January 30, 2017
The ancient art of avocado rolling was a centrepiece of Blackbutt’s Australia Day celebrations last Thursday.
About 200 people turned up to the Blackbutt tennis courts for the town’s celebrations, which kicked off with a free bacon and egg roll community breakfast, tea and coffee, courtesy of the Bloomin Beautiful Blackbutt festival committee and the South Burnett Regional Council.
And then – from about 9:00am – all attention turned to a morning of family fun activities.
These included an Australia Day trivia competition, crosswords, give-aways and a colouring-in contest for children.
There was also a jumping castle on site to amuse little ones, and Taromeo Rural Fire Brigade put on a display as well.
The traditional gumboot throwing competition and a rolling pin toss drew many fans, but it was the avocado rolling challenge that proved the most popular event.
Some participants took part to get in some early practice for this September’s Blackbutt Avocado Festival, where the best avocado rollers in Australia will be coming to the Timbertowns to test their skills.
But others took part because avocado rolling looks a lot easier than it really is.
They soon discovered the devil is in the detail.
Apart from selecting a “rollable” avocado, there is a proper rolling movement (underarm) and a proper rolling stance (legs apart, back straight).
Other factors to take into consideration are wind resistance, the condition of the rolling field, and sometimes the phase of the moon and fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Afterwards, some guests wandered up the road to the Bunyanut Cafe for lunch, where owner Evelyn Green – the runner-up at last year’s Avocado Festival rolling competition – was happy to share tips about the best avocado rolling techniques.
[Photos: Blackbutt Medical Centre and Bunyanut Cafe]
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