A watermelon-inspired weekend of fun and games takes over the small country town of Chinchilla.

Helmet on, a young man kicks off his shoes, sinks each foot into a humongous watermelon, grabs a thick rope and prepares for take-off. Seconds later, he is careening down a long black sheet of thick plastic, hauled along by two blokes from the local rugby team. The beerfueled crowd cheers as he slips and slides head fi rst through a splatter of sticky, sweet juice like the brave “athletes” before him. Red fl esh, fragmented watermelon carcasses and a handmade cape fl y through the air. The man’s mate captures his 15 seconds of fame on video before reliving the hilarious feat again and again at the beer tent.

Read more in Mabuhay Magazine, February 2019.