Rain cancels outback reunions and events for second year

Outback reunions cancelled by rain damage as tourism suffers for a second year Wed 22 Jul 2026 at 6:22am In short: Flood-damaged roads and soggy racetracks have caused outback gymkhanas and a major cultural festival to be cancelled. Tourist numbers are down for the second year for one town in far north South Australia, as recovery from a 2025 flood continues. What's next? Graziers and outback residents are enjoying the green grass and healthy cattle that come with the rain, despite some of their favourite events being postponed for another year. The outback looks the best many locals have ever seen it after record-breaking rain, but closed roads are keeping tourists away and cancelling long-awaited community events. This is the first time in a long while there has been enough water to cause serious challenges for much of the outback, but it is a familiar tale for the township of Innamincka in South Australia's far north. In April 2025, the remote community of less than two dozen was cut off for weeks by Queensland floodwater. "We had buildings that were destroyed, I don't know if people could imagine sort of, almost 2 metres of water went through," Innamincka Sporting Club treasurer Janet Brook said. After 15 months, the town was nearing the finish line of the rebuild, just in time for the comeback of its beloved annual Innamincka Bush Sprints and Gymkhana weekend at the end of August. But an underwater Strzelecki Track saw the event cancelled last week, the second year in a row it will not go ahead. "We were sort of talking about it, and then we said, 'but hang on, has anyone heard what's happening with the Strez?'" Ms Brook said. To get to Innamincka from SA, tourists must drive on the 472-kilometre Strzelecki Track. Though much of it is open to 4WD, 60km of the 105km stretch between Moomba and Innamincka is entirely closed, partially underwater. It means South Australians wanting to visit Innamincka have to go via New South Wales and Queensland, Ms Brook said. "We rely on those guys to bring their horses up to put into the bush sprints and compete in the gymkhana," she said. "It would have put a big dent in what races we were going to be able to run. "It is a bit of a shame; these are people that have been coming up to Innamincka race weekend ever since I've been part of it, which is getting close to two decades. "It's a major blow … that good old-fashioned catching up that just won't happen." Same thing, different state About 350km south-east of Innamincka in NSW, the tiny town of Milparinka was forced to cancel its gymkhana earlier this month due to an underwater racetrack. Regular competitor Tim Maxwell said while the committee thought up some alternatives, the grounds were "just too wet to do anything with". "It's on the flood plain of the Evelyn Creek, so when the Evelyn Creek runs really big, it does run out onto the grounds," Mr Maxwell said. "Most of the time it's not an issue, but obviously this year it is." Mr Maxwell said some parts had received up to 80 millimetres of rain just last week. About 220km south of Milparinka, the annual Mutawintji Cultural Festival was cancelled just weeks before its early-August date. The three-day event takes place at the Mutawintji National Park, home to 300 recorded Aboriginal sites and located a two-hour drive from Broken Hill. "It's a really lovely mix of people coming out on our Country, sharing their stories, sharing their songs, sharing their dances," said chair of the Mutawintji board of management Warlpa Thompson. "I think it's the best thing that I've been to in my life." Mr Thompson said the area had received "at least 600mm" of rain in the past six months, almost triple the annual average of around 220mm. "We're in that kind of lucky category for rainfall, but not so lucky category for trying to host a festival where there's dirt roads,"he said. "With a lot of reluctance and sadness, our board made that decision to make sure that we're looking after Country as the highest priority." Missing friends, old and new Despite many of the outback's regular events technically being based around competition, they serve a much larger purpose. For Innamincka, the gymkhana usually attracts around 200 to 300 people. "It definitely is a big overdue catch-up for a lot of people, and one that we look forward to,"Ms Brook said. It comes in the middle of an especially quiet season for the town, which gets an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 tourists in an average year. "We've just experienced pretty much the second year in a row of very low numbers of people coming out," Ms Brook said. "It's not anyone's fault in particular, you can't help the weather, but it is a bit of a shame when roads continue to be closed." The Mutawintji Cultural Festival, which had its first iteration in 2022, is a chance for reconnection with Country and culture, Mr Thompson said. "Sharing, looking after Country, looking after each other and singing up Country is all a part of what we do out there," he said. Despite the disappointment, the rain has been welcomed with open arms. "It's like a roller-coaster," Mr Thompson said. "At some point I'll feel really sad because … I'd like to see lots of our local mob show up out there, like my nieces and nephews and my own kids coming out there to see this magical experience. "But then to hear that the rock wallabies that we've released are going to be fine because there's plenty of food around." The challenges presented to Ms Brook on Cordillo Downs Station pale in comparison to those experienced in drought. "It's still a bit of a logistical nightmare getting the cattle work done. It's challenging, but we're getting there. Problems that we'd like to have," she said. "It's awesome. Nothing more pleasurable than getting out and mustering some really healthy cattle when the country looks so healthy as well."