Welcome to the Melbourne Cup day yabby race where outback entrants are on the menu

Far from the green turf and packed crowds of Flemington Racecourse, a different type of race was taking place on Melbourne Cup Day. 

Key points:

Yabby racing is a time-honoured tradition of special occasions in Australia’s backroad pubs and far-flung events.

While it may generate some head-scratching among city visitors, the race that stops Packsaddle Roadhouse in far west New South Wales continues to be a hit. 

For the past two decades publicans Mia and Arnie Degoumois have been delighting locals and travellers alike with the novelty event on Melbourne Cup day.

But unlike the world’s richest handicap horse race, the pedigree of entrants in this race is perhaps more questionable. 

The Packsaddle Roadhouse is located 175km north of Broken Hill in NSW(Supplied: Andrew McCullough)

While the $8 million horse race drew prized thoroughbreds from across the world, all 25 racers on the Packsaddle field — or rather, the ring that was drawn in the red dirt — were locally sourced. 

“It’s a bit of fun, a good catch-up for everybody,” Ms Degoumois said.

“Sometimes it’s pretty hard this time of year because people are shearing on the properties, but we’re pretty lucky we still got a good crowd.”

A buffet-style lunch that included local yabbies featured at the cup day celebrations.(ABC Broken Hill: Lily McCure)

The rules are simple enough: 25 yabbies are numbered and placed in the centre of a circular ring.

The first one to make it to the boundary line is the winner. 

The yabbies are not just the entertainment either. They are also on the menu.

Eating the winner

James Hanley and three of his mates travelled from Bendigo, Victoria, for the festivities at the Packsaddle Roadhouse.

Jai Baker works at the Packsaddle Roadhouse and dressed up for the day’s celebrations. (ABC Broken Hill: Lily McCure)

Mr Hanley said he had heard about the famous yabby race and felt confident in his ability to pick the champion.

“I’m just going to get on the biggest yabby there,” he said.

“I’ll be on the winner, or I’ll be eating it, one or the other.”

The Packsaddle Roadhouse has long been a hub for road trippers and locals to stop for a cool beverage, feed and a yarn.

Located 175 kilometres north of Broken Hill, legend has it Packsaddle was dubbed as such by Burke and Wills, who lost a packsaddle crossing the creek upstream from the town.

At the 2016 Census, the town recorded a population of 87. 

Luke, Sonja, Emily, Oliver and Toby O’Connor, Maddie Graham and Joao Costa enjoyed the day.(Supplied)

On Melbourne Cup day, a crowd of more than 50 people joined the yabby racing festivities. 

Ms Degoumois said it was always interesting to find out where people had travelled from.

“It’s really special,” she said.

“I guess it’s something that they’ve probably seen on Facebook and thought, ‘That’s what we want to go and experience, meet some bush people’.”

Local kids dressed up for the day’s events at the Packsaddle Roadhouse. (ABC Broken Hill: Lily McCure)

Having run the roadhouse for two decades, Ms Degoumois said it had been a real adventure.

“We’ve seen a lot of things … I wish I was better at keeping a diary of the crazy things from the past 20 years,” she said.

“Like back to when it was unsealed road and the adventures people had … people getting stuck in the mud.”

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