No need for snorkels or breathing apparatus - it's been confirmed that Julia Creek's Dirt n Dust Festival has been saved.
But the event that gave birth to what morphed into a full-fledged festival - Australia's first outback triathlon - may not be part of the program going forward.
It was announced at the beginning of July that one of the most popular festivals in the north west was calling it a day when a new committee couldn't be found to keep it going.
That was hot on the heels of the festival being cancelled two years in a row, carrying heavy financial penalties.
With hours to spare before the wind-up paperwork had to be submitted in early August and the event shut down for good, the McKinlay Shire community responded - 11 expressions of interest for executive and management positions flooded in, along with 56 membership applications.
Those expressions became reality at the annual general meeting on Saturday when all positions were filled.
That confirmed that the old business model didn't fit the current community vision, which is looking to scale down to a more viable community-run event.
"There were a lot of paid staff, a lot of accommodation requirements - it got too big to handle," incoming vice president Sheree Pratt said.
"We had to pay a lot back when the event was cancelled this year - we have to work out now what we can do.
"Whatever we do, it will be a smaller version but still a fantastic weekend."
According to the event's Facebook page, there is still uncertainty as to whether there will be a triathlon.
Ideas on the table included the possibility of external private enterprise coming in to take on the triathlon side and the community running the race meeting, a local bull ride and possibly a locally-run Dirty and Dusty Run.
Outgoing president Nathan James-Laneyrie said Tourism Events Queensland, the McKinlay Shire Council, South 32 and many other stakeholders had invested millions of dollars into the festival, and for the community to be able to step up again was "an incredible achievement from a small rural remote town".
To ensure the festival's direction stayed local, a constitutional change now stipulates that the president of the association has to be a resident of the McKinlay Shire.
That person is Robbie Hick, Saint Elmo Station, Julia Creek.
As well as Ms Pratt, Rachael Anderson has taken on the secretary's position and Kate Frazer is treasurer.
They're supported by a management committee that includes Georgia Crocker, Roger Desailly, Rachel Hoolihan, Nathan James-Laneyrie, Michael Lloyd, Natalie Maxwell, and Paul Woodhouse.
Former president Stephen Malone, who served in the role from 1999 to 2020, said the past committee should be proud of what it achieved.
"We had a very clear business and action plan to lay the foundations for the future as we all agreed that the days of volunteering had changed and basically we knew no-one would be mad enough to do what we did."
Begun in 1994, Mr Malone said their goals had been to put Julia Creek on the map, to put Brand Julia Creek at the top of tourists' minds, and to use their name to build infrastructure for others in the community to use.
"We invested over $400,000 getting us "venue ready," he said.
"Through the generous support of Tourism and Events Queensland funding we were able to roll out marketing campaigns that literally generated millions of dollars in tourism advertisements internationally, interstate and intra-state.
"This was the domino effect, to sustain a regionally significant event for outback Queensland."
The Julia Creek Dirt N Dust Festival has won many awards such as the best festival at the Queensland Tourism awards and runner up for the Australian Tourism Awards.
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