Derwent River swims

The Derwent River is a river in Tasmania, Australia, which flows into the Tasman Sea near the city of Hobart. The 34 km (21.1-mile) "Big Swim" route from the New Norfolk Bridge to the Tasman Bridge was first attempted by Christopher Guesdon on Australia Day (26 January) 1972. Des Renford was the first to successfully complete the swim in 1975.

In 2019, the Derwent River swim was added to the MSF Toughest Thirteen and the Australian Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming.

Derwent River route
Route Swims First Fastest
New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 75 Des Renford - 1975 Andrew Donaldson - 05:35:21 (2022)
Tasman Bridge to New Norfolk Bridge 2 Brenda Norman - 2022 Brenda Norman - 09:26:00 (2022)
Tasman Br - New Norfolk - Tasman Br 2 Brenda Norman - 2022 Anna Strachan - 18:59:00 (2022)
Bowen Bridge to Bruny Island 1 Jonathan Wall - 2023 Jonathan Wall - 08:24:13 (2023)
New Norfolk Bridge to Iron Pot Lighthouse 1 Brenda Norman - 2023 Brenda Norman - 15:19:00 (2023)



Date Name Gender Age Nation Route Km Time
1975 Jan 25 Des Renford Male 47 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:54:00
1976 Jan 26 Richard Campion Male 35 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:19:00
1976 Jan 26 Jenny Anderson Female 20 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:44:00
2015 Jan 31 Daniel Curtis Male 48 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 15:57:00
2020 Jan 1 Emma Radford Female 28 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:46:00
2020 Mar 7 Lynton Mortensen Male 55 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 11:10:00
2020 Dec 13 Ross Youngman Male 59 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:11:00
2021 Jan 7 Richard Jones Male 54 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:08:00
2021 Jan 9 Brenda Norman Female 39 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:04:00
2021 Jan 24 Sharon Young Female 51 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:53:00
2021 Jan 30 Anna Strachan Female 46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:31:00
2021 Feb 12 Stuart Donnachie Male 40 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:54:00
2021 Feb 13 Val Kalmikovs Male 47 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:58:00
2021 Feb 28 Eric Bateman Male 48 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:27:00
2021 Mar 8 John Van Wisse Male 48 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 06:49:00
2021 Mar 12 Douglas Hughson Male 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:29:00
2021 Mar 20 Luke Richards Male 48 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:37:00
2021 Dec 9 James Clothier Male 38 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:47:00
2021 Dec 30 Anna Strachan Female 47 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:10:00
2021 Dec 31 Joy Symons Female 40 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:42:00
2022 Jan 1 Jayde Richardson Female 29 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:02:00
2022 Jan 1 Zen Durbidge Male 38 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:39:00
2022 Jan 12 Jonathan Wall Male 51 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:38:05
2022 Jan 13 Brenda Norman Female 40 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:47:00
2022 Jan 13 Carolyn Anderson Female 46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:52:14
2022 Jan 14 Joep Buijs Male 52 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:25:00
2022 Jan 15 Marcus Payne Male 46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:55:00
2022 Jan 18 Sally Catt Female 60 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 11:10:00
2022 Jan 19 Brenda Norman Female 40 Tasman Bridge to New Norfolk Bridge 33.5 09:26:00
2022 Jan 28 Brianna Thompson Female 20 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 06:40:00
2022 Jan 30 Julie Boxsell Female 51 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:45:00
2022 Jan 30 Brett Stephenson Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:53:00
2022 Jan 30 Brenda Norman Female 40 Tasman Br - New Norfolk - Tasman Br 67 19:51:00
2022 Jan 31 Brianna Thompson Female 20 Tasman Bridge to New Norfolk Bridge 33.5 11:43:00
2022 Feb 12 Felicity Harrison Female 30-31 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:18:46
2022 Feb 12 Brittany Parker Female 39 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:47:00
2022 Feb 12 Anna Strachan Female 47 Tasman Br - New Norfolk - Tasman Br 67 18:59:00
2022 Feb 13 Peter Tucker Male 66 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 12:18:45
2022 Feb 16 Richard Langridge Male 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:02:50
2022 Feb 26 Jayde Richardson Female 29 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:05:00
2022 Feb 27 Claire Keane Female 62 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:06:30
2022 Feb 28 Michael Powell Male 60 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:33:26
2022 Mar 15 Mark Robson Male 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 10:31:17
2022 Mar 16 Rod Watkins Male 60-61 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:47:17
2022 Mar 17 Mark Sowerby Male 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:55:12
2022 Mar 24 Eva Buzo Female New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:01:21
2022 Mar 25 Eva Buzo Female New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:32:21
2022 Mar 26 Andrew Donaldson Male 31 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 05:35:21
2022 Mar 26 Helen Conway Female 45-46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:28:10
2022 Mar 27 Fiona Cullinane Female 20 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 06:26:38
2022 Mar 27 Victor Pineiro Male 44 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:10:33
2022 Mar 29 Tara Grout Female 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:05:06
2022 Dec 21 Bob Tarr Male 44 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:47:10
2022 Dec 21 Rachael Rowland Female 20 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:19:13
2022 Dec 22 Ben Humphreys Male 53 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:40:49
2022 Dec 22 Nicky MacKenzie Female 47 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:40:49
2022 Dec 28 Stephen Maloney Male 53 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:37:00
2023 Jan 2 Greg Woodward Male 40 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:13:00
2023 Jan 5 Natasha Bamber Female 46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:39:04
2023 Jan 17 Jonathan Wall Male 52 Bowen Bridge to Bruny Island 30.2 08:24:13
2023 Jan 20 Paul Stravato Male 50 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:55:11
2023 Jan 21 Val Kalmikovs Male 48-49 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:37:37
2023 Jan 24 Samuel Abeshouse Male 52 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:31:47
2023 Jan 24 Stephen Junk Male 62 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:34:00
2023 Jan 27 Brenda Norman Female 41 New Norfolk Bridge to Iron Pot Lighthouse 55.8 15:19:00
2023 Feb 2 Ceinwen Roberts Female 42 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:10:12
2023 Feb 2 Katya Noble Female New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:39:59
2023 Feb 3 Mark Mallinson Male 45 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:05:39
2023 Feb 3 Marty Filipowski Male 59 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:31:42
2023 Feb 3 Steve Cork Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:31:42
2023 Feb 3 Alex Prendergast Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 09:41:06
2023 Feb 5 Louise Rosemann Female 55 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:33:13
2023 Feb 15 Luke Colston Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:26:07
2023 Feb 16 Tim Scott Male 43-44 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:48:01
2023 Feb 17 Rory Thomson Male 51 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:07:46
2023 Feb 19 Michael Pranckl Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:53:00
2023 Feb 19 Greg Johnson Male New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:01:54
2023 Mar 4 Stephen Mirams Male 44 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:43:21
2023 Mar 5 Abigail Fairman Female 46 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:35:20
2023 Mar 5 Ashleigh Webb Female 33 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 08:49:39
2023 Mar 6 Melanie Holland Female 47-48 New Norfolk Bridge to Tasman Bridge 33.5 07:47:41

Reviews

Reviewer: Abigail Fairman (August 2023)
Swam in 2023 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Val Kalmikovs
Fees: AU$2500
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Also found me exceptional crew (Clinton Millar) after weather-related date shift."

Association: Australian Long Distance Swimming Federation
Fees: AU$200
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️★️★️
Value: ★️★️★️★️★️

General Comments: "This was the first of my three swims in Australia and it was my favorite. The Derwent River is gorgeous, Hobart is a wonderful little town, and Val is an amazing pilot. While it was the only solo swim I did there, Doug and the ALDSF made the finish feel special. Five Stars - book yourself a trip to Tasmania."


Reviewer: anonymous+verified (August 2023)
Swam in 2023 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Heath Watts - Brum
Fees: NA
Communication ★️★️★️★️✩️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️✩️

Association: Australian Long Distance Swimming Federation
Fees: NA
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️★️★️
Value: ★️★️★️★️★️

General Comments: "A beautiful swim with the most spectacular finish line."


Reviewer: Val Kalmikovs (August 2023)
Swam in 2021 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Sea Rescue guys
Fees: 3000aud
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Phil and I became good mates. He was a great help with my first year on Derwent as a pilot. Swam again in 2023..."

Association: DRBS
Fees: NA
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️★️★️
Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "2023 was the first year association start charging rego fees."

General Comments: "Loving it. There are few other great swims on Derwent as well"


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