A weekend of camels, camping, culture: Everything you need to know about Tara Festival 2022

More than 10,000 people are expected to descend on Tara this weekend for its first huge camel-racing festival in three years. From the wacky sport’s origins to predicted winners and more, this is your ultimate guide to the 2022 event.

Emily Devon

@EmilyDevon7

5 min read

July 28, 2022 - 10:37AM

Hyperlocal

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The Tara Festival is finally making an epic return this week after a three-year hiatus due to Covid, with the camel-racing industry and event organisers gearing up to make the 2022 event one of its biggest yet.

This year’s festival is expected to draw more than 10,000 attendees throughout a huge three days of action, with weeks of wet weather and the threat of Covid unable to deter thousands from flocking to Tara and its surrounds.

The beloved annual event got its start more than 20 years ago when former sheep shearer and Tara camel racing co-ordinator Lou Thornbury decided she wanted to build an event to put her town on the map.

Together with her husband Richard Thornbury and fellow sheep shearer Wayne Bishop, Mrs Thornbury said their team noticed the increasing popularity of camel racing and were inspired to bring the sport to Tara.

“At that stage camel racing was just starting to begin, (so) we thought we’d give it a go and now it’s been happening since 2001,” she said.

Lou Thornbury (Tireless Tara Futures Group Volunteer) and Richard Thornbury (Tara Futures Group Events Co-ordinator) at the Tara Futures Group New Years Eve Ball – December 31, 2017.

Without having any background in camel racing, the trio wanted to learn all they could about the racing style from those already leading the industry.

“I got involved with others so they could teach me how to run it so I could run it the next year here,” Mrs Thornbury said.

“It’s a unique thing. In other places, they have the multicultural fest or the camel racing, here we have both together.

“I don’t know what it is about camel racing, but people just love it.”

Ms Thornbury said camel racing presented its own set of challenges in comparison to other variants, including jockeys having far less control of their animals than in horse racing.

“You can’t steer them, they have their own personalities and they all just run – the jockey’s got to sit there and hold on,” she said.

“During one festival, there was a camel running and the next minute it turned around and went the other way, the jockey just had to hang on.”

Camel trainer and jockey Kyrraley Woodhouse got her start in the sport in 2013 after her friends needed an extra volunteer for a display race in Newcastle, and has quickly risen to the top of the region’s industry in the nine years since.

She said her camel, Gunna, was of the best in the racing game and a favourite in the Tara event despite an often surprising start to his sprints.

“It’s a high possibility that he will sit down at the start, he’s known to do that,” Mrs Woodhouse said.

“He stops as soon as it starts then we have to try and make up ground, he’s a very quick camel.”

This year will be the third appearance at the Tara Festival for Mrs Woodhouse and her family, with the successful jockey saying the unpredictability of the sport made it exciting for racers and spectators alike.

“We hope they go the right direction, get to the end and hope they stop,” Mrs Woodhouse said.

“I’ve had camels turn around go the opposite way, go backwards out of the barriers, stop halfway down the racetrack and sit down on me.

“It’s a little frustrating, but you just laugh because you know you get on there and don’t have control of them.

“I love Tara, (and) it’s one we always try and get to. We travel three days to get there from Boulia and the atmosphere is huge.”

Mrs Woodhouse and Gunna will be looking to defend their title in the 600m race this year after storming to victory at the last Tara Festival.

She was also awarded ‘best jockey’ at the 2019 event, with her husband Tom Woodhouse named ‘best trainer and handler’ in the same year.

The 2022 festival could open the door to an up-and-coming group of competitors according to Mrs Thornbury, who said several previous winners would not be able to attend.

“Peter Hodge had ‘Old Reggie Boy’ but he passed away in March this year,” she said.

“Then there’s Glenda Sutton she had ‘Chief’ but she’s not coming this year either.

“They were the top camels but it’ll give other people a chance to win.”

Australian Champion racing camel Old Reggie Boy retires. Owner and trainer Peter Hodge gets some affection from Old Reggie Boy on his Cosgrove property.

The camel-racing co-ordinator was confident the weeks of wet weather leading up to the festival weekend would not deter competitors or spectators from the major event.

“It affects the camel racing because camels can’t run on tracks where there’s water or mud, because they slip,” she said.

“They don’t have grip – they just have a pad, not like a horse.”

Tara Festival marketing co-ordinator Monique Krause said while recent rain had delayed camping entry by a day, it was the past month’s spike in Covid cases that had really presented a challenge.

She said event organisers had already refunded dozens of entry tickets for people who had tested positive to Covid this week.

“While this is a huge disappointment for those who now miss out, we thank them for selflessly following the isolation rules to help us keep the amount of Covid exposures at the festival lower,” she said.

Pre-sold tickets online are up 40 per cent from the last festival, which will make 2022 the biggest year yet.

Ms Krause said there were already 1800 campsites booked with about 3300 people camping through the festival weekend, which meant the event was again set to bring a massive economic boost to the region.

“The last festival held in 2019 was worth an estimated $2.3 million to the Western Downs region in visitor spend and direct business generated by the festival,” she said.

“This year is as large and anticipated to be larger, so this value will be higher this year.”

She said other massive highlights for patrons included the musical guest performances by The Wolfe Brothers, James Johnston, and Rooftop Express Heroes of the Outback Show.

“After runaway success around Australia, the Rooftop Show is bringing the Heroes of the Outback to Tara with its show,” Ms Krause said.

“With some highly refined and visually enchanting stunts and moments that will take horse play and cattle mustering to a new level.”

Whether you’re planning to hit the Tara Festival for the first time this weekend or are just looking to help make 2022 one of its biggest years yet, the three-day program is stacked full of events and entertainment to keep guests of all ages entertained.

Check out the full program below: