Birdsville to Windorah to Quilpie

Birdsville

It was 186 kms from Bedourie to Birdsville – a lot more gravel road today! Stones flying everywhere & lots of ‘sliding around’ on the gravel. Again people passing really good in getting to the side of the road or off it completely.

Again lots of road kill (kangaroos) & wedge tail eagles & crows at them. Landscape changes from ‘grey lands (floodways & mudflats – ofter green patches beside the road) to red/orange with ridges of sandhills.

We stopped at the ruins of one od Sidney Kidman’s early homesteads, Carcoory. Would have been lovely stone house – flies nearly carried us away!!!!

Also stopped for a photo of the ‘boot tree’. Waddi trees grow nearer to Birdsville – thesemuli-sapling like & VERY hard wood, popular for ‘building & fencing in early days – also the termites didn’t like it!

Birdsville still very busy; very dry & dusty! Flies!!! Sign - Population 150 (+ or – 7,000) – grid of half a dozen streets. You virtually drive into the caravan park from the ‘highway’! 52 powered sites & LOTS of unpowered camping down beside the Diamantina River – lovely outlook. $40 a night for power.

We walked the streets – I bought a fly net at Frontier Services! – good museum display of it & local ‘hospital’/clinic from early days in 1930’s. The Birdsville hotel there & the same façade from 1884 with the airstrip right across the road!

We checked out The Bakery – known for curried camel pies but none left!; bought multigrain bread $6.50. The museum closed now – they are hoping ‘all the contents’ will go to the one in Longreach. Camel rides operate from outside it.

We drove to toen entrance to see the artesian bore that supplies the town – water piped out at 98 degrees centigrade, there are no iron or sulphur minerals in it so once it has cooled down in the channels (steam pouring off it!) it is pumped up to water tower!

Out to the racetrack – out of town, on other side of the river & Burke & Wills Tree (supposed to have carved initials there). People free camped everywhere beside river or just ‘in the bush’! Signs up ‘no free camping in town limits’.

We walked up to the hotel for dinner (5.30 – 6.30) but the line was out the door so we walked back & had tea at van. We walked up for outside showing of last State of Origin game (on BIG old fashioned screen). They had a big pit fire & about 80 watching it  - lots of families. We lasted till half time – we’d worn jackets & parkas but still COLD (3 degrees!) so we came back to listen to the NSW whitewash by Qld– 52 – 6!!!! in the warmth!.

Guy next to us suggested taping flattened cardboard boxes to back window against stones thrown up on gravel road. He said so many cars had arrived in Birdsville with shattered back windows. We did this as well as closing all curtains & taping door vents.