
Before
living in Australia I had no idea what a yabby was. I think Home and
Away characters refer to a place called ‘Yabby Creek’ periodically, but
beyond that reference I had never had occasion to give the creatures a second
thought. So, when I learned there was a local event devoted to the crustaceans,
I was keen to check it out.
Towns
in regional Australia regularly hold ‘fun days’ to bring the community
together, often to raise money for local community groups or charities. That is
exactly what Grass Patch’s ‘Yabby Classic’ is all about.
What
is a yabby?
Yabbies
are freshwater crustaceans found in waterways around Australia. They come in
various sizes and shapes, depending on the environment they live in. Smaller
ones are often used as bait when fishing, but the Yabby Classic really focuses
on the larger blue yabbies found locally. They look like mini lobsters or very
large prawns with claws. They are not the most personable of creatures but
looked like they might make good eating.
Yabby
activities
Yabby
races provided gamblers with a betting opportunity every half hour. After being
released from an upturned bucket, the first yabby to reach, and fall off, the
edge of the plateau was the winner. Each had a different coloured balloon
attached for ease of identification. As the crowd watched from the stands some
yabbies boldly strode to the edge, while others froze bewildered in the centre.
Yabby racing, Western Australia |
A
garlicky waft attracted our attention to a food stall where pickled and
barbecued yabbies were available to snack on. The barbecued variety were served
with lashings of garlic and tasted like big meaty garlicky prawns. The pickled
ones must taste even better as they had already sold out.
Garlic barbecued yabbies, Western Australia |
There
was also a yabby-shelling competition and the opportunity to pose for yabby photos (see ours above) and for young children to
dress up in a yabby costume. Children were otherwise kept busy with activities
like bouncy castles, zorb balls and slides. Beyond yabbies, there was a cheesecake competition, market stalls selling local
crafts and produce, a bar, live band, and the opportunity to camp and stay for breakfast.
The
‘Yabby Classic’ is an event held on alternate years in mid March, in a farming community
called Grass Patch, about 80 kilometres north of Esperance in southern Western
Australia. The classic is an entertaining celebration of all things 'Yabby', unless perhaps you are a yabby!
Have
you ever been to an event celebrating a creature you had never heard of before?
Did you enjoy it?
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