Your monthly roundup of music, yarns, rodeos, poetry, pubs, towns and traditions from across country Australia.
Pull up a stump.
This is the first edition of Campfire Muster, a new monthly roundup from Country Campfire.
The idea is simple. Once a month, we’ll gather a few good yarns from across country Australia — music, rodeos, bush poetry, High Country huts, country towns, old pubs, campdrafts, ute musters, B&S balls, local legends and anything else worth passing around the fire.
Not everything will be big news. Some of it might just be a small event in a small town that deserves a little more daylight.
That’s the point.
Country Australia is full of stories. This is one place to help keep a few of them moving.
Tamworth doesn’t only come alive in January
Most people think of Tamworth in January, when the big Country Music Festival takes over the town.
But July brings its own country music gathering with Hats Off To Country, running from 10–12 July 2026.
It is a smaller, winter version of the Tamworth country music spirit, and it originally began as a salute to Slim Dusty. That alone makes it worth a mention around the fire.
If you love country music but prefer the cooler weather and a slightly quieter Tamworth, this one is worth a look.
Camels, dust and the Melbourne Cup of the outback
Out in Boulia, Queensland, July brings one of the more unusual race meets on the Australian calendar.
The Boulia Camel Races run from 17–19 July 2026, and they are often promoted as the Melbourne Cup of camel racing.
That is exactly the sort of thing Campfire Muster was made for.
It is quirky, it is outback, and it is the kind of event that reminds you just how much character there is beyond the city limits.
Keeping High Country huts alive in a new way
Across the Australian Alps, old huts are part of the landscape.
Some were built by graziers. Some by cattlemen. Some by skiers, workers, families and people trying to survive in places where the weather can turn quickly.
Now, the Australian Alpine Heritage Huts project is working to digitally preserve many of these huts through 3D capture and digital modelling.
It is a different kind of preservation.
Not just timber, tin and stone — but memory, history and technology working together.
For anyone who loves the Snowy Mountains, the Victorian High Country or the old stories tucked away in those huts, this is one to keep an eye on.
Breakfast, bush poetry and the Kimberley
There is something beautifully Australian about the idea of a Bush Poets Breakfast.
This one is happening in Derby, Western Australia, as part of the Derby Boab Festival calendar.
On Sunday 19 July 2026, the CWA Cottage hosts a morning of breakfast and Australian bush poetry.
That is about as Country Campfire as it gets.
A feed, a yarn and a few verses before the day properly begins.
A country pub is never just a pub
One of the stories worth watching this month is the community push around the Bottom Pub in Cygnet, Tasmania.
When a country town tries to save or revive a pub, it is never really just about the beer.
It is about the meeting place.
The Friday afternoon knock-off.
The raffle.
The footy on the screen.
The old bloke at the end of the bar who knows everyone’s grandfather.
Country pubs have always been part of the social fabric of small towns. So when one gets a second chance, or when locals rally around one, it is worth paying attention.
The Bottom Pub Co-op has pulled together media coverage and commentary on the community push to explore whether the pub can be brought back into local hands.
A fresh chapter for the Malpass Hotel
Another pub yarn worth keeping an eye on is the Malpass Hotel at Home Hill in North Queensland.
It is one of those country pubs that sits right in the rhythm of the road — a place for locals, travellers, meals, drinks, stories and a bed for the night.
With a history tied to the local community and travellers passing through Home Hill, the Malpass Hotel is the kind of country pub worth keeping on the Campfire radar.
Around the Grounds
A few more things happening across country Australia this month.
Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenge & Campdraft
The Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenge & Campdraft runs from 7–12 July 2026.
It is early in the month, so it may be a bit late for some people to plan around this year, but it deserves a mention.
Stockman’s challenges and campdrafts are living rural skills. They are part competition, part horsemanship, part tradition, and part reminder of the people and animals that helped shape the bush.
Channel Country Music Muster — Thargomindah
The Channel Country Music Muster runs from 13–20 July 2026 in Thargomindah.
Country music, walk-ups, camp oven cooking, old-time dancing and outback hospitality.
Hard to argue with that.
Casey Barnes is back with a new single
Australian country artist Casey Barnes is back with a new single, She Does, out now.
Barnes says the song is about the person who still believes in you when you’re doubting yourself, who holds everything together when life gets chaotic, and who loves you even when you give them every reason not to.
With the new album Made For This now just over a month away, it’s another sign there is plenty happening in Australian country music as we head into the second half of the year.
Drake Milligan brings US country to Australia
US country artist Drake Milligan is bringing his Tumbleweed World Tour to Australia in July.
He plays Melbourne and Sydney, with Mack Geiger joining the shows, and also appears at Lasso Country Music Festival in Queensland.
It is always good to see international country artists making the trip down under.
Brad Cox is back on the road
Brad Cox is one we will always keep half an eye on here.
Originally from Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, Coxie has become one of the big modern voices in Australian country music.
His July and August dates include shows across the country, including Sydney and Cairns in August.
If you like Australian country with a bit of Snowy Mountains grit in it, he is worth catching live.
EKKA Bush Poetry entries
For the bush poets, entries for the EKKA Bush Poetry Competition open in July.
Bush poetry is one of the cornerstones of Country Campfire, so any chance to keep the tradition visible is worth sharing.
Echuca-Moama Winter Blues Festival
The Echuca-Moama Winter Blues Festival runs from 23–26 July 2026.
It is not strictly country music, but it is regional, wintery, musical and road-trip friendly.
That earns it a spot around the fire.
Mareeba Rodeo
North Queensland rodeo action rolls into Mareeba in July.
The Mareeba Rodeo has a long history and is one of those regional events that brings the town together around horses, dust, crowds and competition.
Pine Rivers Show Rodeo
The Pine Rivers Show Rodeo is on Friday 31 July 2026 at Lawnton, Queensland.
A good one to round out the month.
Down the Track
A few things coming up in August, September and early October that might be worth planning around.
Mount Isa Mines Rodeo
7–9 August 2026 — Mount Isa, Queensland
One of the big rodeo events of the year.
If rodeo belongs anywhere, it belongs in Mount Isa.
Mundi Mundi Bash
20–22 August 2026 — Mundi Mundi Plains, near Broken Hill, NSW
Three days and nights of live music, red dirt, camping and big outback skies.
The Big Red Bash may not be going ahead in 2026, but the
Mundi Mundi Bash is still on the calendar for August.
Gympie Music Muster
27–30 August 2026 — Amamoor Creek State Forest, Queensland
The Gympie Music Muster is one of those events that needs little introduction.
Music in the forest, camping, country artists, bush ballads and a proper muster atmosphere.
If you are a country music fan, this is one to circle.
Casey Barnes — Made For This Tour
August to November 2026 — QLD, NSW, VIC and TAS
Casey Barnes is gearing up for his Made For This Tour, running from August through to November across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
The tour begins on the Gold Coast before moving through Brisbane and Melbourne, with more dates following as Barnes hits the road behind his upcoming album Made For This.
For country music fans planning a few gigs over the coming months, this is one to add to the list.
Monkerai Springers B&S Ball
28–29 August 2026 — Monkerai, NSW
This one makes us happy.
The B&S spirit is still alive at Monkerai, with a weekend that includes the B&S Ball, ute show and B&S games.
There may not be as many B&S balls around as there once were, but as long as they are still happening, we’ll keep giving them a spot in Campfire Muster.
Deni Ute Muster
2–3 October 2026 — Deniliquin, NSW
It is technically October, but this is one people plan for.
Two days of entertainment, ute competitions, camping and one of the most recognisable names in Australian ute culture.
If there is one ute muster people know by name, it is Deni.
Campfire Curiosity
9,736 utes.
That’s the highest standing ute count at the Deni Ute Muster. Park them nose-to-tail and you’d get roughly 50 kilometres of ute — about 22 Mount Kosciuszkos stacked on top of each other, which is frankly an unreasonable amount of ute.
A few more dates worth jotting down:
More dates to keep an eye on
- Bucks N Trucks Country Fest — 31 July–1 August, Casino NSW
- Quilpie Rodeo — 11 September, Quilpie QLD
- West Wyalong Campdraft — 20–21 September, West Wyalong NSW
- Swan Hill Campdraft — 27–28 September, Swan Hill VIC
- Marrar Madness Xtreme Broncs — 25 September, Marrar NSW
- Savannah in the Round — starts 8 October, Mareeba QLD
From Country Campfire
A small update from our side of the fire.
Country Campfire is slowly building into a home for the people, places and stories that make country Australia unique.
Over the past month, we have been working on:
- new Legend pages for bush poets, performers and contributors
- new episodes of the Bush Poetry Podcast
- the early stages of a High Country Huts project
- more stories celebrating Australian bush culture
The goal is simple.
To build Country Campfire into Australia’s Digital Campfire — a place where the yarns, poems, music, history and characters of country Australia have a permanent home online.
Campfire Chuckle
Until next month
That is the first Campfire Muster.
A few events, a few yarns, a few things to mark on the calendar.
If you know of a country event, bush poetry gathering, rodeo, campdraft, B&S ball, ute muster, old pub, local legend, High Country hut story or anything else worth sharing around the fire, send it through.
If you enjoyed this edition, feel free to share it with a mate who loves country Australia.
And if you haven’t already, you can join Campfire Nation to get the next Campfire Muster delivered straight to your inbox.
We would love to include more reader-submitted stories and photos in future editions.
Until next month,
Country Campfire
Australia’s Digital Campfire
2 comments
G’day Alex.
Mate, just wondering if you would like to accept some of my poetry for publication in Country Campfire.
G’day David,
Thanks mate, yeah absolutely — send me an email at alex@countrycampfire.com.au with a bit about yourself and a couple of poems.
And if you’re happy to record yourself reading them, that’s even better. I can read them myself if needed, but it always feels more authentic when the poet does the audio in their own voice.
Thanks again mate, keen to have a look.
Alex
Country Campfire