Event guide · Campdrafts
Campdrafting is about as Australian as sport gets: one rider, one horse and one beast, and a few seconds to prove it. Here are the campdrafts that matter in Queensland, from the "Melbourne Cup of campdrafting" at Warwick to the bush drafts of the north where we play the after-the-draft dances.
What is campdrafting?
Campdrafting grew out of the everyday work of Australian stockmen, who had to "cut out" a single beast from a mob and move it on horseback. In competition, a rider cuts one beast out of a small mob in a yard (the "camp"), shows control by blocking it from returning, then calls for the gate and drives it around a course in the arena: a figure eight around two pegs, then through a final pair of pegs called "the gate". If the stockwhip cracks, the run is over.
The first formal campdraft is recorded at the Tenterfield Show in NSW in 1885, under rules written by cattleman and horse breeder Clarence Smith.
Part 1 · 3 events
The campdrafts with the biggest fields, the biggest prize money and the longest history.
No. 01Southern DownsOctober
The Holy Grail of campdrafting. In 1931 Warwick's open campdraft became the Warwick Gold Cup, named because the Governor of Queensland, Sir John Goodwin, was there to present the very first one. The cup was then backdated to 1928, so the 1928–30 winners got one too. Warwick says the Gold Cup draws more riders and more prize money than any other campdraft in Australia, and it's long been treated as the Australian Championship campdraft. It runs alongside "Australia's Most Famous" rodeo, so the whole week is one big country carnival.
No. 02Central QueenslandApril
Paradise Lagoons was the vision of the late cattleman Graeme Acton and his family. Graeme and his brother and business partner Evan built a purpose-made complex with three campdraft arenas and a cutting arena near Rockhampton, the Beef Capital of Australia. It opened on 2 May 2003 and has become one of the most anticipated regional sporting events in the country, with up to 12,000 competitors and spectators over four days of drafting, cutting, the State of Origin Campdraft, a trade and food fair, and country music. Graeme died in a campdrafting accident at Clarke Creek in May 2014, and that year's event was cancelled.
No. 03North Star NSW (2026)September
The Australian Bushmen's Campdraft & Rodeo Association runs points-based campdrafts all year, and the top point-scorers are invited to the National Finals. The Australian Campdraft Championships, open to all financial ABCRA members, run alongside them, with titles for Most Successful Rider, Master Rider, Lady Rider and the best Maiden, Novice, Open and All Round Campdraft Horse.
Part 2 · 9 events
The bush drafts of the north, where the after-the-draft dance is half the weekend.
Real photoNo. 04Whitsunday hinterlandJune
One of the oldest bush gatherings in Queensland (running since 1886, according to Tourism Bowen). The campdraft runs from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, with the rodeo on Saturday and Sunday, junior bush sports for the kids, and live music at the night bar.
Real photoNo. 05Cape York PeninsulaJune
A volunteer-run bush tradition since 1977. Laura's campdraft opens the weekend on Thursday in the rodeo arena and runs alongside the Laura Races, horse sports and a full ABCRA rodeo program. Nominations are taken through ABCRA iCompete.
No. 06Isaac regionJune
Run by the volunteer Nebo Bushman's Carnival, which has been bringing people together in Nebo since 1956, the Slouch Hat Campdraft draws local and interstate competitors across several days of open, maiden and novice drafts, with horse sports for younger riders.
No. 07Gulf CountryJune
Four days of rodeo and campdraft action since 1976, with a gymkhana, a street parade, the QCWA show and live entertainment every night. 2026 marked 50 years.
No. 08Charters TowersMay
A family-friendly campdraft on the Charters Towers calendar, run by the Gold City Campdraft Association at the same grounds as the Heart of the Goldfields Rodeo. Free to watch, with food and a bar.
Also on the calendar
No. 09Charters Towers districtMay
An annual station campdraft billed as "a weekend of genuine outback fun, camaraderie, and hospitality", with a canteen and bar running all weekend for competitors and spectators.
No. 10Flinders ShireAugust
No. 11Isaac regionJuly
A Central Queensland draft at Clarke Creek. The 2026 Open was won by Pete Comiskey on Bungarby Elegant Spin.
No. 12North-west of Charters TowersMay
A week of campdrafting and stockman's challenge out on the Gregory Developmental Road, with skilled cattle work, horsemanship and prizes, and a bar and kiosk on the grounds. It's a Premiership Show on the Australian Stockman's Challenge calendar.
FAQ
A uniquely Australian horse sport. A rider cuts a single beast out of a small mob in a yard, then guides it around a figure-eight course of pegs in the arena and through a final "gate", all against the clock. Runs are scored out of 100.
It grew from the work of Australian stockmen cutting cattle out of a mob. The first formal competition is recorded at the Tenterfield Show in NSW in 1885, under rules written by Clarence Smith.
The Warwick Gold Cup is known as "the Melbourne Cup of campdrafting", and Warwick says it attracts more riders and offers more prize money than any other campdraft in Australia.
In the week leading into the last full weekend of October. From 2026, the Gold Cup final runs on the Saturday afternoon.
Up to 26 points for the cut-out, up to 70 for horse work, and 4 for the course (2 for the first peg, 1 for the second and 1 for the gate), for a total of 100.
The ABCRA National Finals Campdraft is held in September each year; in 2026 it's at North Star, NSW, from 22 to 27 September. The ACA National Finals were held at Paradise Lagoons, Rockhampton, in June 2026.
Yes. After-the-draft dances are a big part of what we do. The Barnyard Band brings a five-piece live show with its own 18,000 W PA, lighting and video from our trailer. Use the price tool on our homepage for an instant estimate.
Many local campdrafts are free for spectators; for example, Charters Towers' Gold City Campdraft listed free entry in 2026. Big events like Warwick are ticketed. Check each event's website.
After-the-draft dances that run late are our bread and butter. We bring the band, the 18,000 W PA, lights and video in our own trailer. Pick your date and venue for an instant estimate.
