Perth beach sets giant thong world record with 2210 participants

Tell a Brit about an Australian competition involving giant inflatable thongs and they'll probably choke on their warm ale.

While thong is a term they use for G-strings, it has a completely different meaning in the antipodes.

Here, it refers to the most minimalist of footwear - those flip-floppy rubber shoes that wear a groove between the big toe and the second largest tootsie.

And for the past decade, a beach competition involving giant inflatable thongs has been an Australia Day tradition as well as a colossal marketing success.

On Monday, Perth's Cottesloe beach won the challenge, setting a world record for the fourth straight year with 2210 entrants taking to the water on their footwear-shaped floatie.

Coming in second place was Torquay in Victoria with 1556 people, followed by Mooloolaba Beach in Queensland with 802 entrants.

One-third of the registration fee is donated to the local surf lifesaving clubs and their Nippers programs.