Friday, 9 September 2011

Birdsville and The Races

Well I spent a very interesting week in Birdsville and I must say that experiencing the lead up to the big weekend was fantastic – there was a huge influx of people, caravans, tents and trailers, buses, fuel trucks, food trucks, beer trucks, entertainment vans, portaloos for the main street, small aeroplanes and helicopters, to souvenir stalls. Even Fred Brophy’s Boxing tent was there. There was lots of fund raising for the RFDS, including the screening of the movie “Back of Beyond” which featured Tom Kruse who delivered the mail along the Birdsville Track during the 40’s and 50’s.

Everyone was in party mode (as you will see from the photos), and there was no shortage of booze to drink and entertainment venues to attend. The weekend kicked off with fun races outside the pub where toy horse races were held. There was a DJ at the pub most of the weekend, a country and western singer at the caravan park, and more singers and entertainers at the hall.

Races were held both Friday and Saturday. It’s moments like these you need someone like Tony Carlton to give you a tip for the Cup. Alas, I didn’t manage to pick the winner. Because of the wind and dust on Saturday, the ladies had to be sure they wore pants or slim neat fitting skirts to prevent them from flying up over their heads. The Fashions on the Field competition still went ahead. Apparently Tony Abbott flew in for the day but he was in the Corporate Marquee. A Calcutta was held and an auction all in aid of the RFDS. So all in all, a good time was had by all.

Many travellers started leaving after the Cup was run and, as quickly as the caravan park had filled up, it started to empty. The big exodus was on Sunday but as there are 3 main roads leading out of Birdsville, the number of  rigs on the road back to Bedourie was not too much of a concern for me. I decided to retrace my steps to Boulia so that I could travel east to Winton and Longreach over the next few days.

So the Birdsville highlights list:

The Birdsville cup, the bakery and a curried camel pie, a beer in the Birdsville Pub, meeting new friends, laughs around the campfire, driving up Big Red, viewing Lake Eyre from 1000 m, playing in the band at the caravan park, The Working Museum and eating pancakes at the old hospital, 4X beer, Dave Prior and his comedy show and the Burke and Wills Dig Tree.

Not on the highlights list:

The bush rats, queuing up for the showers, red dust, corrugated roads, not picking a winner at the races,  windy days when the awning nearly came down.


Next blog: Winton, opals, Waltzing Matilda, dinosaurs and Longreach.


Cheers for now.

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