The Laura Rodeo and Campdraft and Laura Races weekend normally attracts thousands onto the dusty grounds, but the current fuel crisis has organisers concerned about numbers through the gate in 2026. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
Fingers are crossed the beloved Laura Rodeo will be able to open its gates in 2026 as tourists reconsider trips up north due to the cost and availability of fuel.
In what is normally an exciting lead-up to the Laura Rodeo and Campdraft and Laura Races, committee members this year have been worrying about attracting enough spectators for the iconic four-day weekend of thrills and spills on 25-28 June.
Rodeo and Campdraft manager Karlene Shepherd said the annual showcase of cowboys and cowgirls normally sold thousands of tickets, which covered the costs associated with putting on an event in a remote area.
“I just hope it runs this year. We’ve got to get the numbers through the gate to cover those costs, because how else can you do it?” she said.
“Us remote areas don’t have anything else, really, so I’m hoping we’ll go ahead.
“We’re still planning to go ahead, so time will tell as our ticket sales open.”
The concern comes as the rodeo and races event at Einasleigh announced on Thursday, 26 March via social media that ticket sales were sitting at less than 200, with only a week to go until what is normally a sold-out 2000 ticket event.
Ms Shepherd said cancellation would not only be disappointing for excited rodeo and racegoers, but for remote athletes who have limited opportunities to showcase their skills.
“They put a lot of effort into their animals, their horses, the girls and some of the young fellows with their roping, so I hope everything comes to their senses,” she said.
“As we get closer to the event, I’ll talk to the roadhouses in Laura and Lakeland and see how the fuel’s travelling, and if we’re going to struggle, or if we’re all okay to go ahead.”
The event grounds also took a beating when Cape York was hit by Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which came just over a week after the grounds had already been cleaned up following flooding in early March.
Ms Shepherd thanked Phillip Davies, son of late caretaker Slick Davies, and his partner Lynn for their efforts in clearing the grounds.
She said the damage was “a bit of a blow”, but the Laura Races and Rodeo team were resilient, would get the grounds fixed up and “make it happen”.
