in a public space, prompting police to visit the sitters and take the names of all people sitting at or visiting the rock.^[8] Also in 1980 the rocksitters and held their first sit on the inaugural flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and also held a sit on Uluru.^[9]

Two popular stories of the rocksitters are that two people once met at the rock and went on to get married and that many other former sitters have had their ashes scattered on the rock.^[10]

Rocksitting declined with the enforcement of public drinking laws. The club was debated in Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1978, with concerns being raised that the club (and events like the Darwin Beer Can Regatta) were affecting the Northern Territories image in the rest of Australia, and that "down south many people think Territorians to be backward, drunken country hicks".^[11]

In the 1980s the original rocks used by the club was broken up by a lightning strike and further damage was done to the remaining rocks during heavy swells in 2012.^[12]

Their 40th Anniversary was celebrated in 2017.^[13]

Memorial plaque

 

Darwin Rocksitters Club Memorial Plaque, April 2024

A memorial plaque to the Darwin Rocksitters Club was first put in place at East Point in 1987 by foundation member Beat Erismann (photographer) in honour of their 10th anniversary.^[14][15] This was later damaged and replaced in 2001.^[16]

References

1. "Rocksitters". rocksitters.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
2. "Reliving the rocksitting religion where no funny business was allowed". ABC News. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
3. "Darwin's 'rockers' get off". Papua New Guinea Post-courier. International, Australia. 17 October 1977. p. 8. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
4. Brain, Caddie (21 March 2021). "Darwin Rocksitters Club". caddiebrain. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
5. "IN BRIEF Rock-sitting record". The Canberra Times. Vol. 53, no. 15, 728. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 October 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Rock call of honor". Northern Territory News. 30 June 1978. p. 2.
7. "Rock sitters, East Point, Darwin [Northern Territory 1970s] [picture] / Michael Jensen - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
8. "Rocksitters getting sympathy". Northern Territory News. 16 October 1980. p. 3. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
9. "Milestones | Rocksitters". rocksitters.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
10. "Reliving the rocksitting religion where no funny business was allowed". ABC News. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
11. "Debates - 08 June 1978". Territory Stories. Darwin: Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. hdl:10070/695266. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
12. Byrne, Conor (28 January 2012). "Smashed by the sea". Northern Territory News. p. 6. hdl:10070/635760. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
13. Brain, Caddie (8 October 2017). "Forgotten territory". Northern Territory News. p. 17. hdl:10070/420947. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
14. "Beat returns to fly new flag". Territory Stories. 12 January 1997. hdl:10070/131994. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
15. "Sitters notch a decade". Territory Stories. 20 February 1984. hdl:10070/190693. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
16. "Flag Raising and Plaque Unveiling 2001 | Rocksitters". rocksitters.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.