Originally Posted by
runway16
There are two issues here.
One is that there has been no change of mind re underwing camping. I am sure that at least one aircraft will fly in and the crew start to set up camp under the wing only to find a van with a flashing light telling them to move on.
The second is that the Birdsville Races have gone from a friendly hail-fellow-well-met event to a slick commercialised event driven by one word, MONEY. .
There was a sale of some 4,000 tickets on May 26 at 9 am. Apparently the first 1,000 were sold in 15 minutes. The rest soon after.
There was a wait list to get onto but here we are at 24 July and no word or advice that extra tickets are to be sold. If they are it may well be too late to buy some and make arrangements to get to the event. There is a Rent-a-Tent city but again at extra cost and that is if any tents are still available.
Queensland and NSW and Vic and SA all have restrictions in place and sure they may be lifted but when? Given that lockdowns happen overnight it could well be that between now and the races there will be lockdowns lifted and even applied again. I would not want to risk going to the races only to find that while I was enroute a lockdown had been brought in that said I could not get back home short of an expensive quarantine stay at my expense.
Given that Australians at large could not go overseas in 2020 and again in 2021 travel companies hooked on to the Birdsville Races as an event to take tourists to, of course at a fee. I for one was not aware of the ticket sales coming up and missed out.
Having a pre-bought ticket is the only way to get into the races this year. There will be a few punters who will roll up in ignorance of this and front up at the gate waving folding money only to be told 'Sorry, Pre-paid tickets only'. When I last looked there were some eight travel companies involved saying travel with us to get to and into the event. Needless to say those travel companies have bulk tickets bought for their 'customers'. Disappointing for the station people from 1000 km around who do not sit on a PC all day to buy tickets but would look at the race being the one event of the year that they enjoyed going to.
There are other nearby race events before and after the Birdsville event. Those that missed out on Birdsville race tickets should save their money and go to those other nearby races. Accommodation will be the big issue with those other places.
I have been to the races before and looked at it as being a fun event to go to and enjoy the companionship of fellow Australians visiting the races and to have a good time. It was not just the races but being in the atmosphere of attending the event. It would appear that has gone from this year and probably forever as the travel companies now have their hooks into it.
Commercialisation and Money. Two things that have destroyed the Birdsville races, at least for Joe Citizen.
Do not believe that the Covid 19 virus is the sole reason to selling limited tickets on-line. Nor the aspect of no underwing camping. Money is the driving factor.
RWY16 well said, couldn't agree more, the event is stuffed compared to the good old days -( No caged fences, no ludicrous ASIC, no curb & channeling and beer cans a foot deep around the pub & cold drunks still buried in cans at sunrise-)
The fun in the 80's will never be seen again -(