The Queensland - Northern Territory border was the place to be as Camooweal celebrated the 23rd annual Drovers Festival on the weekend.
This year's festival coincided with the national bronco branding championships and the bronco branders were out in force in Friday night's parade down the highway to get proceedings underway.
Earlier around 23 old drovers attended an invite-only lunch at the Drovers Camp and reminisced over old times with plenty of yarns and a few cold beers.
The parade that evening was led out by old drover Pits Willis and also featured the state school, the roadhouse, drovers camp volunteers, the rural fire service and a light horseman from NSW.
That was followed by the chaotic but fun mail race which raised money for the RFDS and also was lucrative for the top two teams.
A charity auction of a beautiful hand-made saddle also raised $4500 for the RFDS while other items under the hammer raised funds for the Drovers Camp.
A fun night ended with a free concert outside the pub.
Many of those who performed at the concert were back at the Drovers Camp on Saturday for two more days of festivities in conjunction with the bronco branding.
Mayor Joyce McCulloch and Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick officially opened the Festival on Saturday before the old drovers were introduced to the crowd.
The Saturday also saw the Camooweal race meet with over 500 people in attendance.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
