The Landor Races, held annually in October at Landor Station in Western Australia's East Gascoyne region, are a traditional bush race meeting that has been taking place since 1921.

The Landor Races span over three days, taking place from September 29th to October 2nd, 2023. The races are highlighted by different events each day, including the Ladies Bracelet on Saturday, Gymkhana Day on Sunday, and the Landor Cup on Monday

We have been to many race days in our time, but we had never made it to Landor Races. We had heard many good things about it, but because of the location, we never got there. This year, we were determined to get there, as it was part of our 'events bucket list.'

We reached out to the Landor committee, and they agreed that a 'Shakey Mural' would be a great addition to The Landor Race Event, so we started planning.

We started collecting old photographs and photos from the Internet and agreed on a design to fit the 17 x 2.2m wall.

We left from Carnarvon with a week's worth of food and hit the gravel roads with the caravan in tow and both our kids strapped in the back seat.

It was an exciting drive with incredible scenery and hardly a car in sight. We filled up at every fuel station on the way in fear of running out in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as we got there, I picked up the camera and started photographing the amazing array of corrugated iron shacks scattered around the place. They were really like adult cubby houses. The shacks were owned by the surrounding station owners and their families who come every year. They all have flushing toilets, donkey-heated hot water systems, and even the odd pizza oven and Jacuzzi.

Shakey had the painting near completion as the punters started arriving, and it was really well received.

The nightlife at Landor was unlike anything I have ever experienced. These guys and a ball, we were never left twiddling our fingers, wondering what to do out in the middle of the bush.

The horse races are unlike anything I have seen! The race cards looked full, the horses looked fit, and the red dirt was flying. Unlike regular horse races, the Landor Races do not have starting gates and instead use 'walk up starts.' Only horses registered as North-West bred, District Qualified, or Class D are eligible to compete, and jockeys must be licensed track riders.

Our family loved the off-track events. Both girls dressed to impress and loved to walk the strip of carpet in front of the crowd. Jake was hand-selected to compete in the tug of war competition and was put on the 'leftover team,' which ended up taking out first place! I tried my hand at the ladies' sprint but need to come back again with a bit more training under my belt.

All in all, it was an epic few days, and we would highly recommend this event to anyone who wants an authentic outback race experience