Madison Eastmond, Murray Pioneer

A much-loved June long weekend tradition is back for 2025, and will host its highest number of participants so far.

Kicking off at 8am this morning due to an unprecedented number of entries, the annual SA Sheep Dog Trials have returned to the Barmera Oval this week, with action continuing through to Sunday afternoon.

“This year we have record entries — we might have to be working under lights for some of it,” SA Sheepdog Trials organiser Bob Clark said

“This year we have 26 competitors, but it wasn’t that long ago we were only looking at 10 or 11 entries.

“A lot of our competitors tell us (Barmera) is the best trials they go to — with the town, the lake, and the extra entertainment we put on.

“You just don’t get that anywhere else.”

With one Loxton local competing against dogs from South Australia, and interstate Victoria and Tasmania, the event will host open, novice, and improver classes, before a Trans-Tasman event on Friday, and then resume the open class competition over the weekend.

“A lot of practice goes into (working a dog) to this standard and keeping the sheep together,” Mr Clark said.

“The Barmera Oval will have yellow lines marked for the competitors, and they have to keep the sheep in the 9m corridor all the way round, and if they stray outside of those marks, points are lost.

“It’s an interesting sport, because you start out with 100 points and risk losing them, not gaining them.

“There is also no prize for finishing quick — you just have to get all the sheep in the pen and the gate shut in 15 minutes.”

Mr Clark said the Riverlanders will also be able to enjoy the iconic running of the sheep down the Barmera main street, held on Saturday morning, at 9.30am, before four skydivers take flight with the flags to commemorate now-passed trial participants and supporters.

With Mantung’s Leon Stasinowsky and family providing 500 sheep for the running, Mr Clark said it was often the event “spectators looked forward to most of all”.

“However, it’s just a lovely community event all together with so much on offer, so we hope we get a strong crowd,” he said.

“The finals on Sunday are always good fun — we host a parade and have the top six walk to Simply the Best by Tina Turner.

“People and families can come down for a look to see how the dogs are working and interact with the competitors, and it doesn’t cost them a cent.”

This article appeared in Murray Pioneer, 4 June 2025.