From touring Europe with the legendary Andre Rieu, to hitting the red earth of Outback Quilpie – world renowned soprano Mirusia will bring her superb operatic voice to a special one-off performance at Baldy Top Lookout on Saturday August 26th, 2023.
Baldy Top Lookout will provide a natural Amphitheatre backdrop as Mirusia performs her top-selling ARIA Australian Classical Crossover 2022 album of the year ‘Songbird’ with a classical spin on iconic songs such as Jolene, Amazing Grace and The Long and Winding Road.
Gaining a reputation as the open-air Opera House of the Outback, Quilpie’s beautiful Baldy Top Lookout has already hosted Opera Queensland and several Royal related celebrations this year.
For more than a decade Mirusia has toured with Andre Rieu who calls her the “Angel of Australia” and the Johan Strauss Orchestra at large scale stadium events, with her upcoming Quilpie performance set to offer a uniquely Australian stage on which to perform under vast outback skies to a more intimate audience.
“I can’t wait to get back out to Quilpie for the Baldy Top lookout performance. It will be unlike anything I’ve done before and is the only performance I’m doing in the Outback. The big European concerts are phenomenal – but there’s going to be something entirely different and special when I sing under the stars at Baldy Top lookout,” said Mirusia.
“We’re having an amazing season in Quilpie Shire following rains late last year and earlier this year. The landscape is incredible with wildflowers and plenty of vegetation for wildlife peppering the red earth landscape – and as a result our bird and other wildlife populations have exploded. Given we’re regularly treated to the singing of birdlife Mirusia’s Songbird tour is appropriately named,” said Justin Hancock, CEO Quilpie Shire Council.
In the lead-in to Mirusia’s extraordinary Quilpie performance, travelers on an extended Outback odyssey will be able to take in Polocrosse in both Toompine and Quilpie, with the popularity of the restored Toompine Hotel ‘the pub with no town’ continuing to grow as a must visit watering hole and dining destination.
Quilpie is also a popular stopover point for travellers making the annual pilgrimage to the iconic Birdsville Races, with Mirusia’s August 26th performance happening the weekend before the September 1 & 2 races – giving travellers the opportunity to dust off their race-wear finery to attend.
At the other end of the spectrum to Mirusia’s classical performance, the Kangaranga Do Street Party will be staged on Tuesday August 29th in Quilpie delivering a fun filled family night of music, bars, and entertainment such as a bathtub derby and the popular “get your rocks off” competition.
Tickets to Mirusia’s special Baldy Top Lookout performance can be purchased at:
Visit Quilpie Shire: https://www.visitquilpieshire.com/event/mirusia-under-the-stars/
Tickets direct: https://www.trybooking.com/CIHPL
Ticketing options to this special event are:
$75.00 Includes Adirondack chair, a complimentary drink (beer or wine) on arrival, a complimentary souvenir, nibble box (for one) separate bar area and event ticket
$70.00 Includes a chair (regular) and all of the above
$39.00 For general admission ticket (adult) – ticket only, BYO chair
$15.00 For 13y-17y – ticket only, BYO chair
$5.00 For 12y and under – ticket only, BYO chair
All ticket purchases will also have a small processing fee attached.
A bus will be running for a gold coin donation doing round trips from Quilpie town centre out to Baldy Top lookout, and a cash bar will operate out at Baldy Top at the event.
ABOUT QUILPIE:
With a population that sits close to 800, Quilpie is located 1,000km west of Brisbane and is home to spectacular sunrises and sunsets along with an abundance of natural beauty and events providing an entirely uniquely Outback experience.
Following heavy summer rain, the region is teaming with wildlife such as silvery grey ‘dancing’ brolga and pelicans dotting waterways, with vegetation – including spectacular wildflowers – peppering the red earth while year-round activities as varied as yabbying, opal fossicking and exploring dinosaur history are on offer.
While Quilpie has a range of boutique accommodation options, one of the best ways to see the region is by camping – whether that’s in a van, a motorhome or with a simpler tent set-up – with several campgrounds’ options available with traditional facilities as well as fantastic outdoor bath experiences.
The Lake at Quilpie has award winning camping facilities, a spectacular lake flanked by huge old River Red Gums that remains full after summer rainfall as well as an abundance of bird life and yabbies.
The Lake is also home to a herd of Kalahari goats and some resident rescue kangaroos and emus, and is an ideal spot just out of town for star gazing.
In town the locals favourite Off-Shears Bakery is a must-do stop off – with the traditionally made meat pies baked by World Champion Women’s Shearer Cathy Wendelborn. Locals recommend eating the legendary pies ‘Quilpie Style’ by pulling the lid off and dunking it in the delicious thick gravy.
A caffeine fuelled morning kick start can be enjoyed at the renowned Unstable Coffee horse float coffee cart, or wander down Brolga Street to the Old Empire Café.
The incredible opal altar at St Finbarr’s Catholic Church or a Mulga Walk are also popular, along with opal fossicking – and with Quilpie remaining the largest opal producer in the world lady luck is often on the side of hopeful fossickers.
For the sporting minded, the Quilpie leg of the Outback Golf Masters will be staged on July 1 & 2 – or if those dates don’t suit the Quilpie Golf Open will run on 19th and 20th August. Keen golfers can also enjoy the unique fun of hitting a few rounds on a red earth course that is recognised as one of the first and best established in the Queensland Outback all year round.
The Quilpie Visitor Information Centre was a Gold award winner at the 2022 Queensland Tourism Industry Council Queensland Tourism Awards and offers an onsite gallery and museum to explore, local Opals for sale and undercover outdoor seating for picnicking.
New to centre is the Quilpeta Night Show, presented on a massive outdoor screen where guests can relax in giant bean bags and outdoor lounge chairs.
No trip to the region would be complete without visiting the Eromanga Natural History Museum – home to Australia’s biggest ever dinosaur ‘Cooper’ who was discovered locally at Coopers Creek.
Eromanga also has a number of motel, cabin and caravan park accommodation options for those wanting to take in a family dinosaur prep session and museum tour.
Quilpie has supermarkets, a butchery, bakery, newsagent, hairdressers, retail shops, a hospital, Medical Centre, Pharmacy, two schools (Prep to Year 10), Early Learning Centre, Community Gym, Sporting ovals, tennis and basketball courts, free swimming pools, weekly flights and an abundance of open space.
For further information on Quilpie Shire visit www.visitquilpieshire.com
ABOUT THE EROMANGA NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM:
The Eromanga Natural History Museum (ENHM) within Quilpie Shire is home to Australia’s largest dinosaur (Australotitan cooperensis) aka Cooper, and is renowned globally for discovering a new dinosaur species which was scientifically recognised in 2021.
The Museum is committed to discovering, conserving, and showcasing the fossil, natural and cultural heritage of the upper Murray/Darling and Lake Eyre/Cooper basins.
The incredible diversity of Outback Australia’s natural history is on display – from the tiniest fossils, the size of a sugar grain, to the mightiest dinosaurs Australia has ever seen.
Spanning a 14-year history, the ENHM is comprised of three purpose-built museum buildings: The original Workshop, a multi-million-dollar Reception Gallery (opened 2021), and the just completed Research Centre.
Guests can join a guided tour of the workshop, laboratory, and collection centre, then see the ancient giants come to life in the new multi-media theatre.
Families can join a fantastic family prep program and guests seeking a more immersive experience can sign up for one of the megafauna or dinosaur digs.
Top off the experience with an overnight stay in the beautiful onsite accommodation, Cooper’s Country Lodge located on the 167-hectare reserve.
The Museum was a Bronze award winner at the 2022 Queensland Tourism Industry Council Queensland Tourism Awards.
For more details https://enhm.com.au/