Hell of the West Weekend: Your guide to Queensland’s toughest triathlon

When: 22 – 23 March 2025

Imagine swimming through a river lined by red gums, cycling sun-baked open roads and running by the riverbank to bring it all home – all as the mercury rises.

Welcome to Goondiwindi’s Hell of the West Weekend (22-23 March 2025), headlined by the HOTW Triathlon. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but as the saying goes: ‘if you’re going through hell—keep going!’

While HOTW attracts some of the toughest triathletes, this self-proclaimed ‘hellish’ multisport festival also includes events for all ages and abilities. While you’re out here, marvel at some of Australia’s largest grain silo art, wander through lavender fields, or pull up a stool at a country pub.

For competitor and spectator information as well as where to stay, eat, drink and play in Goondiwindi, read on for our Hell of the West Weekend guide.

How to get to Hell of the West

Goondiwindi (derived from the Aboriginal word 'Goonawinna', which means ‘the place birds rest’) is in Queensland Country, approximately 300-kilometres southwest of Brisbane. Nestled up the Macintyre River along the Queensland-New South Wales border, Goondiwindi boasts art deco architecture and bustling cafes amongst the wide-open agricultural plains.

Goondiwindi is about a 4.5-hour drive from Brisbane (why not make a mini road-trip out of it and stop overnight in Toowoomba or Warwick?). Alternatively, fly into Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport from Sydney, Melbourne or Townsville, and hire a car—from there it’s a 2-hour drive.

Hell of the West Weekend essentials

The origins of the HOTW go back to 1989, when Goondiwindi locals founded an Olympic-distance triathlon. The following year it switched to a long-course format that was quickly dubbed the ‘toughest triathlon in Queensland’. Over the years, HOTW has attracted giants of the sport, including world champions Tim Reed and Pete Jacobs, and Canada’s Lisa Bentley, a Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee.

Traditionally held in February, HOTW now takes place in the relative comfort of March (when average daily temperatures hover around 30-degrees) over two days, starting with Super Saturday’s charity runs, mini-tris and kid’s events, before culminating in the main event on Sunday.

Super Saturday

The action starts with GTH+ Super Saturday, featuring events for all ages and fitness levels, from 5 and 10-kilometre charity runs (with $20 from each entry going to a local charity), to the Hell Kids Triathlon for kids 6-11 years old, and the Firestarter Tri for ages 12 and above.

The Firestarter features a 200-metre pool swim, 750-metre ride, and 2-kilometre run. Think of it as an event for people who want to ‘give Triathlon a go’—but don’t want to enter something with the word ‘hell’ in it!

Sunday - Hell of the West Triathlon

The long course HOTW triathlon takes place on Sunday, with the action kicking off as triathletes plunge into the murky waters of the Macintyre River for an early morning 2-kilometre swim.

From there it’s a leg-burning 80-kilometre ride along open roads as the sun beats down, before a gruelling 20-kilometre run along the riverbank.

Competitors will feel equal parts exhaustion and euphoria as they run down the finish chute and cross the finish line in Goondiwindi Town Park.

Competitor and Spectator Information

Looking to enter one of the HOTW weekend’s events? For event registrations, course maps, and race-day preparation information, head to the HOTW website.

Spectators can catch the action from the Town Park event precinct. Cheer on the triathletes, enjoy food and coffee from local vendors, and soak up the atmosphere HOTW offers.

What to do in Goondiwindi

Fish for Murray Cod, tour a working cotton farm, marvel stunning street art—lean back into the laid-back as you immerse yourself in the Goondiwindi region’s country charm.

Catch a movie at the heritage-listed, art deco-style Town Hall and Civic Centre, pay a visit to the Gunsyd Statue and Museum honouring Australia’s 1972 Horse of the Year (the ‘Goondiwindi Grey’), or admire the Banksy-esque stencil work and murals of Lanescape Street Art.

Tour Alcheringa, Goondiwindi Cotton’s working farm, and discover the history of cotton in Australia, stopping for morning tea along the way before finishing up at the family-owned farm’s own fashion house.

Live it up in the great outdoors at Coolmunda Dam, a playground for boating, fishing, hiking and birdwatching where the waters teem with silver perch and yellowbelly and the skies are alive with grass parrots and raptors.

Elsewhere, stroll Goondiwindi’s Botanical Gardens, a ‘living museum’ featuring 2-hectares of landscaped public space with BBQs and picnic areas, or explore the Natural and Heritage Water Park’s 6.6-kilometres of scenic trails—also one of the region’s premier water sports hot spots.

Explore surrounding townships including historic Texas (named after a border dispute similar to that between the Republic of Texas and Mexico in the 1850s), home to the Texas Rabbit Works and Texas Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum, and Inglewood, a former tobacco-growing hub now home to producers including Leven K Lavendar Farm and Coolmunda Olives.

Oh – and don’t forget to visit Yelarbon. This tiny dot on the map 52-kilometres from Goondiwindi is home to ‘When the Rain Comes’—one of the biggest and most impressive silo art works in Australia.

What to eat and drink near Hell of the West

Have you even been to a country town if you haven’t been to the pub? We don’t think so. Thankfully, Goondiwindi and surrounds have you covered, with 12 public houses to choose from.

Stick your knife and fork into Great Northern beer battered barramundi at the Victoria Hotel or enjoy a cold one under the festoon lights in the Queensland Hotel’s Beer Garden.

Did someone say coffee? Treat yourself to an iced latte or oat milk cappuccino alongside Larder’s hearty-cooked breakfasts or scrumptious selection of sandwiches and platters bursting with local produce.

Elsewhere, choose from sirloin steak or prosciutto-wrapped chicken at Cascades Bar and Restaurant, sip coffee by the riverbank at CC Café, or stock up on fresh produce at the Gundy markets—held on the fourth Sunday of every month.

Where to stay near Hell of the West

Camp under the shade of a coolabah tree, stay in a motel in the heart of town or dial up the luxe in a quaint country cottage—Goondwindi Region has accommodation options to suit all tastes.

Serious triathletes will want to stay in town—choose from motels including the Best Western Ascot Lodge Motor Inn or Country Roads Motor Inn, or bed and breakfasts like the cutely named Gumnut Cottage or 21 on Macintyre.

Or put up a swag or park up the caravan at one of Goondiwindi’s camp sites including Goondiwindi Tourist Park (great for the kids—they can feed ducks and possums in the park’s billabong) and Goondiwindi Holiday Park with its mineral-rich artesian spa.

Looking for more things to do in Queensland Country? Take a look at these country getaways.