This was one of the inaugural events of the first National Championships in 1962.
Test Races were held in earlier years for Australian representative crews for events such as Olympic or Commomwealth Games. These had a similar character to a National Championship but were not such an event.
The winners of these events were:
1950 - NSW Police - 7:05.00
1952 - Sydney - 7:20.00
1954 - Sydney - 7:09.00
1956 - Sydney - 7:11.20
1958 - Sydney - 7:07.80
1960 - Haberfield - 6:53.80

2006 Medallists
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Haberfield, NSW | Mosman, NSW | Tasmania | Adelaide University, SA | 6:53.00 | ||
| 1964 | Balmain / Mosman, NSW | Yarra Yarra, VIC | Corio Bay / Wendouree, VIC | 7:19.60 | |||
| 1966 | Corio Bay / Wendouree, VIC | Balmain, NSW | Yarra Yarra / Richmond VIC | Haberfield NSW | 7:40.00 | ||
| 1968 | Corio Bay, VIC | Sydney University | Commercial, QLD | 7:26.60 | |||
| 1970 | Haberfield / Colleagues, NSW | Sydney University. NSW | Haberfield, NSW | 7:04.20 | |||
| 1972 | Haberfield / Glebe, NSW | Sydney University / Colleagues, NSW | 7:15.6 | ||||
| 1974 | Haberfield, NSW | Lindisfarne, TAS | Corio Bay, VIC | Sydney, NSW | Torrens / AUBC, SA | Mosman, NSW | 7:01.50 |
| 1975 | Haberfield, NSW | Lindisfarne, TAS | Haberfield / Glebe, TAS | 6:58.00 | |||
| 1976 | Haberfield / Sydney, NSW | Queensland University / GPS, QLD | North Esk / Lindisfarne, TAS | 6:54.20 | |||
| 1977 | Haberfield / Drummoyne, NSW | Sydney, NSW | North Esk, TAS | Perth, WA | Perth / Joondalup, WA | 6:55.10 | |
| 1978 | Haberfield, NSW | Sydney, NSW | Haberfield / Drummoyne, NSW | 7:07.80 | |||
| 1979 | Haberfield / Sydney, NSW | Sydney, NSW | Australian National Railways, SA | Melbourne University, VIC | Wendouree Ballarat, VIC | North Esk, TAS | 6:59.30 |
| 1980 | Sydney, NSW | Melbourne University / Corio Bay, VIC | University of Western Australia, WA | 7:50.31 | |||
| 1981 | Sydney, NSW | Toowong / Queensland University, QLD | Haberfield, NSW | University of WA / Swan River, WA | Sydney / Manning River, NSW | Drummoyne / Haberfield, NSW | 6:40.12 |
| 1982 | St George, NSW | Perth, WA / ANU, ACT | Buckingham, TAS | Sydney, Haberfield, NSW | 6:50.96 | ||
| 1983 | St George, NSW | Melbourne University, VIC | Wendouree Ballarat, VIC / Freemantle, WA | 6:54.14 | |||
| 1984 | St George, NSW | Melbourne University, VIC / Freemantle, WA | Wedouree Ballarat, VIC / Port Adelaide, SA | Commercial / Queensland University, QLD | St George, NSW | Sydney / Mosman, NSW | 7:07.70 |
| 1985 | Wendouree Ballarat / Corio Bay, VIC | Melbourne University, VIC | Adelaide University / Port Adelaide, SA | Melbourne University, VIC / Freemantle, WA | St George, NSW | Haberfield, NSW | 6:37.10 |
| 1986 | Wendouree Ballarat / Corio Bay, VIC | Adelaide University / Port Adelaide, SA | Melbourne University, VIC | AIS, ACT | Tweed Heads, QLD | St George / Balmain, NSW | 6:41.95 |
| 1987 | Melbourne University, VIC | 6:24.84 | |||||
| 1988 | Melbourne University, VIC | 6:06.88 | |||||
| 1989 | No race | ||||||
| 1990 | Melbourne University, VIC | 7:23.97 | |||||
| 1991 | Bendigo, VIC / University of Queensland, QLD | 6:16.20 | |||||
| 1992 | Canberra, ACT / Adelaide, SA | 6:33.69 | |||||
| 1993 | Melbourne University / Bendigo, VIC | 6:20.16 | |||||
| 1994 | VIS, VIC | 6:29.72 | |||||
| 1995 | Bendigo, VIC/UTS, NSW | 6:50.92 | |||||
| 1996 | Tweed Heads, QLD | 7:16.40 | |||||
| 1997 | Tweed Heads, QLD | 6:54.47 | |||||
| 1998 | ECU Perth, WA | 6:42.58 | |||||
| 1999 | Surfers Paradise, QLD | 6:21.84 | |||||
| 2000 | ECU Perth, WA / Surfers Paradise, QLD | 6:23.90 | |||||
| 2001 | Mosman, NSW | 6:24.38 | |||||
| 2002 | Canberra, ACT | 6:24.06 | |||||
| 2003 | Canberra, ACT / UQBC, QLD | 6:23.87 | |||||
| 2004 | Mercantile, VIC / Queensland University, QLD | Tamar / Lindisfarne, TAS | Canberra, ACT / Queensland University, QLD | Lindisfarne, TAS / Toowong, QLD | ANUBC, ACT / Drummoyne, NSW | Lindisfarne / Huon, TAS | 6:35.71 |
| 2005 | Lindisfarne / Tamar, TAS | Canberra / ANU, ACT | AUBC / Adelaide, SA | UTS, NSW | Mercantile / MUBC, VIC | ANU, ACT / Mercantile, VIC | 6:27.46 |
| 2006 | Lindisfarne / Tamar, TAS | Adelaide University, SA | Sydney University, NSW / Canberra, ACT | Mosman / UTS, NSW | Canberra, ACT / Richmond, VIC | Melbourne University, VIC | 6:27.89 |
| 2007 | Mercantile, VIC/ Adelaide University, SA | Swan River, WA | Huon / Lindisfarne, TAS | Lindisfarne / Tamar, TAS | Aust Nat Uni / Canberra, ACT | Sydney University / Mosman, NSW | 6:33.64 |
