Birdsville Races

The Birdsville Races are an annual horse racing event held in September in Birdsville, Queensland, Australia, raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The event draws around 7,000 attendees, swelling the town's population from 100 to 7,000. Many visitors arrive by air, filling the local airstrip, while Quilpie welcomes road travelers heading to Birdsville. In 2009, the races were recognized as a Q150 Icon of Queensland for their cultural significance.

The first races were held in 1882 under the Birdsville Amateur Turf Club, later renamed the Diamantina Amateur Race Club before becoming the Birdsville Race Club Incorporated in 1990. The event has faced disruptions, including a horse flu outbreak in 2007, the first cancellation in 128 years due to flooding in 2010, and cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 races were rescheduled to April 2022, with over 85% of ticket holders unable to attend due to lockdowns.

Historically, the races featured unique elements like handicaps for professional riders, separate races for horses fed corn or grass, and varying prize money from £500 in the 1880s to $25,000 in 2002. The cup distance has remained 1 mile since 1882, except during 1949-1950 when it was replaced by the Hospital Handicap to fund the local hospital. Races initially started with a hat drop and later strand barriers before adopting barrier stalls. The original course, prone to flooding, once hosted steeplechase races but is now abandoned.