Kegel Club

This game of Kegel originated in ancient Germany. A kegel was originally a wooden club carried as a general purpose tool. It was used as hammer, a weapon, and on Sundays after church it became a target Churchgoers would place their Kegel in the church yard and bowl a stone at it, believing they would be freed from sin if they hit it! Sometimes up to 15 pins were used in a game, but eventually, 9 pins were deemed more appropriate. Modern 10 pin bowling evolved from there.

In the old days they used solid wooden balls, but the regular bowling balls with finger holes they use now makes it a bit easier to get the ball to the other end. The track is over twice the length of a 10 pin bowling alley, and only a third of the width. The jarrah timbers are supported by stakes driven into the ground, so the track distorts with changes in the weather. Just to add a further degree of difficulty, the track is slightly concave, so it's a bit like bowling down a spoon drain. Good bowlers know how to read the track and adjust their style as the track moves, sometimes even over a night's play. There's no 'proper' way to bowl either. It's whatever works best for you, with everyone adopting their own style.

The Tanunda Kegel Club is one of the oldest sports club in Australia, and the building is on the National Trust list.

These days club membership is around 22 dedicated kegellers who ensure this game is preserved. In the old days, only men played kegel, but now both men and women have their own competitions. The club celebrates its 140th anniversary in three weeks time. So on Sunday the 27th of September they're having an open day, and the club will be open for the afternoon. You'll find the Kegel barn in the Tanunda Recreation Park. For more information you can email info@postcards-sa.com.au