Dirt n Dust Festival
The Dirt n Dust Festival is an annual sporting and music festival held in the rural town of Julia Creek, west of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual events of its type in Queensland.
The festival takes place over a three-day weekend in mid-April each year. It features triathlon, horse races, bull rides, bog snorkelling, Australia's Best Butt Competition and live country music artists. The triathlon is renowned for being one of the toughest triathlons in Australia, particularly because of its extreme, tough conditions. About 3,500 patrons attend annually over the weekend for a full, authentic festival experience.
The triathlon is the festival's main event. It features an 800-metre creek swim, a 25-kilometre bike ride on the Flinders Highway and a five-kilometre run around the town. The triathlon has been won five times by Brisbane triathlete Sam Betten. World-renowned triathletes like Brad Bevan, Courtney Atkinson, Loretta Harrop and Emma Jackson have also competed in the event.
The event receives funding under Tourism and Events Queensland's Regional Development Program. The non-for-profit organisation spend a considerable amount of time lobbying for sponsorship and funding through various sources each year.
The event is easily identifiable through its logo usage of the Roobock Man, which was designed by Julia Creek-local Sharon Fayers.
