Townsville Hosts the 30th Barrier Reef Congress, Australia’s Marquee Winter Festival

Team Bridge • May 11, 2026

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May 11, 2026

The sold-out five-day event at the Murray Sporting Complex draws players from across the country for gold-point competition

The 30th Barrier Reef Congress is under way in Townsville, Queensland, running from May 11 to 15 at the Murray Sporting Complex. The event sold out its 70-table capacity, capping attendance at 280 players, making it one of Australia’s most popular bridge festivals outside the national championships.

The five-day programme includes a Walk-in Pairs on Monday, Swiss Butler Pairs across Open, Restricted, and Novice sections on Tuesday, a Speaker Programme on Wednesday featuring talks by Peter Snook and Peter Gill on topics ranging from scoring software to player development, and knockout Teams rounds on Thursday and Friday. Gold masterpoints are on offer throughout. The Eric Parsons Pairs and John Brockwell Teams trophies are among the major prizes.

The Australian bridge calendar continues with the Victorian Festival of Bridge in Melbourne from June 3–8, followed by the Australian National Championships in Canberra in July.