The Birdsville races 2006

THE prospect of dust storms, blowfly plagues and unseasonably warm weather could not keep the crowds from Birdsville last weekend.

The running of the annual Birdsville Races typically drew in crowds from across the country, all eager to make the pilgrimage across the desert and sample a taste of country racing.

This year marked 125 years since the first race was staged in 1882.

With any milestone used as an excuse to throw a party in Outback Queensland, locals and visitors threw their weight behind the historic first weekend in September.

Revellers arrived earlier this year, with the buzz of a hundred light aircraft filling the sky from as early as last Tuesday.

Getting to Birdsville is part of the fun for most travellers, whether that was in 4WD, single engine aircraft or clapped out old rig.

Both the Variety Club Bash and cystic fibrosis benefactors The Great Escape parked their vintage cars in Birdsville for the weekend, adding even more to the spectacle of the races.

The famous Birdsville Hotel was undoubtedly the most popular watering hole in the Outback over the weekend with thousands of people armed with the venerable can of XXXXGold flowing out onto the street.

However while many were celebrating a win down at the race track or drowning the losses in a can of lager, there was a tinge of sadness in the air for the Birdsville Race Club’s president Derek Trapp.

After two years at the helm of the club, Mr Trapp will head for the coast next week, leaving behind his home for the past six years.

"Look, it was a bit of a sad weekend in a way," Mr Trapp said.
"But I will be back – maybe in another 10 years or so!"

Mr Trapp believes the main challenge for the event over the next 125 years will be to maintain its vibrancy and spontaneity.

"In the last couple of years we have put a lot of time and spent a lot of money on advertising for this event.

"I think it has paid off, with the newly introduced corporate tent selling out on both days.
"That was a great success. We recruited the talents of a chef from the Radisson Hotel on the Gold Coast and she spent a week preparing for the catering.
"Future organisers will have to look at not getting bogged down with just one idea; a bit of foresight and open-mindedness goes a long way."

Diamantina Shire Council chief executive officer Andrew Geddes agreed: "The Birdsville Races seem to have just happened for the past 125 years.

"The Australian persona has changed and we need to look at future-proofing this event to guarantee its continued survival.
"Once it was the norm to stand outside the pub, but I think people nowadays are looking for more of an event."