the murrumbidgee river at wagga wagga forms into a large sandy beach, and is a popular location for swimming, picnics and barbecues during the warmer months. between 1977 and 1995 the beach played host to the gumi races, where people were encouraged to make rafts from inner tubing and sabotage their competition by throwing rotten eggs and flour at them. visitors and local residents still take every opportunity during the warmer months to float down the river from the area known as "the rocks" some 600 metres upstream from the main beach area.