Your monthly roundup of music, yarns, rodeos, poetry, pubs, towns and traditions from across country Australia.
Pull up a stump.
August is shaping up as a busy month around country Australia.
There are rodeos in the north, country music in the bush, machinery field days beginning to fill the calendar and one of the remaining B&S balls still doing its bit to keep an old country tradition alive.
We have also found a young publican breathing life back into a tiny Queensland town, welcome news for the future of the Henry Lawson Festival and a reminder that travellers can make a real difference simply by stopping and spending a few dollars in an outback community.
Closer to home, Country Campfire has continued to grow through new poems, campground yarns, Legend pages, podcast episodes and a new YouTube channel.
So pull up a chair and let’s see what is happening around the country this month.
Music, yarns, poetry and good stories from around country Australia.
A Young Publican Brings the Mingela Hotel Back to Life
There are only a handful of permanent residents left in the small North Queensland township of Mingela, but its old country hotel is showing signs of life again.
Twenty-year-old Kelsey Brown has taken on the Mingela Hotel and is already attracting travellers, motorcyclists and locals back through the doors.
More than 200 motorcyclists reportedly stopped through during her opening weekend, providing a sizeable crowd for a town with a population of only around 14 people.
Kelsey has spoken about plans for live music, a stage and camping facilities, potentially giving visitors another reason to stop rather than simply driving through.
There is something particularly good about seeing a young person put their hand up for an old country pub.
These places are rarely just somewhere to buy a drink. They can be the meeting place, music venue, visitor centre and social heart of an entire district.
The Mingela Hotel story may deserve a proper Country Campfire yarn of its own, but for now it is well worth keeping an eye on.
A Stronger Future for the Henry Lawson Festival
The Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts has received $90,000 in funding over three years through the NSW Regional Event Fund.
The funding is intended to help promote and grow one of New South Wales’ longest-running regional arts festivals.
Held each June long weekend, the festival celebrates the life and work of Henry Lawson through poetry, literature, music, art, performance and community events.
Henry Lawson’s work also remains a living part of Country Campfire through people such as Country Campfire Legend Phil McManus.
Phil is a passionate performer of Lawson’s verse and has spent years reciting poems that might otherwise be left sitting quietly in old books.
Festivals, reciters and preservation projects all play their part in keeping that work alive for another generation.
Outback Towns Are Open — and Travellers Are Needed
Outback Queensland communities are encouraging travellers to return after a quieter-than-usual start to the winter tourism season.
Heavy rain, road closures, cancelled events and concerns about fuel availability appear to have kept some travellers away earlier in the year.
The roads are open again, the country is looking good and many communities are ready to welcome visitors.
For small towns, a traveller buying fuel, stopping for lunch, visiting the pub, staying at a caravan park or picking up supplies can have a genuine economic impact.
That message sits closely with what we are trying to build through The Campground Project.
A campground yarn is never just about a patch of dirt.
It can introduce people to a town, encourage them to stay another night and help send a little more support through country communities along the way.
Country Music Is Booming — but Are Australian Artists Sharing the Ride?
Country music is enjoying a major resurgence in Australia.
Streaming numbers have surged, younger audiences are embracing the genre and country festivals are succeeding at a time when many other Australian music events are struggling.
Spotify data reported by the ABC showed country music streaming in Australia had risen by 115 per cent over three years, with much of that listening coming from metropolitan audiences.
The boots, hats and country-festival experience have found a new generation of fans.
That should be good news, but there is also a fair question being asked within the industry: will Australian performers benefit from the boom, or will most of the attention and money continue flowing towards international headliners?
Australia has no shortage of singers, songwriters and working country musicians with their own stories to tell.
The challenge is making sure they are not treated as background entertainment while imported acts receive the biggest stages.
The Gloucester Tree Is Open Again
After being closed for nearly three years, Western Australia’s famous Gloucester Tree near Pemberton has reopened to climbers.
The old fire-lookout tree has long been one of the state’s best-known forest attractions, with metal pegs winding around its enormous trunk.
Following a major safety and structural upgrade, visitors can now climb to a new platform about 37 metres above the forest floor.
It is not one for everyone, but for generations of travellers it has been one of those distinctly Australian bush challenges.
You look up, question your judgement and then decide whether you are actually game enough to climb it.
The People Behind the Rodeo
A rodeo may be remembered for the riders, horses, bulls and action in the arena, but country events survive because of people working quietly behind the scenes.
Alexandra Rodeo volunteer Andrew Embling has been recognised for decades of community work across Victoria’s Murrindindi region.
Following fires in the area, Andrew helped turn the rodeo into a fundraising and community gathering that recognised local firefighters and supported affected families.
His wider work has included hay deliveries, food relief, mental-health events and helping raise funds for a mobile health clinic serving people in remote parts of the district.
It is a useful reminder that many country events do far more than entertain a crowd for one weekend.
They raise money, support local organisations and bring scattered communities back together when they need it most.
There is plenty happening in Australian country music this month, with new releases, tours and some of the country’s biggest performers preparing to head back into the bush.
Casey Barnes — Made for This
Casey Barnes will release his new album Made for This on 7 August.
The title track has already received major national exposure after being selected as the theme song for Channel Nine’s 2026 NRL coverage.
Barnes is also preparing to take the new music on the road as part of his latest Australian tour.
The Wolfe Brothers Keep Their Big Year Rolling
The Wolfe Brothers are continuing their extensive Australian Made tour after collecting five Golden Guitars at the beginning of the year.
Their album Australian Made helped deliver wins including Album of the Year and Group or Duo of the Year.
The Tasmanian brothers are now taking the show into venues around the country and will also be among the Australian performers appearing at the Gympie Music Muster later this month.
Beccy Cole — Through the Haze
Beccy Cole is back on the road behind her ninth solo studio album, Through the Haze.
The album marked her first solo studio release in seven years and another chapter in one of Australian country music’s most enduring careers.
Cole is also among the strong Australian lineup heading to the Gympie Music Muster.
Australian Music in the Bush
August will also see artists including Lee Kernaghan, James Johnston, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, Amber Lawrence, Graeme Connors, James Blundell and The Bushwackers appearing at country venues and festivals.
The country boom may be attracting new audiences, but the best way to make sure Australian performers share in it is simple.
Listen to their music, buy a ticket and turn up when they come to town.
See the Gympie Music Muster Lineup
What is happening around country Australia this month.
Harts Range Races, Rodeo and Bush Sports
31 July–3 August 2026 — Harts Range, Northern Territory
The Harts Range gathering is happening as this Campfire Muster goes out.
Held east of Alice Springs, the long-running weekend combines horse racing, rodeo, gymkhana events and traditional bush sports.
It is one of those events where racing, station life and Territory community spirit all meet in the same dusty patch of country.
Mount Isa Mines Rodeo
7–9 August 2026 — Mount Isa, Queensland
The Mount Isa Mines Rodeo returns to Buchanan Park for its 67th year.
Recognised as the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere, the event brings competitors and spectators from across Australia into Mount Isa for three days of rodeo action.
This year will also include the return of veteran barrel racer Leanne Caban, who set a Mount Isa arena record in 1993 and has spent more than three decades competing and mentoring younger riders.
Roebourne Rodeo
7–8 August 2026 — Roebourne, Western Australia
The Roebourne Rodeo brings two days of competition and community activity to the Pilbara.
Junior events lead into the main rodeo program, providing younger competitors with a chance to develop their skills and take part in the region’s rodeo tradition.
Heritage and Bullock Festival
8–9 August 2026 — Oatlands, Tasmania
Working bullock teams, blacksmithing, leatherwork, old machinery and traditional trades return to Oatlands.
The Heritage and Bullock Festival celebrates skills that once formed part of everyday Australian working life but are now rarely seen outside dedicated demonstrations.
It sounds like exactly the sort of event that deserves support from people interested in preserving rural history.
The Ekka
8–16 August 2026 — Brisbane, Queensland
The Royal Queensland Show celebrates its 150th edition this August.
Behind the showbags and city crowds, the Ekka remains an important showcase for regional Queensland through cattle, horses, produce, woodchopping, competition and rural skills.
The Ekka Bush Poetry Competition also returns on 9 August with open and student classes for both original and established verse.
Cunnamulla Show and Stockman’s Challenge
14–15 August 2026 — Cunnamulla, Queensland
The Stockman’s Challenge begins at the Cunnamulla Showgrounds on Friday, followed by the annual Cunnamulla Show on Saturday.
The weekend brings together horsemanship, competition, pavilion displays and the kind of community gathering that remains important across western Queensland.
Wee Waa Show
14–15 August 2026 — Wee Waa, New South Wales
Alongside the horses, livestock, pavilion entries and usual agricultural-show competitions, the Wee Waa Show includes several events that help it stand out.
These include cross-cut sawing, lawnmower racing and the Australian Siphoning Championship.
Where else could the ability to transfer water through a hose become a competitive national title?
Henley-on-Todd Regatta
15 August 2026 — Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs once again hosts a boat race without requiring the inconvenience of actual water.
At the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, competitors carry bottomless boats and race along the dry Todd River bed.
It remains one of Australia’s strangest and most recognisable regional events.
Shinju Matsuri
21 August–6 September 2026 — Broome, Western Australia
Broome’s Shinju Matsuri celebrates the town’s pearling history and the many cultures that have shaped the community.
The festival name means “festival of the pearl”, with events built around food, music, art, history and Broome’s long connection to the sea.
Outback Beer Fest
21–23 August 2026 — Parachilna, South Australia
Parachilna will welcome visitors to a remote weekend in the Flinders Ranges built around beer, food, live entertainment and the atmosphere of one of Australia’s best-known outback pubs.
The setting alone makes this one different from the average city beer festival.
Red Dirt Poetry Festival
20–23 August 2026 — Alice Springs, Northern Territory
The Red Dirt Poetry Festival brings writers, performers and audiences together in Alice Springs for several days of spoken word and storytelling.
It may not all fit the traditional definition of bush poetry, but Australian verse has always grown by giving people room to describe their own lives, landscapes and communities.
Dowerin Machinery Field Days
26–27 August 2026 — Dowerin, Western Australia
Dowerin has hosted its machinery field days since 1964.
The event brings together farm machinery, livestock, rural businesses, agricultural technology and thousands of visitors from across Western Australia.
It is an important reminder that the country calendar is not only about entertainment.
Field days remain major meeting places for the people and businesses doing the practical work of agriculture.
Gympie Music Muster
27–30 August 2026 — Amamoor Creek State Forest, Queensland
The Gympie Music Muster returns to Amamoor Creek State Forest for four days of music, camping and community.
The Australian lineup includes Lee Kernaghan, The Wolfe Brothers, James Johnston, Beccy Cole, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, Amber Lawrence, Graeme Connors, James Blundell, The Bushwackers and many more.
Across multiple venues, the program also includes workshops, talent searches, family entertainment and plenty of opportunities to discover artists beyond the main stage.
Thallon Truck Pull
29 August 2026 — Thallon, Queensland
Teams of six will put their backs into pulling trucks along a 25-metre course at Thallon.
The event raises money for Thallon State School, which has only a small number of students.
It is hard to find a better combination of trucks, community competition and a tiny country school having a crack.
Keeping the B&S Tradition Alive
There was a time when B&S balls were everywhere across country Australia.
Young people would travel hundreds of kilometres from farms, stations, mines and small towns for one big night, a few drinks, plenty of noise and the chance to catch up with people they might not see again for months.
These days, there are far fewer left.
That makes the ones still going worth supporting while we still can.
Monkerai Springers B&S Ball
28–29 August 2026 — Monkerai, New South Wales
Monkerai Springers is being promoted as New South Wales’ first two-day B&S event, with live music, camping, B&S games and a ute show.
It sounds like a proper country weekend, and exactly the sort of event that deserves a bit of support while the tradition is still hanging on.
Ariah Park B&S Ball
Later in 2026 — Ariah Park, New South Wales
Ariah Park is still a few months away, but it deserves an early mention because this is believed to be the final B&S Ball for the town.
If that is confirmed, it will mark the end of another long-running piece of country social life.
B&S balls were never just parties. They were places where young people from scattered communities came together, met new mates, caught up with old ones and felt part of something bigger than their own property or town.
So while there are still a few left, Campfire Muster will keep giving them some daylight.
Poetry Around the Country
Bush poetry, spoken word and written verse are all getting a little daylight around Australia this month.
Red Dirt Poetry Festival
20–23 August 2026 — Alice Springs, Northern Territory
The Red Dirt Poetry Festival brings poets, performers and audiences together in Alice Springs for four days of spoken word, workshops and storytelling.
It may stretch beyond traditional bush poetry, but poetry has always grown by giving people room to tell the stories of their own lives, landscapes and communities.
Bush Poetry Returns to the Ekka
9 August 2026 — Brisbane, Queensland
The Ekka Bush Poetry Competition gives experienced performers and younger reciters the chance to bring Australian verse to a live audience.
Competitors can perform established bush ballads or their own original work, with separate open and student classes.
The student competition also includes virtual entries, giving young performers outside Brisbane a chance to take part.
It is exactly the sort of event worth encouraging if bush poetry is going to keep finding new voices.
Betty Olle Poetry Award
Entries close 31 August 2026
The Betty Olle Poetry Award is open for Australian rhyming bush verse, with both open and junior sections.
The open winner receives $500 and a trophy, while the junior section gives poets aged 12 and under the chance to have their own work recognised.
For anyone sitting on an unfinished poem, a closing date can provide the little push needed to tidy it up and send it out into the world.
Bush Poetry Happens Every Month
The larger festivals and competitions receive most of the attention, but bush poetry is also kept alive through smaller regular gatherings around the country.
Groups including the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame in Guyra, the Laggan Bush Poets, Gosford Bush Poets and the Milton Ulladulla Bush Poets and Yarn Spinners meet regularly throughout the year.
These gatherings may not attract large crowds, but they give poets and reciters somewhere to test new work, hear old favourites and spend time with people who still enjoy a good piece of Australian verse.
If you are travelling, there may be a bush poetry gathering closer than you think.
Find Regular Bush Poetry Events
Spring field-day season is not far away.
Here are a few major dates worth keeping an eye on:
- Dowerin Machinery Field Days — Dowerin, WA — 26–27 August
- Newdegate Machinery Field Days — Newdegate, WA — 2–3 September
- Westech Field Days — Barcaldine district, QLD — September
- Henty Machinery Field Days — Henty, NSW — September
- Elmore Field Days — Elmore, VIC — October
- Murrumbateman Field Days — Murrumbateman, NSW — October
- Australian National Field Days — Borenore, NSW — October
We will keep adding more field days to future editions as dates and programs are confirmed.
Queensland
- Mount Isa Mines Rodeo — Mount Isa — 7–9 August
- Ekka — Brisbane — 8–16 August
- Cunnamulla Stockman’s Challenge — Cunnamulla — 14 August
- Cunnamulla Show — Cunnamulla — 15 August
- Tiaro Bulls and Barrels — Tiaro — 15 August
- Walloon Hotel Rodeo — Walloon — 22 August
- Gympie Music Muster — Amamoor Creek — 27–30 August
- Thallon Truck Pull — Thallon — 29 August
New South Wales
- Wee Waa Show — Wee Waa — 14–15 August
- Tullamore Show — Tullamore — 14–15 August
- Weethalle Show — Weethalle — 16 August
- Trundle Show — Trundle — 18–19 August
- Bedgerabong Show — Bedgerabong — 22 August
- Peak Hill Show — Peak Hill — 24–25 August
- Monkerai Springers B&S Ball — Monkerai — 28–29 August
- Wentworth Show — Wentworth — 29–30 August
- Junee Canola Gateway Festival — Junee — 29–30 August
Northern Territory
- Harts Range Races, Rodeo and Bush Sports — Harts Range — 31 July–3 August
- Henley-on-Todd Regatta — Alice Springs — 15 August
- Red Dirt Poetry Festival — Alice Springs — 20–23 August
- Noonamah Tavern Rodeo — Noonamah — August
Western Australia
- Roebourne Rodeo — Roebourne — 7–8 August
- Shinju Matsuri — Broome — 21 August–6 September
- Dalwallinu Agricultural Show — Dalwallinu — 22 August
- Dowerin Machinery Field Days — Dowerin — 26–27 August
- Mullewa Show — Mullewa — 29 August
- Yilgarn Agricultural Show — Southern Cross — 29 August
South Australia
- Outback Beer Fest — Parachilna — 21–23 August
- Gawler Show — Gawler — 29–30 August
- Quorn Show — Quorn — 30 August
Tasmania
- Heritage and Bullock Festival — Oatlands — 8–9 August
Have we missed something? Send us an event for the next Campfire Muster.
A few events worth planning for over the next couple of months.
Birdsville Races
4–5 September 2026 — Birdsville, Queensland
Birdsville will once again transform for one of Australia’s most recognisable country race meetings.
Visitors travel vast distances to reach the tiny outback town, with racing, camping, entertainment and fundraising all forming part of the weekend.
Cunnamulla Fella Roundup
12 September 2026 — Cunnamulla, Queensland
The Cunnamulla Fella Roundup brings rodeo action, barrel racing and outback entertainment to western Queensland.
King of the Ranges
25–27 September 2026 — Murrurundi, New South Wales
King of the Ranges celebrates practical Australian bush skills through a stockman’s challenge, rodeo, campdrafting, bush poetry and community entertainment.
Few events bring so many Country Campfire interests together in one place.
Mildura–Wentworth Country Music Festival
25–29 September 2026 — Mildura and Wentworth
Country music will spread across venues on both sides of the Murray during the Mildura–Wentworth Country Music Festival.
Deni Ute Muster
2–3 October 2026 — Deniliquin, New South Wales
The Deni Ute Muster brings utes, camping, country music and rural culture together on the Deniliquin plains.
What began as a community idea in 1999 has grown into one of Australia’s best-known country gatherings.
Nindigully Pig Races
2–4 October 2026 — Nindigully, Queensland
Pig racing, camping, live music and fundraising return to the Nindigully Pub over the October long weekend.
There are not many sentences more Australian than that.
Australia has spent decades placing oversized fruit, animals, instruments and farm products beside country highways.
They may have started as tourist attractions, but many have become symbols of their towns.
Each month, Campfire Muster will visit one of Australia’s Big Things and look at why it was built, what it represents and the story behind it.
The Big Trout — Adaminaby, New South Wales
We are beginning close to Country Campfire’s home in the Snowy Mountains.
The Big Trout stands about 10 metres high in the centre of Adaminaby.
It was created by local artist and keen fisherman Andy Lomnici and officially unveiled in November 1973.
The idea came from the Adaminaby Lions Club, which wanted a centrepiece for a new picnic park and something recognising the district’s reputation as one of Australia’s great trout-fishing destinations.
The sculpture was modelled as a rainbow trout and has now watched over the town for more than half a century.
It has survived Snowy Mountains weather, changing paintwork, restoration debates and plenty of opinions about exactly what colour a proper rainbow trout should be.
Through it all, it has remained unmistakably Adaminaby.
Thousands of travellers have pulled over for a photograph, children have stood beneath it and generations of fishermen have passed it on their way towards Lake Eucumbene.
That is what makes Australia’s Big Things interesting.
They may look slightly ridiculous, but they often carry a town’s history, industry and identity in a form nobody can miss
Did You Know?
The Big Trout did not always sit there quietly.
Long-time locals remember water once spraying from its mouth before the feature was eventually removed..
Have you stopped for a photograph with the Big Trout?
Let us know — and tell us which Australian Big Thing we should visit next.
A small update from our side of the campfire.
It has been a full few weeks around Country Campfire.
The different projects are beginning to connect into something much bigger than individual posts, with poems leading to podcast episodes, contributors receiving permanent Legend pages and campground yarns beginning to build a genuine community-created camping archive.
The Campground Project Is Growing
The Campground Project has moved from an idea into a growing collection of genuine camping experiences contributed by people who have actually stayed there.
Gary Barten kicked things off with our first campground yarns from Hughes Crossing and Paddy’s Flat.
He has now added another from Einasleigh River Bush Camp in North Queensland.
Dani Cook and Winnie from Chasing Double Rainbows have also contributed their experiences from Balonne Minor Campsite and Charlotte Plains Station.
These are not generic descriptions copied from tourism brochures.
They are real traveller stories covering the good parts, the practical details and the unexpected moments that make camping around Australia interesting.
Explore The Campground Project
Permanent Homes for Country Campfire Legends
More Country Campfire contributors now have permanent Legend pages bringing their stories and work together in one place.
Recent pages include Billy Dettmer, James Cayce, Dick Roberts and Rob Baldinger, joining the growing collection of poets, performers, musicians, storytellers and contributors around the campfire.
A Country Campfire Legend page is not about fame or chasing attention.
It is a permanent home where a contributor’s poems, recordings, stories, photographs and future contributions can continue to gather over time.
More About the Legends Project
Keeping The Verse Alive
Keeping The Verse Alive has continued to preserve written Australian bush poetry that could otherwise disappear through social-media feeds or remain hidden in notebooks, folders and old emails.
Recent contributors include David J Delaney, James Cayce and Ben Eggleton.
David has added several poems, including In the Shadow of Ghosts and The Cocky and Morrie.
James shared Semper Gratus, while Ben’s The Richness of Life was preserved in both written and recorded form.
The Bush Poetry – Keeping The Verse Alive Facebook group is also growing as a place where poets, reciters and readers can share their work and connect with others who care about Australian verse.
Explore Keeping The Verse Alive
20,000 Bush Poetry Podcast Downloads
Somewhere along the way, the Country Campfire Bush Poetry Podcast passed 20,000 downloads.
For a small independent podcast built around Australian bush poetry, that feels worth stopping to acknowledge.
Every download represents someone choosing to listen to a poem, discover a new performer or revisit a piece of Australian verse.
Recent episodes include Peter Flanagan performing That’s the Life for Me and Corin Linch sharing Stroking! What? — written with his sense of humour still firmly intact following his recent stroke.
Thank you to every poet and reciter who has allowed Country Campfire to share their work, and to everyone who has listened along the way.
Listen to the Bush Poetry Podcast
Bush Poetry Comes to YouTube
The Country Campfire YouTube channel is now another home for Australian bush poetry.
The first new uploads include The Lost Drink and Corin Linch’s Stroking! What?.
The goal is not to replace the podcast, but to give each poem another chance to be found, heard and shared.
Visit Country Campfire on YouTube
Campfire Roundup
Campfire Roundup is now published each Sunday, except when the monthly Campfire Muster takes its place.
It provides a quick weekly look at the poems, podcasts, Legend pages, campground yarns and other stories added to Country Campfire.
Over time, the Roundups will also become a record of how Country Campfire grew and what was being preserved each week.
Read the Latest Campfire Roundup
Got Something Worth Sharing?
Country Campfire is built from the stories, poems, photographs, music and local knowledge contributed by people around the country.
We would love to hear from you if you have:
- a bush poem you would like preserved
- a campground yarn from somewhere you have stayed
- a story about a Snowy Mountains or High Country hut
- a country musician, poet or local legend worth introducing
- old photographs or memories from rural Australia
- a country event that deserves a place in a future Campfire Muster
You do not need to be a professional writer.
Sometimes the best country stories begin with nothing more complicated than, “You should hear what happened out there.”
Share Your Story with Country Campfire
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Send it on to a mate who likes bush poetry, country music, camping, old pubs, rodeos, High Country stories or a good yarn around the campfire.
Until Next Month
That is the August Campfire Muster.
A few stories, plenty of events and more than a few reasons to get out and support country towns.
If you know of a country event, bush poetry gathering, rodeo, campdraft, B&S ball, ute muster, old pub, local legend, campground or anything else worth sharing around the campfire, send it through.
Until next month, keep supporting country towns, country events and the people keeping Australian stories alive.
See you around the campfire.
Alex
Country Campfire
Australia’s Digital Campfire
