Wet, cold and tired, seven infantry units emerged from the Tully Jungle after two weeks of being put under pressure to determine which battalion was best at the Duke of Gloucester Cup, also known as the DoG Cup.

SUBTITLES: A soldier from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment takes part in the obstacle course at the 2024 Duke of Gloucester Cup at the Jungle Training Area, Tully. Story and photos by Chief Petty Officer Nadav Harel.

With their cams torn and covered in mud, the detachment of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) emerged victorious from the jungle.

The detachments began at the Townsville Training Area to conduct certification activities, live fire exercises and coordinate fire support from armoured personnel carriers before being flown to Tully by CH-47 Chinook.



Tully is the wettest place in Australia. The average rainfall of 4.27 metres per year makes the place wet, muddy and unforgiving.

Here, departments were tested in the areas of ambush exercises, reconnaissance and dealing with large numbers of casualties.

Looking back on the competition, Corporal Walter Lawrence, 3RAR’s Group Commander, said the biggest challenge was crawling 350 metres leopard style through dense and muddy terrain to conduct a group attack.

“The counterattack was quite a long patrol of 2 kilometers, but overall it was challenging to operate in this environment as I had never participated in the DoG Cup before,” he said.

Corporal Lawrence initially trained for the 2021 competition, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Squad Commanders can only enter once.

“It really inspired me to try again because our team had worked really hard to prepare this year and hadn’t gotten the chance,” said Corporal Lawrence.

The sections finished the competition with a march of over 12 km before the obstacle and bayonet charge courses were carried out.

Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Andrew Egan of the School of Infantry took part in a DoG Cup as 3RAR Section Commander in the mid-1990s.

He described the move to Tully as an opportunity to test sections in an environment they are likely to face in the future.

“Having the opportunity to be the lead planner was very rewarding, especially as it was the first outside of Singleton in recent times,” said WO2 Egan.

“A lot has changed over the years since I was a squad leader, from the fitness level of the soldiers to the equipment and night fighting skills of the regular soldiers.”

The detachment, recruited from the entire battalion, received eight weeks of preparatory training.

Corporal Lawrence said the jungle was arduous and once it started raining, it didn’t stop, adding to the complexity of all elements of warfare.

“Apart from the win, it was the shared moments and the resilience of the guys – they really came together while working under such adverse conditions,” he said.

“No matter what happened, everyone always had a smile on their face and helped each other up when it was needed most.

“Everyone performed their roles with exceptional quality and I was fortunate to lead them.”

The cup was created in 1946 by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, during his term as Governor-General of Australia and was first presented in 1947.

The battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment compete for the award each year as a “health check” to ensure the regiment is prepared for conflict.

SUBTITLES: Winning section of the 2024 Duke of Gloucester Cup from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment at the Jungle Training Area, Tully.

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