OUTBACK ADVENTURE

Birdsville Races

BUCKET-LIST DESTINATION: THOUSANDS FLOCK TO THE QUEENSLAND TOWN EVERY YEAR

Asmall desert town in Australia’s remote outback was recently transformed into a non-stop two-day carnival as thousands of people travelled across the vast continent to watch the Birdsville Races.

Lonely Birdsville, on the edge of Simpson Desert in Queensland state, some 1 900km northwest of Australia’s largest city Sydney, boasts a resident population of just over 100 people.

But during the annual races – now in their 136th year – the isolated town hosts more than 6 000 racegoers.

They travel days and weeks on bumpy dirt roads or fly in on small, private planes to watch what has been dubbed the “Melbourne Cup of the outback”.

“It took us eight days to get here. We camped out every night in camper trailers,” said Wendy Cooper.

She had travelled 3 800km from Western Australia state across the harsh Nullarbor Plain desert with family and friends.

“Fantastic adventure. Rough roads but it’s all worth it,” she said.

Despite the heat, dust and flies, many racegoers dressed up for the occasion, with the watching crowds decked out in striking summer dresses, cowboy hats and boots and matching shirts.

With just one hotel in Birdsville, the vast majority of visitors sleep in caravans, or pitch tents outside the centre of town.

Some even set up camp underneath the wings of their aircraft parked at the local airport.

Birdsville Race Club president David Brook, who also owns the hotel, said visiting his town had become a must-do on Australians’ bucket list, with having a sense of adventure a key requirement.

“We’re 1 600km from our capital city (Brisbane). It’s unique in that it’s very hard to get to,” Brook said.

From early morning to late at night, the usually quiet main street turns into a hive of activity, with throngs of revellers gathering outside the heritage-listed Birdsville Hotel, which doubles as the sole pub.

After sundown, revellers keen to see some more sport pack out a large tent, where audience members can challenge the members of a travelling boxing troupe to a fight in front of cheering spectators.

The travelling show, billed as the last of its kind and run by veteran boxer Fred Brophy, visits Birdsville annually during the races and is one of the main attractions.

This year’s races took on special significance amid a severe drought plaguing the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales, and half of the bets placed on the races were to be donated to stricken farmers and communities.

It was also the first time all the races were broadcast live on TV racing channels.

Spectators also got a chance to take photos with the Melbourne Cup trophy, one of the world’s most well-known races held in the southern city in November. –

THEY’RE OFF. Jockeys and horses thunder past in the Birdsville Cup Open horse race at the Birdsvillea Races in the Queensland town of Birdsville on September 1. The annual races attract thousands of people to the remote town.

Pictures: AFP ADVENTUROUS. Racegoers gather in front of the Birdsville Hotel. The annual Birdsville races in outback Queensland attracts thousands of people to the remote town and is a major source of tourist revenue.

MORNING BREW. A spectator who flew in for the Birdsville Races prepares morning coffee next to his aircraft parked at the Birdsville airport.

TAKE THAT. Boxers compete in the Fred Brophy boxing tent during the weekend of the Birdsville Races in the Queensland town .

ALL DRESSED UP. A couple arrive to watch the fourth horse race.