Birdsville Races facts for kids
The Birdsville Races are super exciting horse races! They happen every year in September in a small town called Birdsville in Queensland, Australia. People come from all over to watch. The races also help raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. This service provides medical help to people in remote areas. Usually, only about 100 people live in Birdsville. But for the two-day races, the town grows to about 7,000 visitors!
Birdsville is a very remote place. Many people fly in, and the town's airstrip gets packed with hundreds of planes. The town of Quilpie also celebrates. They welcome travelers driving west towards Birdsville for the races. In 2009, the Birdsville Races were named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland. This was part of the Q150 celebrations, honoring important events and festivals.
History of the Races
The very first Birdsville Races happened way back in 1882. The group that organized the races was first called the Birdsville Amateur Turf Club. Later, its name changed to the Diamantina Amateur Race Club. This was because they also organized races in another town called Betoota.
In 1990, the Birdsville club became separate. It was then called the Birdsville Race Club Incorporated.
Some years, the races had to be cancelled or changed. In 2007, a national outbreak of horse flu affected the event. In 2009, about 7,000 people came to the races. This meant 20 extra police officers had to come to the small town. The 2010 races were cancelled because of big floods. This was the first time in 128 years the races were called off!
The races were also cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. In 2021, they were postponed to April 2022. Gary Brook, from the Birdsville Race Club, explained why. He said most ticket holders couldn't travel due to lockdowns.
About the Races
The Birdsville Races have had some interesting rules and traditions over the years:
- Sometimes, professional riders had to carry an extra seven-pound weight. This was a handicap to make the race fairer.
- There were special races for horses born within 250 miles of Birdsville. They even had separate races for horses fed with corn and those fed only on grass!
- The prize money for the main cup has changed a lot. It was 500 pounds in the 1880s. It dropped to 50 pounds in the 1940s. By 1982, it was A$5,000, and in 2002, it was $25,000!
- The main cup race has always been 1 mile or 1,600 metres long. This has been true since the first race in 1882. In 1949 and 1950, a 'Hospital Handicap' race was run instead. These races helped raise money to build the Birdsville Hospital. Today, the annual race meeting helps the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Birdsville Clinic.
- Races used to start when someone dropped a hat! Later, they used simple strand barriers. Now, races start with modern barrier stalls.
- The old race course was about three miles west of town. It even had steeplechase races, where horses jump over obstacles. But this course often flooded, so it was no longer used.
See also
- Sport in Queensland
