The Great Beyond
The laid-back afternoon – too hot for any real rowdiness despite the weekend’s wild reputation – passes in a pleasant blur of beer, bets, sun, shade and a regular flurry of horses flashing by on the moonscape track .
MOST PEOPLE WHO VISIT Birdsville have come a long way. But visitors are not made to feel like strangers; Birdsville is very inclusive. In fact, they are included on the town limits sign: 115 7000 The sign’s upper figure refers to the first weekend in September, when the far-flung flyspeck in Queensland’s south-western desert blooms into frenzied life. The Birdsville Races is Australia’s most celebrated outback race carnival, and everyone in town is here to celebrate – not just racing, but also the very outback itself. Lines of 4WDs roll along
