Call for volunteers at 2021 Birdsville Races
Calling all Central Queenslanders - after being cancelled due to Covid last year, the event is back in 2021 and it needs your help.
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Calling all Central Queenslanders - after being cancelled due to Covid last year, the iconic Birdsville Races are back in 2021 and the event needs your help.
A call has gone out for people to nominate as volunteers at the 139th edition of one of Australia’s most iconic outback bucket-list experiences.
Renowned as the Melbourne Cup of the outback, the 2021 Birdsville Races will be held on Friday, September 3 and Saturday September 4, with demand for the event expected to be high following its forced cancellation last year.
Event organisers have also announced that tickets must be pre-purchased and will not be sold at the event gates, and numbers will be restricted to allow for social distancing and other Covid-safe event operations.
Tickets for the Birdsville Races will go on sale on Wednesday, May 26, as the 100-day countdown begins and they are expected to sell-out fast.
Further announcements regarding ticketing options are still to come.
“All indications are that interest is very strong this year and demand to secure a ticket is bigger than ever before, so volunteering is a great way to guarantee you can be part of all the action,” said vice-president of the Birdsville Race Club, Gary Brook.
Not just a dusty good time in the heart of the outback, the races present an opportunity to also give back to the community via volunteering, with the event raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia – a vital charity that provides help to remote areas often cut off from medical services, as well as inter-hospital transfer services between metropolitan areas.
Volunteer registrations are now live at www.birdsvilleraces.com/Volunteer, with all volunteers required to be 18 years-of-age or over.
Volunteers can nominate to complete their shift with friends and family, and in line with a particular skill-set or area of interest.
Depending on the team, volunteer time commitments start from as little as nine hours.
Roles are available in hospitality, information, as marshals and gate staff, media liaison assistant, ticketing, mini-bus drivers, set-up and pack-down and volunteer co-ordinators assistant.
In return, volunteers receive an exclusive souvenir volunteer polo shirt, a stubby holder, cap and a souvenir medallion which gives complimentary entry to both race days to access all of the fun of Birdsville’s iconic desert race track.
Before and after shifts, volunteers can participate in an array of one-of-a-kind experiences as Birdsville transforms into a buzzing hive of activity with film, live music, cocktail parties and Fred Brophy’s legendary travelling boxing troupe just to name a few of the attractions.
“Volunteering is the best way to really be immersed in the magic of the Birdsville Races,” Mr Brook said.
“You’re behind the scenes on one of Australia’s best known outback events.
“We know that previous volunteers have developed friendships and memories to last a lifetime, and have been part of a truly unique experience.”
Along with thousands of intrepid travellers, volunteers of all ages flock from all parts to Birdsville every year to help deliver the two-day, 13-race program, and a jam-packed schedule of outback entertainment and activities.
Volunteers travel by car and bus from metropolitan towns and centres in Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, with some even chartering private jets to cut down on travel-time and catch a bird’s-eye view of Australia’s spectacular outback terrain in the process.
Many volunteers begin their journey from early August – travelling with friends, family and partners – and setting up camp early to enjoy the region’s yabby races, street parties and various other events that lead into the big Friday and Saturday race days.
Others choose to take a more direct route, exploring and detouring via the Simpson Desert and Lake Eyre on their way home once the races have finished.
There are limited volunteer roles available for the races.
What: Birdsville Races.
Where: Birdsville, Queensland.
When: Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4, 2021.
Volunteers:www.birdsvilleraces.com/Volunteer
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