Not again! The Birdsville Races have been called off for 2021.
In a further depressing sign of how the Covid pandemic has affected Outback life, the iconic Birdsville Races have been called off for the second year in a row.
The ‘Melbourne Cup of the Outback’ was scheduled to take place early next month, but it has now been re-scheduled to April next year.
Postponing this year’s event until 2022 means there will be two Birdsville Races in one year for the first time since it started in 1882.
Event organisers said that, given the ongoing coronavirus situation across the country, calling the event off was ‘the right thing to do’.
It is understood that 85% of ticket holders are from places currently unable to currently travel to regional Queensland due to lockdowns or government advice.
Birdsville Race Club president David Brook said it meant organisers had little option but to postpone.
“We have tried our best, but the health landscape and Covid outbreaks with this new Delta variant have changed significantly in the past two months,” he said. “Our risk assessment was just too great … we have a duty of care to our staff, the Birdsville community, ticket holders and the broader population.”
After last year’s event was cancelled there was huge interest in this year’s races, with the first release of 4,500 tickets to this year’s races selling out in one day.
Birdsville’s other major event, the Big Red Bash music festival, went ahead last month attracting a record crowd.
How do we secure tickets for 2022?