Birdsville Races 2019: Punters let loose on day two of Australia’s wildest outback races
Dressed in flannelette, fascinators and everything in between, punters lived up to the fashion brief of “everything goes” at the wildest race day in Australia.
As the horses belted down the famous Birdsville racetrack in outback Queensland, punters who travelled far and wide to attend Australia’s wildest races were met with dust both on and off the track.
In its 137th year, racegoers from across the country descended on the tiny town of Birdsville, swelling the community of 100 locals to more than 8000.
The feature race, known as the Birdsville Cup, was taken out by underdog thoroughbred French Hussler trained by Queenslander Todd Austin and ridden by apprentice jockey Clayton Gallagher.
Fuelled by Great Northern tinnies and dagwood dogs, punters dressed in flannelette and fascinators as they arrived for their second consecutive afternoon at the “Melbourne Cup of the Outback”.
After 35-degree days for the first week of Spring, temperatures on day two of the racing meet sat at a pleasant 25 degrees at its warmest. But the mild weather played as the perfect playing field for the thousands of racegoers looking to kick back and let loose trackside.
As much as I like the concept of @birdsvilleraces Yep - like running into a Cat 4 dust storm
— Dave_Baron 💧 (@nuffnuff68) September 6, 2019
Think I'll leave Birdsville & Ballarat alone today ðŸ‘
Bigger fish later....
What about the sandstorm in Birdsville #kickback https://t.co/n0t0SBOZhD
— Chris Camilleri (@ChrisCamiller1) September 6, 2019
Where the dust never settles... #BirdsvilleRaces officially underway! #ThisisQueensland #OutbackQueensland #BetonBirdsville @OUTBACK_QLD @Queensland pic.twitter.com/GrjsoFUAiQ
— Birdsville Races (@birdsvilleraces) September 6, 2019
The annual race meeting has a Fashions on the Field event and a VIP marquee, but that’s where the similarities with Melbourne’s famous races end.
Rolling with a “whatever goes” fashion brief, racegoers drive thousands of kilometres to reach the dusty track for this outback race meet that gets more popular each year.
On the second day of the Birdsville Races, the standard of dress is perhaps a little more conservative than what rolls in on Friday, with the women dressed in designer frocks and the blokes decked out in their finest two-piece suits.
Set on the edge of the Simpson Desert, the Birdsville races are the biggest event to hit the small town of around 100 locals each year.
As the event gains popularity, there is a clear change in the demographic that attends the two-day racing event. While thousands of the traditional “grey nomads” continue to flock to the dusty track, this year the field was flooded by “younger travellers” wanting to see “the real Australia”.
“It’s like stepping back in time,” Chris, who was joined by his two brothers, said of the adventure from Sydney to Birdsville.
“Australia is a giant country and not many people get to see it and there’s so much to see. We all grew up in the city, but coming in to Queensland and out here you see how much there is to do.
“We have all been overseas, but this is another aspect to see the real outback.”
Brothers Lee and Michael, who travelled to Birdsville from Melbourne on a last minute jaunt together, said coming to the races is the new Bali adventure for Millennials.
“It’s something different … it’s seeing Australia and it’s better than going to Bali which is what everyone else is doing in our generation,” Michael said, noting an influx of photos on social media prompted them to book their flight.
“It’s good to see Australia and support Australia … see the culture and get among it and support the locals.”
Birdsville Race Club vice-president Gary Brook said a trip to the races had become more popular each year, with 2019 recording some of the club’s biggest ticket sales.
“Birdsville over the last 20 years has been about grey nomads and the like but the event has evolved online and with things like the Fashions on the Field novelty today and a more formal day tomorrow, it has attracted a younger audience,” he told news.com.au.
“The accessibility of the roads has changed, and people are able to fly in. With things like ‘tent city’ accommodation, the race provides an opportunity for people who may not have the caravans and the motorhomes (to visit the outback previously).
“With the rise of social media we can connect with that group much easier and therefore they get interested which translates to their attendance.”
Mr Brook, who is born and bred in Birdsville, said the annual race meet is like no other in the country. And with the rise in Millennials embarking on holidays out west rather than on the coast, he expects to see more and more make the trip to Birdsville for the annual event.
“Birdsville is so much more than just about the race day,” he said.
“It’s about the journey and it’s about the destination. You can go to the Melbourne Cup, you fly in and you stay in a hotel, go to the races for the day and go home. Here, it’s weeks if not months and sometimes years in planning, and people are often away from home for two or three weeks at a time all for this pinnacle event which is the Birdsville Races.”
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