General News
23 July, 2025
Boulia bucks the tourism trend with big crowd at camel races
More than 3000 people turned out for the annual event.
The dust has settled, but the energy is still buzzing in the Outback after thousands flocked to the 2025 Boulia Camel Races.
Celebrating 27 years, this year’s event saw the remote town swell with spectators, campers, and camel lovers from across the nation and beyond, all eager to witness the thundering humps and hilarious hijinks on track.
The main event, the 1200m Camel Cup, Australia’s richest camel race, saw Tegan Beck ride “Geoffrey” of Oakfield Ranch to victory in a thrilling finish to wild cheers from the crowd.
“This year’s race was a cracker – the camels were in top form, and the crowd was just electric,” festival president Shelley Lorensen said.
“We welcomed visitors from every corner of Australia with clear skies, some potential sightings of the Min Min lights and plenty of belly laughs. You can’t beat Boulia.”
But it wasn’t all about the racing, with live music, campfire yarns, fireworks, yabby races, and novelty camel rides entertaining the masses.
Visitors rolled out the swags, stoked their campfires under the vast outback skies and made a weekend of it, soaking in that unmistakable Outback hospitality.
Beyond the track, the fun came thick and fast.
The Boots and Jocks Race returned for its second year and provided plenty of laughs as brave competitors bared (almost) all for fame and fun.
The Ride-On Mower Races once again blurred the line between engineering genius and backyard lunacy.
The all-new Truck Pull Challenge saw teams of five dig deep to haul a full-sized truck with nothing but grit, teamwork and roaring encouragement from the crowd.
As the sun dipped behind the Channel Country horizon, the outback sky lit up with fireworks while Billy Gudgeon brought the party to life with barnstorming sets that kept boots stomping into the night.
Families flocked to the festival-style atmosphere, where everything from yabby races and sack races to camel rides and the ever-charming Mock Camel Race by Boulia State School students added colour and community charm.
Scenic helicopter rides offered sweeping views of the red-dirt beauty.