Facing off in the ultimate battle of dirty tactics, the pair pulled out all stops in Australia’s only annual bog snorkelling championship at Julia Creek’s famed Dirt N Durt with Liz emerging as the winner in the 30-metre race by ‘a nose’.

Reid said said the water was  a bit like warm chocolate pudding that doesn’t smell that good.

“It’s definitely the kind of competition you don’t play fair and is actually pretty big overseas, particularly in the UK. But I think I’ll stick to where it’s nice and warm,” he said.

“The best thing about travelling to places like Julia Creek is you get to experience the real Australia, real characters and larrikin charm.”

For Liz, the bog snorkelling challenge doubled as an opportunity to ‘get psyched-up’ ahead of her debut in the Dirt n Dust Festival’s gruelling triathlon on Saturday.

 Now in its 22nd year, the event – complete with mud, dust, heat and flies – is renowned as one of Australia’s toughest.

 “Throwing yourself into a muddy trench with someone like Reidy is also a great way to shake off any pre-race nerves,” she said.

Reid  is also lining up in the triathlon. While in 2014 he was disqualified from the festival’s crowd-pleaser – Australia’s Best Butt competition – for being ‘too cheeky’, he found his stride in the triathlon; placed eighth with a time of 01:12:32.

Did you know? Bog snorkelling has a cult following in Ireland, parts of northern Europe and Wales. Julia Creek Dirt n Dust Festival staked its claim on the global bog snorkelling calendar in 2008, with the town’s first two championships won by former world champion, Julia Galvin, who travelled all the way from the peat bogs of County Kerry, Ireland.

“I’ve been training hard, so I reckon I’ll give Blatchie a good run for her money,” he said. “I’m also at a distinct advantage having done the triathlon course once before and experienced some of its unique challenges like dirt, dust and flies. Lots of flies. I reckon I swallowed a few last time.”