Akubra Riverina Owners

[Mike K.]

Is it possible that the Riverina has overtaken the Federation in terms of being the FL hat with the greatest global reach in terms of number of places worn (if not unit sales)?

In response to a very good & interesting question posted on a related thread, I hereby summon all Akubra Riverina owners to:

1. please check in
2. tell us briefly about your beloved Riverina (e.g. have you done the safari conversion, etc?)
3. provide a list of the locations around the world where your hat has seen action.

If you do not own an Akubra Riverina, please refrain from posting until you "join the club."

ALL HAIL THE AKUBRA RIVERINA!!

 

[Mike K.]

Mike K., the original safari-ized Riverina owner, checking in.

I currently own two Riverinas. Both have been re-bashed with a tighter pinch and both have had the original hat band replaced with a traditional hand-wrapped puggaree a la safari style. One hat has a shorter trimmed brim.

So far my Riverina has seen near-daily action in the swamps of southern Florida. It has also journeyed across the country numerous times making stops in Virginia, Georgia, Utah, Arizona, and the Fedora Lounge "Adventure on the Queen Mary" in California. Nothing international...yet!

 

[Colby Jack]

Great thread!...Now I need to get a Riverina!:eusa_clap

 

[Edward]

About eighteen months ago, looking for a Safari style hat, I stumbled across Mike's original thread about his Safari-ised Riverina. This was at the time when the pound was strong against the dollar, and it was on sale via a USA site for all of forty bucks, making it, in common parlance, "a steal". Following Mike's lead, I reshaped the hat, elongating the sided dents and narrowing the pinch, also adding my own hand-wrapped pugaree. The pug is less than perfect, but somehow that gives it a bit more character (my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!). lol

This hat has seen service both here in London, and fairly extensively across China on a coupel of trips there in the past two years. I'm just back from two and a half weeks in Beijing, where the hat was worn daily (see Great Wall photo, taken on this trip), while in 2008 the hat was worn on a tour of Eastern China which took in Beijing, Xi'An (pictured), Guilin and Hong Kong. It has been exposed to extremities of both sun and rain, and has always performed extremely well. To date it is my only Riverina; as of yet, I have not felt the need of a second. Were they to produce it in a deep forest green, I might just be tempted, though - ahould I ever decide that I needed a second safari jacket in OD, and thus a hat to match....

 

[Akubra Man]

I have a Riverina in an olive color. It is in my regular rotation and it is my most versatile hat. With a khaki pugaree it becomes a safari style and with a grosgrain ribbon band and bound brim edge it looks dressier. With the original round braid leather band it is a good looking casual hat. It is a versatile hat and the color is a unique one. The safari conversion thread got me to add the pug band to its list of options.

 

[gtdean48]

My regular hunting lid...

I have had a Riverina for years as my hunting hat...

No safari conversion, kept it in the original trim from Akubra. It sees duty in mainly Central & Southern Georgia in the upland fields & deep woods for bird & deer hunting.

 

[Highlander]

My Riverina came in the mail YESTERDAY, and I have been shaping it with steam ever since (first off I need to LONG OVAL it), then re-adjust the crease and crown.

This weekend, I am going looking for some of the herringbone tape to make my Puggarree. Then I'll be back

 

[redhawks2]

That Riverina is a model that is unfamiliar to me. I'll have to check one of those out. I especially like the pug on, very classy!

 

[Mike K.]

Everyone, I went back through some of our older threads and obtained hat locations from FL members who haven't yet checked in to this thread.
The Riverina map has now been updated to reflect all known locations of the "Riverina Club."


Just to restate, please try to refrain from posting on this thread unless you actually own an Akubra Riverina hat.
We are trying to use this as a census of sorts.

 

[cookie]

The Riverine Club

Funnily enough the most famous club in Wagga Wagga - New South Wales - is "The Riverine Club". My late uncle farmed outside Wagga and when the cockies went into town they visited and stayed at the Club. Another friend had his wedding reception there.

http://www.riverineclub.com/ http://www.riverineclub.com/?id=supporters http://www.riverineclub.com./?id=billiardroomrepainti

 

[Boodles]

Riverina Owner Checking In

Sir:
It has been raining and overcast here for a week so no photo yet. Still, I'm checking in. My MikeKized Riverina is still sporting it's off the peg Lawrence pug. The cotton twill tape is still rolled, same as it was the day I walked out of Hanfords door with it. Compared with the travels of Mr Edward's Riverina I have a wimpy travel report. Operating out of the Charlotte, NC region, the Riverina has traveled to the NC mountains, the NC coast-Outerbanks, the SC coast, down the Florida keys as far as Islamorada and Marathon, Everglades City and the wonderful Corkscrew Swamp, and Cedar Key. Then there was the January trip to the Bahamas including Marsh Harbor, the wonderful bar at Green Turtle Cay, Man-O-War Cay, Elbow Cay, etc. That is about the end of the list for now.

 

[AlanC]

Checking in as a Riverina owner. Here it is on me at the Taj Mahal (previously posted in the other thread):

I wore it all over my trip to India on that trip, so you can include Delhi, Guwahati, Shillong and Hyderabad on your map (I don't know how detailed you want to get with that). I'm heading back to India in July, and should have a place or two to add to that list.

 

[Gummy]

I got my Riverina

I managed to get Akubra Riverina in Khaki, I tried many places before I finally managed to get one and it was the last one in my size. Sorry no pictures yet. I have not finished the transformation, I did rebash it (close to what Alan did) but 1" twill tape is not available in the country only 5/8" so I bought that to try out for the puggaree but I do not like it so I ordered 1" from abroad but it has yet to arrive. What I can't get myself to do is taking off the braided leather band. I'm not sure that I will take it off. No one has noticed it still and those I told about it thought I should leave it on. Anyway one in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Best regards,
Gummy

 

[Harry Gooch]

Bump!

 

[Edward]

Checking in as a Riverina owner. Here it is on me at the Taj Mahal (previously posted in the other thread):

I wore it all over my trip to India on that trip, so you can include Delhi, Guwahati, Shillong and Hyderabad on your map (I don't know how detailed you want to get with that). I'm heading back to India in July, and should have a place or two to add to that list.

Nice photo! I'd love to visit that part of India. I made my first trip there last May, but to Bangalore. The heat nearly killed me (I arrived at 3am local time and it was 25 degrees Celsius. That was the coldest it got all week!), but it was a fascinating trip. This is me in the Bangalore botanic gardens, wearing my Safari-ised Riverina, so add Bangalore to the list too!

 

[Harry Gooch]

Nice photo! I'd love to visit that part of India. I made my first trip there last May, but to Bangalore. The heat nearly killed me (I arrived at 3am local time and it was 25 degrees Celsius. That was the coldest it got all week!), but it was a fascinating trip. This is me in the Bangalore botanic gardens, wearing my Safari-ised Riverina, so add Bangalore to the list too!

I stood on that very spot in Bangalore just over 18 years ago. Maybe time for a return engagement.

Harry.

 

[DRJ]

I've been wearing a Riverina for 16 years. Getting a bit broken in, and I'm looking to replace it with another one. Looks like Akubra has discontinued this model, or named it something else. Anyone have info on this?

 

[RBH]

I've been wearing a Riverina for 16 years. Getting a bit broken in, and I'm looking to replace it with another one. Looks like Akubra has discontinued this model, or named it something else. Anyone have info on this?

According to Google here is just one of many places in Australia that offers the Riverina.

http://hatsbythe100.com.au/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_10&products_id=781

 

[J.B.]

...Looks like Akubra has discontinued this model, or named it something else. Anyone have info on this?

According to Google...many places in Australia...offers the Riverina...

Yes. In October, 2011 Akubra reprised the Riverina nameplate. Whether or not it now defines the same hat that it did before -- I don't know?!

 

[StokerCat]

Reviving an old thread because I now have a new-to-me like-new Riverina. An "older" one, apparently. Green with a bound edge and a double plaited kangaroo band, white satin liner with plastic. Sweet lid!!!

I've had some Akubra luck lately as I also got a used Cattleman 2 weeks ago. Very light beige but someone put a black grosgrain ribbon on it. Looks good but limits where I can wear it...for now.