Just when a North Queensland Vinnie's shop was about to close recently, three young men , judged to be French by their accent , hurried in and said they needed clothing for a party . A wild, Left Bank soiree like the naughty nineties , with a dash of Moulin Rouge high kicking femmes , Toulouse- Lautrec , drinking absinthe from his walking stick , ogling the ladies ?
No. One requiring clobber from the olden days - l960 to l980, perhaps even l990s . Several old ties, shorts and a shirt were bought for a total of about 40 bucks. Must have been an exciting evening - flashing all those ties .
Even if they do eat frog legs ,it is doubtful if the French could be blamed for or inspired a Darwin event - a live frog eating contest at the Noonamah Pub , the above photo ,taken circa l977, shows a frog on a Darwin stubbie , said to dwarf all other stubbies . Naturally, the frog eating attracted much attention nationally and overseas; an incredulous Japanese reporter rang the hotel for confirmation that it actually took place.
Nowadays , the Noonamah Tavern is known for its"world famous " frog races on Melbourne Cup day,certainly no hopper munching.
Another great Territory cultural event was the time a boat made from beercans was sailed from Darwin to Singapore by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Clem Jones and local businessman Lutz Frankenfeld .
