Have you ever heard the phrase ‘back o’Bourke’? That’s literally where you’ll find the town of Louth – and one of the most charismatic events on the country racing calendar.

The Louth Races has been running since the 1800s and is affectionately referred to as ‘Louthmas’ by the locals, in a nod to the very early days when it was held on December 27. 

Fast forward more than 150 years and the Louth Turf Club now stages an annual seven race program with prize money of over $90,000, plus trophies and sashes on the famous red dirt track. 

The 2024 event will be held on Saturday, August 12 and is a melting pot of unique characters, from grey nomads, to sheep farmers, truck drivers and the world’s oldest jockey. The pandemic shut down the event in 2020 and 2021 and in 2022 floods saw it cancelled for the third year running, but the race club has come back bigger and better than ever.

A friendly bunch, the locals and Louth Races committee will welcome you with open arms. There’s no dress code so feel free to frock up or down, anything from dresses to thongs goes. If you’re camping, showers and toilets are provided on site and make sure you bring enough cash to last the weekend as there’s limited ATM facilities. 

While the races offer plenty of entertainment, why not make a week out of it and join in on the Golf Challenge on Wednesday, the Damper and Scone Bake Off on Thursday, and the school fete on Friday followed by the famous calcutta at Shindy’s Inn on Friday night.

There are farm stays near Louth but these book out quickly. Accommodation in town is limited so pack a swag, tent or hook up the caravan and claim your spot in the designated camping areas. Louth is not serviced by public transport, but Airlink does offer charter flights.

Louth is situated on the Darling River in Western NSW, more than 800 kilometres west of Sydney, 132 kilometres north west of Cobar, and 100 kilometres south west of Bourke. To really make the most of your trip, consider a journey down the Darling River Run, a spectacular track spanning nearly 950 kilometres alongside the mighty Darling.