Birdsville races on outback bucket list

Tickets are on sale for this year’s iconic Birdsville Races

The Birdsville racetrack will be back to dirt by September due to harsh conditions Picture: Contributed

THE bucket list Birdsville races — synonymous with plumes of striking red dust as horses gallop towards the iconic finishing post — are set to return this year for two bumper race days on September 6-7.

More than 6000 intrepid travellers and punters will once again make the annual pilgrimage to Australia’s most remote town on the edge of the Simpson Desert for a jam-packed weekend program of thoroughbred racing and unique outback entertainment.

Tickets to the 137th edition of the races are now on-sale at www.birdsvilleraces.com, with two-day racing passes starting at just $69.90, and trackside hospitality options also available for pre-purchase.

The Birdsville racetrack is currently a lush green due to recent floodwaters and rain in the surrounding channel country. Picture: Contributed

The OBE Pavilion trackside marquee tickets typically sellout well ahead of the September race meet. The Birdsville Races are billed the “Melbourne Cup of the Outback”, however, for a brief moment in time, the famously arid Birdsville racetrack has been transformed into a rare carpet of lush greenery akin to Flemington Racecourse, thanks to recent floodwaters and rain in the surrounding Channel Country.

“The usually barren track is about as green as a desert track could ever be at the moment. It’s amazing to see. I grew up in Birdsville and have never seen the racecourse as green as it is now,” Gary Brook, Vice President, Birdsville Race Club, said.

“But come September, the horses will be galloping on dirt again. The desert is an unforgiving environment, and despite us coming into comparably milder winter weather, the harsh conditions will mean the greenery is long gone by the time the races are on.

“The red dust kicked up by the horses is an awesome sight to behold in person — and it’s a big part of what makes the Birdsville Races experience so special and sought-after.”

The tiny township of Birdsville in Outback Queensland swell from a general population of 115 to more than 6000 visitors for a two-day, 13-race program, as well as a stacked line-up of film and live music, cocktail parties and Fred Brophy’s famous travelling boxing troupe.

Proudly part of Tourism and Events Queensland’s Year of Outback Tourism, the bucket-list experience attracts visitors to Outback Queensland from the beginning of August, who set-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.

The Birdsville Races organising committee is a network of current and former residents of Birdsville, all keen to share the magic of the outback races — keeping the event alive.

Each year, horses and trainers make the long haul trek to Birdsville, from places as far away as Darwin, Tamworth and the Sunshine Coast.

Upon arrival, they set-up camp under gum trees alongside the Diamantina River — creating their own.