Bedourie Pig and Camel Races

An unusual mid winter rain event earlier in the week, has seen more than 50mm sloshing down in Bedourie with roads awash. The tiny town community made a valiant effort to squeeze the water from the racetrack, but hundreds of racegoers had to camp on higher ground around town before swarming in next day.

The morning sun greeted racegoers. All the piglets momentarily adopted sunbathing postures, sprawled beneath the critical gaze of porcine punters. 

The raffle produced eight tickets for the pigs which were each auctioned off for a total of over $3,000, although jovial Kev, the pig promoter who has been racing his lovelies for 24 years, kept them after the race.

The nimble porkers looked in fine form, rooting each other and the ground, before hilariously answering the trumpet call for all 8 of them to dash into the Apple Sauce and Crackling race. Rocketing in their fetching coloured singlets through gates and over straw bales, there could only be one winner to push her snout in the swill bowl reward: Pink Piggie!

Five dollars poorer, we tried $20 with the bush bookies on Pricilla in the first camel heat. With a name like that, surely she wouldn't give us the hump?

We all lined up to feverishly spectate at the winning post. The camels gather to proceed past us to the 400m starting line. Suddenly, we notice one camel is missing. The tannoy crackles, "Ladies and Gents, Pricilla has been scratched from the race."

Cries of woe. We watch the race, then troop to the bookies for refund. There we learn that our crooked camel had kicked the owner prior to saddling and caused the race scratching for her dangerous behaviour. Quite right, who would want to be the jockey and given the hump, just like us?

Ladies dressed to the nines paraded with their fascinators adorned with stylish beer cans!

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Bedourie, Camel Races, Pig Races, Queensland