Toni Northfield already has her bags packed and all husband Charlie needs to do is sort out which of the dogs will be on the trip south as well. It's Coonamble Carnival time and the Northfields, and a host of other Northern Rivers dog men, are gearing up for the eight-hour, 670km trek.
“We've been going for the past decade,” said Charlie.
“Usually there is three or four carloads. We head off first thing on the Friday, get there for the night meeting and stay until after the big races on the Monday. It is a carnival we never miss now.
“The committee do a great job of running the meetings and make sure everyone is looked after. In fact, the whole town comes alive for the carnival.”
Coonamble is a tradition for the Northfields | Photo: The Greyhound Recorder
This year's Coonamble Carnival will run on September 29, 30 and October 2.
The Gold Maiden (305m) worth $15,000 to the winner will be run on the Monday with heats on the Saturday.
“I usually like to target the 400 metre maiden,” said Charlie. “We've won it four times, but never the short one worth all the money.
“I remember taking a good dog to Coonamble back in 2012 because we knew we couldn't beat Paw Licking in the Pop Northfield Maiden that was coming up at home,” said Charlie.
“As it turned out, the dog we took to Coonamble was beaten, but Kingsbrae Molly ended up beating her brother Paw Licking in the Pop Northfield final.”
Charlie is always amazed at the punting exploits of the carnival.
“We took a dog to the carnival that had trialled 17.35 first look there and the owners backed him like he was unbeatable, had $12,000 on him,” he said.
“Ran second. The price never shifted from 7-2. The favourite beat us.”
Charlie and his travelling companions camp on the track at Coonamble.
“We pitch our tents, keep the dogs in the trailers in the horse sheds, and enjoy ourselves,” he said.
“Thank goodness the local bowls club provides a courtesy bus for us all. We like to have dogs in on the Friday night or Saturday, so they can back up on the Monday. Robbie Andrews has been coming for the past few years as well. He's a regular.”
And every year more and more Queenslanders make the trip to Coonamble, not necessarily to race dogs, but just for the atmosphere and carnival atmosphere.
This year's carnival will boast a performance on the Friday night by Aussie rock star Shannon Noll.
The Friday night meeting is also boosted by GRNSW providing TAB prizemoney for the program.
Get your FREE ticket to Shannon Noll's performance on the Friday night here
Shannon Noll will perform at Coonamble on Friday night, 29th September
