While the camels, jockeys and trainers are the true stars of this Melbourne Cup of Camel Races, the trackside will feature stars of its own including CMC's Mick Lindsay, Memphis Moovers, plus Boulia's own country music star Ali Sacipovic.
Thousands of visitors from across Australia are making final plans for their adventure, set to travel to the edge of the Simpson Desert, where the the tiny town of Boulia will host its iconic races from 14th to 17th July.
On Thursday 14th the program opens with a street party, featuring the inaugural Great Australian Ride on Mower Race, street parade, a giant dump truck slide and live music with Greg Nunaan & the General Jacksons.
The strong evening program continues on Friday 15th when the first camels hit the tracks for a novelty race, where there's guaranteed to be a special sighting of some of Boulia's legendary 'Min Min lights'. The race is followed by live entertainment with the Memphis Moovers.
The entertainment program continues through the weekend, with much for the children to enjoy too. In fact families attending for the first time this year will be in good company, as a local camel training couple will also be bringing a special first time attendee.
Charlie, a 9-month-old poddy camel will be in the yards and will also be part of the festivities on the racetrack Friday night, tagging along, as he is very much a part of camel trainers Dannileah Stewart and Ronnie Callope's family.
Having been orphaned when his mother died because of the drought, Charlie's only chance at survival was to be bottle-fed and hand-raised.
“He was 3 or 4 days old when we got him from the National Reserve and being a feral animal he wasn't wanted there, so they asked if we wanted a baby calf,” explains Danni.
Of his future, Danni says “I am hoping that Charlie is going to be a racer. I look at him and think that would be a magical moment to have reared him, broke him, trained him and then to be able to one day race him.”
With its cooler weather, there is no better time than July to explore the best of what Queensland's Outback has to offer. This year the races can be experienced even if you don't have your own camping gear or caravan, as a tent and camp bed is available by pre-booking tent city. The full details and program of events can be found at www.bouliacamelraces.com.au.
No comments:
Post a Comment