You may not have been aware, but this weekend Australia is set to face a contest that will shape our nation’s future and how the eyes of the world see us for years to come.
We of course refer to the European Tramdriver Championships, taking place in Leipzig, Germany, for the first time since 2019 after you-know-what cancelled the 2020 and 2021 events.
A team from Melbourne’s Yarra Trams – the first non-Europeans invited to the all-star contest – will be attempting to dethrone reigning champs Brussels, and will face such gruelling challenges as precision braking (measured down to the centimetre), smooth driving, speed estimation, and of course tram bowling, where the driver knocks a giant inflatable ball into the pins.
According to Aussie team coach Wayne Speers, the championships are a big deal for gunzels (that’s train and tram enthusiasts, for the rest of us).
“This is serious stuff – it’s got cult status. There is a big gunzel community that follows us and these contests are going to be observed at very detailed levels,” he told The Age.
Move over Eurovision – we’ve just found our new Continental obsession. We wonder if we can get SBS to pick it up…
