0/5

Airdate: Birdsville or Bust

SBS doco captures the Outback Queensland town with only 100 people living on the border of three states.

New documentary Birdsville or Bust screens on Tuesday in the Untold Australia anthology.

Produced by Mint Pictures this profiles an Outback cop who patrols a beat bigger than Britain, an Indigenous ranger still scarred by the racist past, a scion of a Birdsville dynasty wrestling with whether to stay or go, and a Jewish recluse who lives completely off the grid.

‘Birdsville or Bust’ tells the colourful story of this iconic Outback town in Queensland that’s best known for the annual Birdsville
Races, dubbed ‘The Melbourne Cup of the Outback’, and The Big Red Bash, billed as the world’s most remote music festival.
With only 100 people living on the border of three states and two deserts, it is invaded twice a year by up to 10,000 partygoers who transform this quiet outpost into a riot of colour. It also captures what happens when the tourists are gone, the mercury hits 49.5 Celsius and the army of flies occupy this remote Outback town. With four of the main businesses up for sale, ‘Birdsville or Bust’ captures a tumultuous year for this bucket-list destination.

8:30pm Tuesday on SBS.

Leave a Reply