Rushbrook will have her last hurrah in North West racing when she contests the Tamworth meeting on Thursday afternoon.

When the dust has settled, the popular figure will head to Queensland to take up a residency and further her career within the industry.

"At this stage it looks like I will be flying out on Monday," said Rushbrook, who has accepted a position with the Graham Dwyer training establishment at North McLean, just outside of Logan.

"My own horses are booked on transport, I have got my fourth border pass [for COVID]. It has all been such a rush," she said, adding that she has been dealing with COVID-related border closures for months.

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Rushbrook - who has four drives at the Paceway on Thursday - has been successful in her career in the North West.

She has driven 37 winners, had 124 minor placings and trained 60 winners since commencing her career in the 2008/09 season.

"There have been so many good times here in Tamworth and I love all the people [there]. I am grateful to have so many friends.

"I have also had a lot of support over the years from trainers and drivers who have helped me out along the way."

The catalyst for Rushbrook's decision for a sea change in her life came as she was recovering from serious injuries sustained in a horror race fall at Inverell in 2019.

She was flown by helicopter to Lismore Hospital suffering injuries that included a punctured lung, a broken leg and broken ribs.

After a lengthy convalescence, she has been back on the track for the past year. And after a chance meeting with Dwyer, who was attending a harness racing carnival in Tamworth in January, she was offered the chance to move to Queensland.

"Graham offered me a job working for his stables and I thought, what is holding me here?" she said.

"They have six days of racing up in Queensland, good programming and Graham is one of the leading trainers.

"You never stop learning in this industry and you never stop improving. I am excited about that as well.

"After I had the fall [at Inverell], I decided when I came back to the track that I was going to give harness racing a solid go.

"I travel to Newcastle every week for drives, and up there [Queensland] the tracks are within an hour of the stables."

She continued: "Graham is located half an hour from Albion Park, an hour from Redcliffe and 20 minutes from Marburg. And with not having to worry about travel, I can concentrate on the horses."

At the Paceway on Thursday, Rushbrook will drive The Joker, Jackeroo Shannon, Gotta Rush and Roll With Annie.

"I would love to drive a winner before I head off," she said, adding: "Moving to Queensland will give me the opportunity to work with the horses fulltime."

She said it would "probably take me six months to settle in [while driving] second-string horses, but I can still train my own team.

"I will probably burst into tears when I get on the plane. But I have to make the most of the move and the opportunity."

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