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UNBELIEVABLE: Birdsville | History Defined

Beer, dust and goldfish: Birdsville Races wrap for 2026

The horses weren't the only attraction at the Birdsville Races, with plenty of fun to be had in what's arguably the nation's longest pub crawl.

AAP

Won, done, far-flung: Birdsville Races ride again

The Birdsville Cup might not stop the nation, but it's an annual pilgrimage that brings thousands of revellers to a far-flung outback outpost.

AAP

Mates jump at Green Shadows to get bus to Birdsville

A man who races yabbies and auctions goldfish couldn't resist a stake in a nag that never made it in the city, but is a red-hot chance in the dust and dirt.

AAP

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Famed outback music festival cancelled after heavy rain

Music festival Birdsville Big Red Bash has been cancelled for 2026 after heavy rains. It's more bad news for live music lovers after the collapse of Bluesfest.

AAP

Just two flavours of chips and pub theme nights: how these isolated Queensland towns have survived being cut off for weeks

Birdsville and Bedourie locals are used to being trapped by flooding – but if they run out of Tim Tams and chocolate, ‘that’s a big problem’

The Guardian - AU

October heat records broken across Australia as Sydney braces for temperatures way above the norm

Birdsville sets new high as BoM forecasts more record hot weather, with heatwave warnings in place in some states

The Guardian - AU

Brotherly bond key to Birdsville Races epic journey

From bare-back pony rides in the bush to the iconic Birdsville Races in the outback, three trainer brothers have forged a bond through their love of horses.

AAP

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Check out, but the Birdsville Hotel never leaves you

The Birdsville Hotel is a bucket-list item for many Australian travellers, who are drawn by its remote location and a history rich with outback stories.

AAP

'Swagging it': tractor fanatics to trek across outback

It will take a fortnight for 10 tractor drivers to make the trip from Bourke to Birdsville going 23km/h, a long and slow journey for a good cause.

AAP

One Australian’s dramatic rescue from a flood in one of the driest places on Earth

As floodwater flows passed towns and cattle and sheep stations – normally isolated by desert – many now sit as islands amid a muddy sea

The Guardian - AU

Birdsville notches up another temperature record as Australia faces more heat before New Year’s Eve

The town hit 47.2C by mid afternoon, but locals are already well-versed in the art of staying cool

The Guardian - AU

From pony rides to Birdsville, where horses 'just go'

It's a long way from Alan Lai's home in Hong Kong to Birdsville, but the young jockey has embraced his debut at "the Melbourne Cup of the outback".

AAP

'Love the town': Birdsville's only cop to bid farewell

After 10 years as the only cop overseeing a patch of Queensland as big as the UK, Senior Constable Stephan Pursell is preparing to farewell the outback.

AAP

'It's in our blood': the ties that bind in Birdsville

The small outback town of Birdsville's population swells from 110 people to thousands for the iconic races, which are celebrating their 142nd year.

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'It's everything': rural Australians fear Rex's fate

Rural Australians who rely on Rex for health, education, mail and groceries fear for their future as the regional airline entered voluntary administration.

The Guardian - AU

Queensland town within 0.1C of state’s record temperature as Australia swelters under heatwave

Heat warnings in place over large swatches of the country with temperatures over 40C expected across inland and eastern Australia

The Guardian - AU

Common wealth: how Birdsville adapted an age-old English custom for the outback

Home to goat herds, dirt bike races and thousands of tourists, this tiny town’s big shared space reimagines an ancient concept

ABC News

NSW family in 'good spirits' after spending five days stranded in Munga-Thirri National Park, Simpson Desert

A New South Wales family of four has been rescued after being stranded in Munga-Thirri National Park, formerly the Simpson Desert, since last week.

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The Guardian - AU

Where the greens are brown and the birdies are thieves: golfing at Birdsville Golf Club

Welcome to Australia’s newest golf course, where players must contend with venomous snakes, flies, extreme heat, dust storms and crows

ABC News

Champion bush trainer, wife and jockey banned by racing watchdog over Birdsville jigger scandal

Queensland's racing watchdog disqualifies trainer Todd Austin for five years, his wife Toni for one year and jockey Ric McMahon for three and a half years, after photo emerged of McMahon with a banned electric shock device.

ABC News

Golden Guitar award-winning singer Josh Arnold boosts country communities with town anthems

Josh Arnold immortalises outback towns in song. Back Roads joins him on a 1,000km road trip to find out why he hung up the mic to compose music with school kids.

The Guardian - AU

‘Birdsville mindset’: what an outback town where the roads melt can teach us about living with heat

Where better to plan strategies for dealing with the new climate normal than the edge of Australia’s Simpson Desert?

ABC News

Outback Queensland towns Bedourie, Birdsville cut off by floodwater, groceries flown in

The Diamantina Shire Council region looks like an "inland sea" after a recent deluge cut off roads into Bedourie and Birdsville.

ABC News

Queensland Racing Integrity Commission inquiry hears steward told photographer to remove Birdsville jigger photo so it would 'not damage the industry'

The so called "Birdsville Inquiry," chaired by Queensland Racing Integrity Commission stewards, has been sitting in Brisbane examining the circumstance of the use of a jigger.

ABC News

Jockey Ric McMahon sentenced over possession of jigger at Birdsville Race Club

Brisbane jockey Ric McMahon pleaded guilty to possessing a jigger while on a racetrack in outback Queensland.

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