Were you there? All the photos from the Wendouree-Ballarat rowing regatta

The highlight for many was watching the big school crews have their first competitive hit out, just three weeks before the main event, the Head of the Lake.

The Courier's Lachlan Bence and Kate Healy were there across the weekend to capture these images.

HISTORY DUSTED OFF

For decades, some of Ballarat's most prized trophies sat quietly, gathering dust, mould and decay behind a glass cabinet in the Wendouree-Ballarat Rowing Club (WBRC).

Historical prizes such as the JT Walker trophy, which was originally the Head of the Lake trophy, and the Heinz Family trophy, dating back to the 1800s, have for decades sat idly as time has gone by.

But this weekend, for the first time in what is believed to be at least four decades, those trophies - among others - are set to reemerge.

They will be presented to the winning crews at the Wendouree-Ballarat Rowing Regatta at Lake Wendouree on Saturday and Sunday.

Wendoure-Ballarat Rowing Club president Stephen Coghlan said the trophies were important symbols of the history of the club, which dates back to 1861, making it the second-oldest rowing club in Australia.

"The JT (Jack) Walker trophy was dedicated to a student from Ballarat College who died in World War 1 in Palestine, who was a keen rower and his brother was the one who donated the prize to the club to be awarded to the cox four men, so that was presented in 1921," Coghlan said.

"Then the smaller one is the maiden eights, which is the female coxed eight under-21 trophy, the Heinz Cup, which is from 1894.

"All up, we've got eight historical trophies which we will be presenting across the weekend to various crews."'

The weekend's event has attracted one of the biggest number of entries in years, with more than 1300 athletes expected to grace the waters.

One of those names will be Josh Matheson, one of the leading lights of Ballarat rowing.

He is competing in the single scull before teaming up with another of the city's rising stars, Max Mason, in the double scull.

The pair will have their eyes on lifting at least one of the historic trophies rolled out this weekend, and that is what it's all about for the WBRC president.

"One thing that I'm really passionate about is history in Ballarat and bringing that alive for current and future generations," Coghlan said.

"Why have these trophies just sitting there in a cabinet? Let's get them out, dust them off, give them a polish and let the whole community see them and the rowing community have a chance of being a part of history.

"Let's make sure they are enjoyed by the people of today."

Coghlan said the trophies offered a new dimension to the event.

"It brings a different type of excitement," he said. "It brings a meaning and gravitas to the event. Of the eight trophies we'll present on the day, they all range between 100 and 130 years old."