Mareeba cowboy Kurt Shephard, hot off his Australian PBR Championship and Gold Buckle, in record breaking fashion, now wants revenge in 2026, along with his mighty Maroons PBR Origin Series team mates.

The Monster Energy Tour will begin in Scone on February 7, before a two-day buck fest at Beaudesert on February 27 and 28. PBR will storm into Melbourne’s John Cain Arena and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for the first time since 2019 and will make a debut in Coffs Harbour in September in what is a huge year for the sport and Shephard, 31, who sits at the top of the stack of wildly talented bull riders.

And the fiercely contested PBR Origin Series is sure to get his fellow Queensland riders enthused and entertain the crows. It continues in 2026 with the mighty Maroons out for revenge after the Blues made history in taking the title in 2025 for the first time.

The state versus state battle begins in Newcastle on May 30, before Brisbane on June 6 and then the finale in Sydney at the TikTok Entertainment Centre on August 1.  The season will once again end where legends are made, in Townsville, home of Australia’s biggest weekend in bull riding over November 13 and 14.

 “With so many great bull riders coming out of New South Wales right now, Scone is again a fitting place to start season 2026,” said PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young.

“Riders to watch this season are Queenslanders Zane Hall, Thomas Triplett, Kurt Shephard and Donovan Rutherford, as well as Clint Glass from New South Wales and from New Zealand, Riley Ward. With great emerging riders in the mix, Scone will test who is ready to step up in 2026 when the chutes open!”

 “This year will see over a million dollars in posted prize money and bonuses awarded to cowboys across a season that runs to the second weekend in November with over 29 events scheduled from as far north as Cairns right down the east coast to Adelaide,” he said.

“The season will see us return to Melbourne John Cain Arena and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre with majors and newly introduced tour spots Coffs Harbour, Traralgon and St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown, in addition to this we will be returning to the Supercars Townsville 500.”

Towns and cities on the full 2026 PBR Australia tour include:

• Queensland (QLD): Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Beaudesert, Toowoomba, Burnett Heads, Bloomsbury, Caboolture and Sandstone Point.
• New South Wales (NSW): Sydney, Newcastle, Nowra, Hawkesbury, Coffs Harbour, Orange, Tamworth and Scone.
• Victoria (VIC): Melbourne, Gippsland and Traralgon.
• South Australia (SA): Adelaide and Marrabel

Last year pushed the limits of the sport:

• Mareeba superstar Kurt Shephard claimed the coveted PBR Australian Championship Golden Buckle, and made history as the first rider in PBR Australia to surpass $180,000 in season earnings.
• Brazilian sensation Luan Crystian Camara capped off an extraordinary debut year as both 2025 National Runner-Up and Rookie of the Year, ending the season with 1,931.50 points.
• Clermont’s Brady Fielder, No. 3 ranked rider in the world in 2025, delivered a global first, becoming the only rider in PBR history to reach 100 qualified rides in a single season.
• And on the bull front, Alpha Blokes Warden (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) dominated as Bucking Bull of the Year, remaining unridden all season.