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Media Release 28th September 2017
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Heartfelt thanks from Australia’s Quirkiest Festival
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Winton’s Outback Festival has lived up to its reputation as quirky, sometimes strange, weird but wonderful and a rare offering of genuine fun and good times.
Luring an estimated 8,000 visitors across 9 days of non-stop hilarity, this year’s event offered one of the most authentic Aussie experiences with world class bush poets, performers, festival groupies and sporting enthusiasts from across Australia.
Festival highlights included a re-enactment of the centenary year of the Charge of Beersheba.
“We acknowledged that of the 519 men who enlisted from the district during WW1 approximately one fifth of these men enlisted into the Australian Light Horse Regiment “said Australian Country music singer and MC for the evening, Tania Kernaghan.
The re-enactment was followed by a sunset charity dinner in Bladensburg National Park, just outside Winton to raise funds for the Hearts of Australia program which brings regular cardiac, endocrine and respiratory specialist services to rural and remote communities across Queensland.
“We were able to raise over $20,300 for the Hearts of Australia foundation”, said festival coordinator Robyn Stephens OAM, “This foundation was identified as country Australians are currently 44% more likely than city dwellers to die from a heart attack”.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with happiness of the impact of so many visitors in town and the amazing arm of 70 plus volunteers who went over and above what was expected of them. We really can’t thank everyone enough”, said Robyn Stephens.
Visitors from all over Australia descended on Winton for the celebrations, with overflow campers in the Winton showgrounds exceeding 700, nearly a 20% increase on the previous festival in 2015.
Visiting families participated in many of the kid friendly activities from a Teddy Bears Picnic with the Tambo Teddies to Little Swaggies egg throwing and billy running to an Outback Ironman Juniors and learning to dance for the closing evening’s street party dance and fireworks.
Colourful characters lined the main street throughout the festival, with participating teams, including the “smurf brigade” dressing up for the “True Blue Aussie Sports”
Hundreds of people packed the local Winton Shire Hall to start their day with non-stop laughter at the Bush Poet’s Breakfasts, followed by dance workshops, Outback Ironman, Ironwomen, a Century Cycle Challenge, a Truckies Reunion and indigenous cultural displays, music and artworks.
Famous for its hilarious signature event, the Quilton Australian Dunny Derby was a crowd pleaser with over 2,500 visitors cheering the competitors in what has to be one of the funniest, most ridiculous Aussie races you’ll ever experience.
The festival culminated in a street party, reminiscent of a time gone by, where extended families danced to live music, children ran free and fireworks lit the vast outback skies. So mark this one in your diaries mates - 2019 Outback Festival in Winton to celebrate the 25th biennial festival- Tuesday 24th - Saturday 28th September, 2019.
Festival goers are encouraged to visit the image gallery on the website to revisit the good times http://www.outbackfestival.com.au/gallery/
DOWNLOAD HIGH RESOLUTION 2017 IMAGES HERE
Please caption: - Outback Festival, Winton. Qld Australia. Photographer Alan Alsop
INTERVIEWS
Festival Director, Robyn Stephens OAM, M 0429 806 140
MEDIA SUPPORT
Krista Hauritz
M 0421 148 098
E krista@kristahauritz.com.au
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