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The Birdsville Races Are An Aussie-As Bucket List Experience

It's not the race that stops a nation, and some say that makes it all the more entertaining.
You'll be sure to crack a smile at the Birdsville Race.
Corbis via Getty Images
You'll be sure to crack a smile at the Birdsville Race.

It's a race day where akubras outnumber fascinators and you're as likely to find people sleeping on a swag as in the hotel.

Birdsville Races are Aussie as, set in the tiny township on the edge of the Simpson Desert with a population of 115.

Birdsville Race Club vice president Gary Brook said it was worth the trip to see it yourself.

"Seeing the plume of red dust and colour of the jockey's silks against the barren landscape as the horses thunder around the dirt track is a spectacular site. It really is a bucket list experience," Brook said.

As they prepare for their 134th race weekend on September 2-3, let's take a look back at the fashion, fillies and frothing tinnies.

The day starts early
STR New / Reuters
Jockey Todd Austin does trackwork at sunrise on race day.
Birdsville Hotel becomes the centre of town
Outback Pics
Locals and tourists alike sit on the red dirt to watch the procession.
The stars shine brighter in the outback
Andrew Watson via Getty Images
A group of race goers in distinctly Aussie dress.
Primed and ready
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The jockeys parade their horses.
Outback horse racing enthusiasts at the annual Birdsville Races.
Andrew Watson via Getty Images
Birdsville, Queensland, Australia, Birdsville Track, Australasia
Birdsville Hotel is packed for the race weekend
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Yes, that's tinnies in the gutter.
Home is where you lay your swag
Andrew Watson via Getty Images
A man camps at the aerodrome during the annual Birdsville Races.
Fly in, lay out
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Men camp next to their plane on a bush airstrip during the annual Birdsville Races.
Tent city springs up
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There's also a tent city that springs up each year.
Fashion on the fields
Michael McInally
Akubras and fascinators in fashions on the field.
Country style
The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images
There's also a fair share of fancy dress.
The horses take off
Outback Pics
The race course looks out on a desert plain.
Big Red Sanddune
Supplied
Sunsets in Birdsville are beautiful.
Hooves and dust
Michael McInally
Horses kick up sand as they race.
Convoy to the races
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Convoys of 4wds arrive up the Birdsville Track.
Worth travelling across the desert to win
Reuters Photographer / Reuters
Jockey Wayne Orbell rides "Boyarin" across the line to win the Birdsville Cup in 2002.
A pub legacy
The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images
The Birdsville Hotel's seen more that 100 years of events.
Time to work on the tan
Robin Smith via Getty Images
Between races at the annual Birdsville Races.
The race storms on
Julia Thorne / robertharding via Getty Images
Rain hail or shine, the Birdsville Races go ahead.
Check out the hats
Michael McInally
There are more akubras than fascinators at this race.
A bookie with his money bag
Andrew Watson via Getty Images
Betting is big business on race weekend.
More fancy than dress
Andrew Watson via Getty Images
There's a tradition of fancy dress at the races.
Empty beer cans litter the street
Peter Unger via Getty Images
Tinnies galore after a day of racing.
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