If you take the road west of Brisbane and travel 1600km, nestled on the edge of two deserts you’ll eventually stumble across the tiny but famous outback Queensland town of Birdsville.
Dry drought-ridden earth spans as far as the eye can see and the land is unforgiving under the scorching heat.
But for the 115 locals that live here, it’s home.
“Birdsville’s not for most people but I love it. It will always be my home,” Birdsville-born-and-bred resident Jenna Brook tells Woman’s Day.
“It’s in my blood.”
The youngest of five generations of the Brook family dynasty, Jenna comes from a long line of cattle farmers, whose presence in the area goes back to the late 1800s.
The Brooks are still playing a pivotal role in building Birdsville but these days only Jenna, her brother Anthony and their parents, David, 74, and Nell, 73, remain in the tiny outback town.
“My family own six cattle stations and used to part-own the pub,” says Jenna, 35.
“I own and operate the Roadhouse and Fuel Service, which includes the local post office as well as the mechanics and Humpy Cafe.”
Jenna runs the town’s roadhouse.
(Photo: Sam Watkins – Travelling Jewel)David and Nell first met in 1965, then again eight years later when Nell was working as an air hostess with South African Airways.
Settling in remote Birdsville was a shock to the system for the city girl from one of the nation’s capitals, Pretoria.
But it didn’t take long for the outback to cast a spell over Nell and she married David in 1974. The couple went on to have six children.
“I got my pilot’s licence in 1984 so I could fly myself around and get from one property to the other and fly the kids to boarding school in Adelaide,” says Nell.
Nell Brook with her grandson at the 2019 Birdsville Races
(Supplied: Salty Dingo)Jenna has always had the red dust of Birdsville in her veins.
“I absolutely loved boarding school,” she reveals. “But I remember I always looked forward to coming home in the holidays to slow the pace, relax and catch up with my family and all the locals.”
She is still passionate about keeping the tiny town on its feet despite the challenges that come with living in a remote location that has the bare minimum of amenities.
“It’s not as though you can just pop to the corner store and get what you need,” Jenna explains.
“Mail day is like Christmas in Birdsville. Parcels are delivered by air once a week to the post office and everyone flocks there at 4pm to collect their goods.”
Yet, despite the obvious conveniences and the lure of the big city, the outback has always called Jenna home.
“I moved away for university and came home 10 years ago with the intention of staying for a month and never left,” she says.
The races unofficially launched in 1882.
(Credit: Supplied)“I love this part of the world – there’s nothing like having your own space and freedom away from all the hustle and bustle and being able to enjoy the simplicity of life and spend every day around such vast beauty under a big outback sky.”
Twice a year, Jenna’s solitude is shattered as her town welcomes thousands for the Birdsville Races and the Big Red Bash, the world’s most remote music festival.
With this year’s raceday approaching, the Brook family – who are all part of the organising committee – are busy prepping for when the town’s population temporarily explodes to 5000.
Gary Brook, Nell Brook & David Brook at the 2016 Birdsville Races
(Supplied: Salty Dingo)Horseracing has run through the veins of the family for more than 100 years and they all revel in the hullabaloo of the day.
“Our children always loved the races, too,” says Nell.
“My dad won the cup twice as a jockey back in the ’40s and as kids we always looked forward to them,” says David, who is Birdsville Race Club president.
Jenna, who is treasurer at the club, also has fond memories of the races.
“Us kids’ job was to make the badges that gave people access to the course. We’d all be in the lounge room stapling 3000 medallions to cardboard! We loved it,” she remembers.
“And on the day, we were allowed to have a little flutter on the horses, too.”
For more information visit birdsvilleraces.com
