Birdsville – more than just Big Red

 

Letting the tyres down for the dirt road

Despite the fact that conquering Big Red was one of the main reasons we ventured to Birdsville this trip, we found many other attractions here to explore.

The Racetrack is impressive  - much bigger than I expected and I’m very glad that I am not sharing the dust beside the track with 8000 others  at the moment. Don’t even want to think about what it would be like to camp beside the track in September at race time. I much prefer my air conditioned caravan with a few other campers nearby.

Sign says it all

Birdsville Race Club

Just a little out of town is a patch of Waddi Trees – not particularly impressive to look at but when you know that the trees can live over 1000 years ,

At the Birdsville Pub

the bark is so hard it doesn’t burn and you can’t drive a nail into it, you get the feeling  you have experienced something unique.  With a tip off from some travelers we met in the pub the previous night, we took a track near the Waddi Trees out to some other landforms. Here people have “graffitied” the area with words written with rocks. From on top of the landform, there is also a spectacular view of the surrounding district. Bonus.



You have to have a beer at the Birdsville Pub

Despite the dry, there is plenty of water in town from the Artesian Bore that pumps  a    day. The water is very hot and is sent to cooling towers before being  diverted to supply the town.

And a camel pie at the Bakery!

The Diamantina River is flowing well and the billabong beside the caravan park is quite full. Kids were swimming and canoeing there this morning. As you travel out this way, you can see why it is called the Channel Country. You cross many channels on your way, and at the moment, they are obvious due to the very green patches where the water is still lying. These same channels may mean we have to go back to Quilpie tomorrow instead of down the Birdsville track to Marree as they have had significant rain down that way and up until today, the roads have been closed. We are waiting on any travelers arriving here tonight from that direction to give us the heads up on the track.