Cheap flights and Hotels

The red dunes stretch to infinity, and maybe beyond. From our vantage point on top of Big Red, there’s no sign of anything except a few Western Bustards wheeling and whirling, looking to scavenge anything remotely edible in the vast dry expanse. The heat rises and hits like sledgehammer blows. We are alone in a silent universe, so it seems. The only reality is the wine and cheese we’re enjoying, waiting for sunset.

Kylie of Desert Edge Tours explains that this is the unlikely setting for a not-so-silent concert… rock, pop, folk all rolled into one event, now an annual weekend called the Big Red Bash. It’s in July, when the days are cooler and the nights freezing, but the thousands who flock to for the occasion don’t seem to mind. With performers like Jimmy Barnes and Paul Kelly, why should they? Camping out under the Southern Cross only adds to the sense of occasion, and there are basic facilities to ensure survival.
Old and young, they arrive in droves in their caravans and 4WDs, ready to experience everything and anything. The red dunes are 38 kms west of Birdsville, which itself is 1,600 kms west of Brisbane, and are at the edge of the Simpson Desert. It’s the heart of the nation and it beats loudly on this July weekend.

Birdsville itself is a mysterious place. Why it exists at all, and why people live there, is hard to imagine. 

For years it’s been known as the end (or the beginning) of the Birdsville Track linking the far south west of Queensland with Adelaide, 1,200 kms away. It’s a remote dot on the map inhabited by Indigenous desert people, traversed by explorers, and settled by cattlemen.

And in recent times, the famous venue for the annual Birdsville Races in September.

Normally it’s hardly a thriving, buzzing sort of place. You could fire a shotgun down the main street and be sure of wasting ammunition. The iconic Birdsville Pub is the epicentre of activity for locals and visitors alike, and that’s where you’ll meet local characters as well as roadies telling tall stories about their battling through flooded tracks in the wet season just to get there and have a beer or three in the bar. It is definitely a scene which typifies the laid-back outback social scene.

Photo Credits Main pic: Helen Kidd  |  Dinosaur shot: Elizabeth Nankivell  |  Others: Phil Hawkes.

Birdsville itself is a mysterious place. Why it exists at all, and why people live there, is hard to imagine.

There’s more to Birdsville than the pub. The bakery could hold its own anywhere, with not only fresh daily breads but their gold medal-awarded camel pies (one hump or two?), the signature recipe of baker Dusty Miller. Then there’s a roadhouse offering just about everything, including spare parts and a rescue/retrieval service for stranded motorists.

Most important, there’s the Wirrarri Visitor Information Centre where Barbara and her team will point you in the right direction if you haven’t got a clue where you are; and if you’re lucky you might meet Indigenous elder Auntie Jean whose decorative paintings adorn the walls (and may be for sale if you ask nicely).
Of course there’s a police station, a ranger, a medical clinic if your hangover persists, and a school for just a few lucky students who receive pretty much one-on-one tuition. Oh, and a church, of course. And that’s about it.                                                                                                                       

Which doesn’t answer the basic question: why go all the way there, if not for the Track, the Races or the “Bash”? The reply from most intrepid tourists is: to say I’ve been there. It’s become a kind of badge of honour.

Of course that overlooks the fun, and the potential drama, of getting there.

The easiest way by far is to take the Rex Aviation “milk run” flight from Brisbane, with four stops along the way. But road trippers will consider driving at least part of the way (you can leave your car/caravan at Windorah and fly the rest) or if you have time, stopover in great country towns like Quilpie and Eromanga where there’s a new Natural History Museum displaying recently discovered dinosaur and megasaur fossils. Quilpie’s Heritage Hotel is an ideal place to rest your own bones for a night or more.

In Windorah, the Western Star Hotel is another example of real country hospitality, honest food and talkative characters. It’s won the title of “Best Outback Pub” for two years in a row. You can book a room or camp there, or soak up the solitude out at the Cooper’s Creek campgrounds.
This could be your year for Birdsville and the friendly towns along the way.

There’s been some scattered rainfall… the Channel Country is flowing and you’ll see green everywhere, as well as red ochre. And of course the birds.

www.outbackqueensland.com.au