Fashions in the Field

I had been warned - but the circumstances surrounding my arrival at this awesome spectacular sort of didn't allow for me to blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb!  This was the Cobar Miners Race Club Annaul Race Meeting - a race meeting in an outback town.  Let's just say I had been warned that the dress code for the day would be 'dressy' - that the women, of all ages from babes in prams right through to the elderly, wore their best - had their hair, nails and makeup done professionally and expertly - and the men were right up there with them.  But they were in suits, not dresses.  Some did have amazing hairstyles though - but I didn't see much make up on the males.  None actually.

And here was little old me.  Arriving stale (as opposed to 'fresh') from a pretty long coach trip across the outback from Adelaide to Cobar, nearly non-stop.  No chance of a bath or even to freshen up much, really.  Even though I actually had packed appropriately, thanks to that warning.  To be fair, the wonderful people of Cobar did offer me the use of a bathroom upon my arrival but to be honest, I was just too darned tired to worry.  And really, I was also enjoying myself too much to be concerned about how I looked.  Which probably wasn't really that good but I was beyond worrying.  And when you have a professional camera hanging around your neck and are walking around with pen and paper in hand, to say nothing of business cards - couldn't help but stand out like the proverbial sore thumb.  It was pretty obvious I wasn't a local.

But those fashions - oh my God.  And the hats.  And shoes.  Stilettos - the ladies wore stilettos - didn't seem to matter that half the heels disappeared into the bulldust.  They walked with aplomb - no-one fell or tripped - except me - in my good old flatties.  This really was the Cobar horse (and foot) races.  Have to say they are a far cry from the horse races that I attended as a child - also in the outback.  

These people know how to enjoy themselves.  I heard that another town 'nearby' (some hundreds of kilometres away) was also holding its races that same day - so I guess high fashion was the order of the day there too.  In fact, I am beginning to think this is the norm these days for these country race meetings generally.

Those fashions, right down to those superb stilettos, could not be faulted. And the colours were stunning.  Such a wonderful array and on all ages - the school students arriving and enjoying themselves looked absolutely wonderful - every bit as formally attired as their elders.

And so proud.

If I am correct and this is the norm these days for country race meetings, they sure as heck give the Melbourne Cup and other well knowns a run for their money.