Darwin Frog Race Nets $12,000 Prize

Here is a race that I am sure people in the Top End can appreciate:

While most people were watching the race that stops the nation, locals at a Northern Territory hotel gathered for a very different kind of race.

The annual frog race at the Noonamah Tavern, 45 kilometres south of Darwin, attracted a crowd of about 300 people.

Twenty-four green tree frogs were pitted against each other as trainers used spray bottles filled with water to prod them into action.

The frogs have a much shorter distance to hop than their thoroughbred counterparts in the Melbourne Cup, but some took a while to get moving.

The frogs were auctioned off before the race, with one fetching more than $2,000.

The winning frog, which was called XXXX Summer, will earn almost $12,000 dollars for its owner, while $9000 has gone to charity.  [ABC News]

The good old Top End, I can always count on them for a laugh.