Adelaide Rowing Club - Adelaide | Australian Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Adelaide Rowing Club is based at 1 Festival Drive on the River Torrens, also known as Karrawirra Pari, in central Adelaide. It also operates from the Rowing SA complex at 100 Military Road, West Lakes Shore.

The club began as I Zingari Rowing Club in 1882. Members decided to build a boatshed on 16 May, opened it on 22 July and held their first race in February 1883; a meeting on 2 February 1885 changed the name to Adelaide Rowing Club.

A flood destroyed all club equipment in April 1889, and a replacement clubhouse opened that December. On 6 March 1931, fire destroyed the boathouse and fleet; the club rebuilt, and its first post-fire winning crew raced in December 1931.

Current membership covers competitive and non-competitive rowers, social rowers, coxswains, supporters, school leavers and country or interstate members. Active members can use club boats at Torrens and West Lakes and the Torrens gym, while competitive members represent the club at regattas.

The learn-to-row course is open to beginners aged over 16 and runs as five weekly Sunday sessions at the Torrens boatshed. Participants learn in coxed quad sculls, cover technique and equipment handling, and finish with a short race; a separate winter program serves school rowers in Years 8 to 11 at West Lakes.

Adelaide competes in local and national regattas and reported generations of rowers from novices to Olympians. Rowing SA's 2024-25 annual report records Adelaide as the women's premiership club and names club athletes among the state's leading senior, para and representative rowers.