Perth Sports & Outdoors Tips by Gwynneth

Rugby World Cup

A little history...

Rugby World Cup was conceived in late 1983 when the Australian Rugby Union and the New Zealand Rugby Football Union wrote to the International Rugby Board requesting a World Cup tournament.

Australia's Sir Nicholas Shehadie and New Zealand's Dick Littlejohn were elected joint committee chairmen. 1987 was chosen as the most suitable year to stage the inaugural Rugby World Cup.

The IRB approved for the inaugural Rugby World Cup to be jointly staged in Australia and New Zealand in May and June of 1987.

Rugby World Cup 1987 consisted of 16 invited countries with both semi-finals to be played in Australia with the final and third/fourth play-off matches to be both played in New Zealand.

Rugby World Cup 1987 was broadcast to 17 countries and had a cumulative audience of 300 million people.

From this small beginning, each subsequent Rugby World Cup has been a roaring success with each tournament registering commercial and broadcast records to clearly be positioned as the world's third most popular and biggest sports event behind the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.

... And now...

Unlike the 16 invited finalists in 1987, Rugby World Cup 2003 will involve 20 teams with the eight quarter-finalists from 1999 gaining automatic entry.

The best thing about World Cup Rugby 2003 is that this year Perth - Western Australia, is being put on the International map by being a host City! Some have said Perth is dull and unexciting... but then that could be their state of mind!

England vs South Africa was the one to watch on 18th October 2003. If you would like to see more of the World Cup Rugby Calendar this link will take you there.

Theme: Sports Watching

Website: http://www.rugby.com.au

Exotic Diving with Whale Sharks

To swim with a whale shark (Rhincodon Typus), the biggest member of the shark family, will be an unforgettable, mind-blowing experience and I hope to take it soon!

Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is an exotic dive destination. The waters are warm and tropical, the constant sunshine and phenomenal marine life... but best of all, the whale sharks are almost guaranteed in March and April.

Whale sharks arrive in March coinciding with the coral spawning (or red tides as it is known to the locals). Most of these visiting whale sharks are immature males. It remains an intriguing puzzle why this particular section of the population visits our coast.

Whale sharks will grow to over 12 metres in length, which is about the size of a large bus!! They are a TOTALLY protected species.

Equipment: Bring Your Common Sense!

- Boats must observe a 250 metre radius 'contact zone' around whale sharks. Only one vessel at a time may operate in a contact zone, for a period not exceeding 90 minutes, and during that time must stay at least 30 metres from the shark.

- If a second vessel arrives at a contact zone, it must stand off at least 250m. Any further vessels must stay at least 400m away from the fish.

- People swimming with whale sharks must not touch or ride on the animal. Swimmers must stay one metre clear of the fish's head or body, and four metres away from its tail flukes.

Address: Coach services available to Exmouth

Directions: The Outback Coast Area, 'Gascoyne' Region
Ningaloo is approximately 1200 kilometres North of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.

Other Contact: E-Mail: exmouth-tour@ncw.net.au

Phone: Toll Free 1800 287 328

Theme: Scuba Diving

Website: http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/rec/broc/fishcard/whaleshk.html