The Crows

Matt Newton
The Queenstown crows represent the result of over one hundred years of economic rationalism that has seen them become the last team in a town that once boasted ten clubs.

They play on a unique gravel surfaced oval that nestles in the midst of a range of barren, blighted hills, the result of deforestation and localised acid rain – more than 300 cm of it a year. The mountains surrounding the ground are often shrouded in cloud and sometimes dusted with snow.

‘The Gravel’ as it is locally known has seen generations of West Coasters play their tough version of Australian rules. Over it’s one hundred year history the ground has skinned and scared many players. In 1969 the gravel was replaced with a silica substance that served as a cleaning substance in the smelters. Ironically it was the strength of the local game that lead to the oval being laid with gravel. With so many teams playing and training in the old days on the ground it would have been impossible to maintain a grass surface in the the wet conditions. Despite the fact the the numbers have dwindled the gravel remains and every player in Queenstown swears by it. They say after rain it drains faster than grass and is almost dry in a mater of minutes. The gravel does have its hazards though, Brendan Hull the captain of the Queenstown Crows says, “When you’ve played here a few years, you learn to roll a bit rather than slide into things. At the end of the day you’re pretty cut up” Needless to say the Crows tend to have a decent home ground advantage.

One of the great institution of the queenstown oval is the ‘Can Bar’ high on a slope by the wing. Supporters fend of the cold by burning wood in 44 gallon drums and keep up their spirits with cans of Boags Draught. During a game it can get pretty vocal up at the can bar and as misty rain falls roaring flames and the volatile crowd make an awesome sight.

After many years of thumps, scratches and terrifying teams from away ‘The Gravel’ this year made another mark with its induction into the state’s Football Hall of Fame. Yet another reason for Queenstown, a place already proud of its past to remain so.

The Queenstown Crows along with four other Tasmanian football clubs are the focus of a series of Documentaries being filmed by Hobart production company Roar Film this season. The four part series looks at how five rural communities face the challenges of keeping Australian football alive and kicking in the bush. The series, aptly named, Alive and Kicking will be screened on SBS television early next year.