The Poddy Dodgers Festival. Origins of a Crooked Past.

What makes travel experiences special are where you find yourself away from the popular tourism spots to experience the local culture.

And that’s what we discovered in Croydon, far north Queensland with their annual annual Poddy Dodgers Festival. “Poddy Dodgers”, you may ask? It’s a local term we discovered, meaning the same as cattle rustling. That’s what made the place famous in the 1980’s when rustlers stole around six thousand cattle. It wasn’t the first time. The same happened in 1869 with the theft of a thousand cattle.

With that much national fame, the town launched their annual Poddy Dodgers Festival. While we were fortunate to experience their culture, we definitely would have looked like outsiders. We just didn’t have the big enough brimmed cowboy hat for a start. We did however have a crack at taking on the locals in the cross saw log sawing competition. As well as lending a helping hand in the bar!

But what was dust and flies earlier on the Savannah Way has now since turned to rain and mud. We reckon we just made it to the bitumen before we may have got rained in for a few unplanned extra days. It’s just another part of the adventure… 🙂

…and if you would like to find out a bit more about the Savannah Way, here’s a brief overview of where we have been this week:

4 comments On The Poddy Dodgers Festival. Origins of a Crooked Past.

  • Linda Henderson

    How I love the Aussie outback. Looks so much adventure.

    Keep travelling you two, looks fun.

    Linda Henderson

    • Yeh it is so great, thanks for your message Linda…. though we’re keen for the unseasonal wet cold weather to pass.

  • Christine Tan

    Hi Chris,

    Love your heading “Youthful Midlife Travel”.Also learn what’s Pioddy Dodger! You have traversed far Chris. Thanks for sharing.

    We were in Broome for 1 Week to attend wedding. We also learned country towns like Broome enjoy events like derby. People from surrounding areas drive for miles to enjoy festivities. We were a bit surprised thinking Broome is such a popular destination for holiday makers throughout the year.. Many Grey Nomads love the winter Broome weather.. Caravan, & camping sites, hotels, motels, Airbnbs were swamped. Some of our fellow wedding friends were stranded & in dire straits when their return flights were cancelled on short notice. Our return flight was cancelled too! Very stressful. Lucky we begged, cajoled, pleaded & prayed hard to return . All the airlines are having trouble. We’re staying put in Perth.

    Enjoy your road trips.

    • Thanks for your message Christine. Yes it seems life will continue to be unpredictable for a good while yet.

Comments are closed.

Site Footer