Plan Your Next Marathon Swim
Australia is home to some of the world’s most iconic and challenging marathon swims — from ocean channel crossings to river endurance races. The Australian Marathon Swimming Calendar brings these events together in one place, helping swimmers plan their next challenge and celebrate the diversity of open water swimming across the country.
This calendar highlights key events recognised by Marathon Swimming Australia, including established classics such as the Derwent River Big Swim, Port to Pub, Palm to Shelly, and the Rottnest Channel Swim, alongside emerging local and regional races.
If you are an event organiser and would like your swim listed here and your results formally recognised in the Australian Long Swims Database, we’d love to hear from you.
Please reach out via our Contact Us page to discuss event inclusion and ratification requirements.
Lake Argyle 20km swim - Out Of Event
Lake Argyle is renowned for its warm freshwater, expansive open landscape and dramatic Kimberley scenery. The swim offers athletes the rare opportunity to traverse one of the largest man-made lakes in the Southern Hemisphere, surrounded by rugged red cliffs and vast remote wilderness. The immense scale of the lake and its ever-changing conditions provide a unique endurance challenge unlike any other marathon swim in Australia.
Swimmers are supported by experienced local guides, with dedicated escort boats and safety support throughout the crossing to ensure a safe and professionally managed swim. Together with the striking landscape and remote setting of the East Kimberley, the Lake Argyle crossing provides a truly memorable marathon swimming experience in one of Australia’s most remarkable open-water environments.
Lake Argyle Swim (Event)
The Lake Argyle Swim is one of Australia’s most distinctive open-water swimming events, set in the vast freshwater expanse of Lake Argyle in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. Held annually in early May, the event offers swimmers the opportunity to take on either the 10 km or 20 km course across the turquoise waters of one of the largest man-made lakes in the Southern Hemisphere. Surrounded by dramatic red cliffs, rugged outback landscapes and expansive northern skies, the swim delivers a truly unique marathon swimming experience in one of Australia’s most spectacular remote environments.
Attracting swimmers from across Australia and internationally, the event welcomes solo swimmers, duos and relay teams to test themselves against the scale and conditions of this remarkable inland waterway. Warm freshwater temperatures, combined with the vast open waters of the lake, create a rewarding endurance challenge and a memorable destination swim for athletes seeking something truly different from traditional ocean marathon swims
Swim Around Keppel
If you’ve ever wanted to combine tropical paradise with marathon swimming, this is the event for you. The Swim Around Keppel takes swimmers on a spectacular 20 km circumnavigation of Great Keppel Island, off the Capricorn Coast of Queensland. The course winds through crystal-clear tropical waters, past coral reefs, white sand beaches and rugged headlands, offering swimmers one of the most visually stunning marathon swim routes in Australia.
Widely regarded as one of the most scenic marathon swims in the world, the event attracts swimmers from across Australia and internationally who are drawn to the combination of warm water, island scenery and the challenge of completing a full island circuit. With its unique setting on the southern Great Barrier Reef, the Swim Around Keppel has become a true bucket-list event for marathon swimmers seeking an unforgettable open-water adventure.
Palm to Shelly
The Palm to Shelly swim is Australia’s ultimate ocean ultra-marathon, following the spectacular coastline of Sydney’s Northern Beaches from Palm Beach to Shelly Beach in Manly. Covering 24km, the swim traces the curve of more than twenty beaches and rugged sandstone headlands, providing swimmers with a true point-to-point ocean challenge along one of Australia’s most iconic stretches of coastline. Held each April, the event attracts experienced marathon swimmers from across Australia and internationally who are drawn to its combination of distance, ocean conditions and stunning coastal scenery.
Palm to Shelly is recognised as the ocean leg of the Australian Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming, alongside Port to Pub in Western Australia and the Derwent River Big Swim in Tasmania. For swimmers seeking greater flexibility, out-of-event swims are also available, allowing athletes to attempt the crossing outside the official event window with appropriate support and ratification arrangements.
Mader Port to Pub
Take on Western Australia’s ultimate ocean crossing. Port to Pub challenges swimmers with either the 19.7 km direct route or the 25 km ultra-marathon course across the open water from Leighton Beach in Fremantle to Rottnest Island. Held each March, the swim has quickly become one of Australia’s premier marathon swimming events, attracting both elite and aspiring open-water swimmers from around the country and internationally to test themselves against the conditions of the Rottnest Channel.
A true test of endurance, completion of the Port to Pub is recognised as part of the Australian Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming, alongside the Palm to Shelly Beach Swim and the Derwent River Big Swim, making it a must-do challenge for marathon swimmers seeking one of Australia’s most iconic open-water crossing
Rottnest Channel
Join one of the largest marathon swims in the world. Each February, thousands of swimmers make the 19.7 km crossing from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island in Western Australia. With solo, duo, and team categories, the Rotto Swim is as much a festival as it is a race.
Safety to Sorento
Experience Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in a way few ever do — by swimming its entire sweep. The Safety to Sorrento is a 24 km ultra-swim that combines coastal beauty with serious endurance. Born out of COVID restrictions, it has quickly become a beloved fixture on the calendar.
VladSwim Challenge
Looking for the perfect stepping stone to longer marathon swims? The VladSwim Challenge offers distances of 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km within Sydney Harbour. Held each December, it’s a festive end-of-year test for developing swimmers and experienced marathoners alike.
Geo Bay Swim
Take on a marathon swim in one of Western Australia’s most picturesque bays. The Geo Bay Swim is a 20 km crossing in sheltered waters near Dunsborough. With options for solos, duos, and teams, it’s accessible to a wide range of swimmers.
Derwent River Series – Tasmanian Marathon Swimming Challenges
The Derwent River Series showcases a collection of marathon and ultra-distance swims set on the iconic Derwent River in Tasmania, Australia, one of the nation’s most historic and challenging open-water routes. Anchored by the renowned Derwent River Big Swim, this series offers swimmers a suite of endurance events ranging from classic long-course river crossings to unique freshwater and estuarine challenges against stunning natural backdrops.
The Derwent River Series celebrates endurance, resilience and the spirit of marathon swimming. All swims take place in Tasmania’s diverse waterways, from cool freshwater rivers and lakes to tidal estuarine sections offering a mix of technical challenges, scenic beauty, and personal achievement opportunities.
Derwent River Big Swim
Australia’s original ultra marathon swim, the Derwent River Big Swim is one of Australia’s great marathon swimming challenges, taking swimmers on a 34 km journey down the iconic Derwent River from New Norfolk to Hobart’s Tasman Bridge. The swim follows the river through the heart of southern Tasmania, beginning in the Derwent Valley before finishing in Hobart’s historic waterfront. A unique river marathon that blends freshwater and tidal estuary conditions, the swim presents a demanding test of endurance as swimmers navigate changing currents, tides and temperatures along the way.
The swim operates within a seasonal window between November and March, allowing swimmers to attempt the crossing when weather and river conditions are most favourable. Recognised as the river leg of the Australian Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming, alongside Port to Pub in Western Australia and Palm to Shelly in New South Wales, the Derwent River Big Swim has become one of the country’s most respected ultra-marathon swims and a defining challenge for experienced open-water swimmers.