Monsoonal rains have turned Queensland’s outback racetracks into mud as an extended wet season continues to impact community clubs across the state.
As major flooding causes road closures between towns and leaves a vast majority of the northwest region’s cattle stations cut off from civilisation, racing in outback Queensland has also been disrupted.
Mount Isa, a mining city about a 20-hour drive northwest of Brisbane, has been a saviour.
Because Mount Isa’s racetrack is sand-based, it has been able to shoulder much of the load created by the abandonment or postponement of a string of meetings in the region since early March.
Among those lost is the Maxwelton Race Club’s once-a-year Cup fixture that provides a much-needed social outlet for a crowd of around 400 racegoers.
Maxwelton is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it destinations on the map. It’s a one-street town and the shops are long gone.
Yet somehow, as with most far-flung places in Australia, the race club lives on thanks to a lot of bush community spirit, the dedication of volunteers and trainers and jockeys who spend most weekends driving long distances in search of their next winner.
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