At long last, the much-awaited Bowen River Rodeo and Campdraft photo essay is here!

This is up there with one of the best book research trips I’ve done. There’s nothing quite like heading out into the country, getting coated in dust and people watching. All excellent food for the writerly soul. I went a bit trigger-happy with the camera, taking well over 500 shots, which is why they took me a while to work through. That and the fact I’m currently madly editing CHRISSY AND THE BURROUGHS BOY. My guess is you’d much rather have a new book than a few photos, no matter how fun they are.

The Bowen River Rodeo and Campdraft started over 130 years ago, and is held next to the Bowen River Hotel on (obviously) the Bowen River, north Queensland, 110 kilometres south-west of Bowen and 35 kilometres west of Collinsville. The event attracts people from all over Australia, most of whom camp at the grounds. The campdrafting competitions run over all three days with the rodeo on Saturday and Sunday, and junior bush sports on Sunday.

There’s also live entertainment and a bar operating into the night, bush poetry, stalls selling clothing, rural paraphernalia and other goodies, and plenty of country fare to keep visitors sustained. It’s dusty, sprawling, packed with drama overlaid with country music, and set in a fantastic historic location. Definitely one for your bucket lists.

Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m doing research at a rodeo in north Queensland in the first place? It’s for a book I’m in the throes of plotting out, the climax of which occurs at an event similar to the Bowen River Rodeo and Campdraft. But the story doesn’t involve rodeo riding. It’s about something else which you’ll find aaaaall about in the future. I’ll leave you to speculate!

Except for a few photos where I felt a caption was needed to give context, I’ve left the rest to speak for themselves, otherwise it’d be endless quips like “man takes nose-dive off bull” or “drool-worthy man in hat ‘n chaps on horsey, looking sexy”, of which there seem to be many. Funny that.

Now enjoy!

Bush poetry

Excited to be here!

Miss Rodeo Australia

Hard to find a park at the campdraft

Mini campdrafting for under 8 years. Too cute!

With a bar, food and entertainment running into the nights, pretty much everyone camped.

Sorry, Mum and Dad-in-law, we dirtied your car again.

If you’d like to find out more about the Bowen River Rodeo and Campdraft and put it on your bucket list (which you should do), check out their website or Facebook Page where you’ll find plenty of info and photos.

Back to editing I go!