Canberra's famous Birdman Rally may not be ready to take flight just yet, but it could make a remarkable comeback, with the Canberra Liberals announcing they'd support a return.
The party announced their vision for sport and recreation in the territory on Friday, which included a desire to "bring back the fun" by hosting more events in Canberra.
Importantly, the National Capital Authority, which needs to approve any event on or around Lake Burley Griffin, advised it would be open to its return.
The Birdman Rally was an event held during the Canberra Festival from 1985 to the mid-'90s. Competitors would launch themselves from a six-metre high platform, attached to homemade flying devices, into the lake.
It was similar to the more recent Red Bull Flugtag which is held around the world, including in Sydney.
An NCA spokeswoman said the recent announcement of the Lake Burley Griffin paddle boats returning was met with overwhelming public support.
She said if the Birdman Rally received similar public support it could be considered for a comeback.
"An event such as the Birdman Rally requires significant event coordination and logistically can prove challenging," she said.
"There are a number of sensitivities and whilst considering the rally's possible return a business case would need to be prepared and fully scoped to understand the full scale event logistics and sustainability of the event."
The spokeswoman advised that the NCA had held discussions with a third party operator of similar events internationally.
"Obviously there are cost implications as to whether this is a viable event," she said.
"If the NCA were to secure an operator and the Canberra community were to get behind the concept of bringing the rally back, this is something that the NCA is willing to consider."
Other than costs, she said staffing, location and environmental factors were also necessary considerations.
The document released by the Liberals announcing their strategic direction ahead of next year's election said Canberra suffered from a risk averse attitude in government.
"If the ACT can host events like the Birdman Rally, Ninja Warrior races, obstacle courses, fireworks and mountain biking; the answer should always be a definitive yes," it said.
"Rather than looking for barriers or the reasons not to do something, we will adopt an approach to support more events to be held in the ACT."
When questioned about the possibility of a return for the Birdman Rally, shadow minister for sport and recreation James Milligan said he'd like to see it back in Canberra.
"I'd love to sit down the organisers of the Birdman Rally just to ask them what are the requirements [they] need to run it, then assess what we do have on offer to see if we are able to provide the right environment and the right atmosphere for this competition to occur," Mr Milligan said.
The original Birdman Rally was organised by Canberra's Capital 7 television network and offered a large cash prize.
The event was overwhelmingly popular, with as many as 100,000 people lining the banks of the lake to watch some brave souls attempt the leap.
The rally ended with organisers citing prohibitive insurance costs as a reason it could not continue.
The last winner of the event was George Reekie, who garnered notoriety for his repeated attempts at the rally and who died in 2017.
