Jindabyne Man from Snowy River Rodeo surviving with tourist boom
It’s an Aussie tradition hanging on for dear life. But one rodeo in the snowy is bucking the trend, despite rising costs, dwindling crowds, animal rights activists and even death by drowning.
NSW
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Rising costs, dwindling crowds, animal rights activists, even death by drowning — the Man From Snowy River has survived them all.
While other rodeos around the state have gone the way of the Tasmanian tiger, Jindabyne’s aptly named display of cowboy prowess has clung to survival tighter than a bronco-buster on a raging stallion.
Every year crowds of Akubra-clad supporters gather as they have done since 1943 to cheer on competitors for eight seconds of pure pandemonium.
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Riders squeeze their thighs to the flanks of 500kg bulls that throw them around like ragdolls.
While there’s no doubting a portion of the crowd wants to see blood, many of spectators who roll up are city slickers intrigued about what their first rodeo will hold for them.
The rest are locals with a keen sense of the skill involved staying aboard a mount. At the latest rodeo last week, not one of the 28 novice bull riders lasted the required eight seconds, while only one of the 14 competitors in the open bull ride held on for necessary time.
“All the bulls want to do is throw the rider off their back and tread on them,” committee member Allan Rowson said.
Seventy-five years after its inception, the Jindabyne rodeo has banded together with rodeos in Nowra and Moruya to scrounge together a bigger prize pool to attract the country’s top riders.
The original site of Jindabyne’s rodeo is 30m under water, below the surface of man-made Lake Eucumbene.
The original town was drowned in 1957 to harness the waters of the Snowy River for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme.
But the Man From Snowy River spirit lived on, and now the event is held in the new town at John Connors Oval.
Other rodeo events include saddle bronc, bareback horse riding, the poley buck jump, the ladies and juniors barrel races. There is also a Ladies Steer Ride for 18 years and over competitors — helmets and vests are required.
The celebrated cowboys and cowgirls from the mountains above the Snowy River that captured Banjo Patterson’s attention are still considered among the best horsemen that you’re likely to see.
Winners go into the running to be crowned National Champion at the Tamworth rodeo in two weeks.
Organisers have also stared down animal activists, using unexpected honesty to thwart would-be exposés.
“You can pick the animal activists because they try and take photos of the yards,” Mr Rowson said.
“I go up to them and ask if they’d like a guided tour, which gives them a shock, and tell them our bulls won’t be a steak on a plate and we’ve never had wounded stock in Jindabyne.”
Cowboys and cowgirls come from as far afield as Queensland for a slice of the $70,000 prize pool.
But the biggest cheers are reserved for local kids as young as eight who climb aboard 150kg calves in the junior steer ride event.
Originally published as Jindabyne Man from Snowy River Rodeo surviving with tourist boom
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