Racetrack tourists stranded in Birdsville floods

Updated September 6, 2010 11:59:00

The remote Western Queensland town of Birdsville is inundated by thousands of visitors for the town's annual horse races each year.

The meet has been held for 128 years, but for the first time in club records more than half the program has been cancelled by rain. Thirty two millimetres fell on Friday closing all the roads out.

Presenter: Nicole Bond
Speakers: Lisa Magoffin, stranded tourist; David Brook, president of the Birdsville Race Club; Brian Hanna, publican

NICOLE BOND: Visitors descend on Birdsville for an outback experience and this year they got one they didn't expect.

VOX POP: It would be unbearable. It would be a lot of mud everywhere. It would be yeah, unbearable, you know. It wouldn't be any fun.

VOX POP 2: I'm so thankful that we never got to Birdsville.

VOX POP 3: I'll be back next year for sure.

NICOLE BOND: The western Queensland town has a population of about 100 people but that swells to around 50 times that, come the races. Race organisers say floods have stranded 5,000 visitors in town.

Lisa Magoffin is among them.

LISA MAGOFFIN: Every available space and tree and fence had a tent or mattress hanging off it to dry out. People are sick of hot dogs and hot chips so they're trying to get some, a bit of catering going on in town to feed the troops but you know otherwise people's spirits are really good. Everybody is happy - just waiting to see what happens.

NICOLE BOND: Pumps are being used to drain the clay pan track in the hope racing can recommence on Tuesday but the president of the Birdsville Race Club says it is unlikely to work.

David Brook says the town supplies will dwindle if roads don't open soon.

DAVID BROOK: It is starting to test everyone's patience at the moment. Difficult to get supplies in by road, impossible at the moment. I understand there may be some airlifts coming in. That will help but we've got a large number of people stranded here. No one has been able to leave the town since Friday apart from flying out so there's difficulties but so far people are still in good humour.

NICOLE BOND: The Birdsville Hotel is staging street cricket matches and extra music to distract and entertain visitors. Publican Brian Hanna says his 60 tonnes of alcohol should last until the end of the week.

BRIAN HANNA: Nothing will ever affect the atmosphere here. We have probably about the same numbers as the year we had no horses. We just make our own Aussie entertainment out there and everyone has a good time just because we have a little bit of rain and no horses doesn't mean we still can't party.