Adelaide and South Australia: Marree Picnic Races and Gymkhana

Marree, 677km north of Adelaide, just south of Lake Eyre. This is perhaps as far north off the beaten track in South Australia as it gets.

Each long weekend in June, there is the Marree Picnic Races and Gymkhana.

What is Gymkhana? Gymkhana's are fun days or play days, where a bunch of horses and riders get to gather and take part in different mounted activities and games. The day is a fun filled family event for the Far North.

The Gymkhana events look exciting to watch. They are an opportunity for horse and rider to show the skills they need to have and use in everyday station life.

Bronco branding is a uniquely Australian way of catching and branding cattle. Riders show how it is done, a journey of times past. Many of these horse and stock skills however are still in use today, so you can get your fill of country life and meet some real Australian stock-men and join in the fun!

There are also novelty events which do not require a horse but a sense of humour and crowd participation.

There's also the children's lolly toss, the ladies "Stepping the Distance" and the men's "Ironman".

Once the sun sets, the music is turned up for great dancing with the locals!

So why not fill up that tank of petrol, plan a safe and careful trip up north and check out a great Aussie country event.