The Birdsville Track is an icon among Australian Outback routes. Driving this 517 km dirt road from Marree to Birdsville, or the other way, leads you to remote, harsh Outback country. A trip for adventurers!

It was a hot day, so no fun to replace it on an uneven track.
However, I don't want to blame the conditions alone. Someone scratched the car, and obviously the tyre as well, in a car park a few days before. That was perhaps the reason that the tyre blew off.
You see, it is important to go on the rough Outback tracks with good tyres!
Fortunately, we could replace the damaged thing in Mungeranie.

Despite the extreme dry and harsh environment, the land along the Birdsville Track is considered good cattle country. Once the rare rain and floods from the north inundate the region, you'll see an amazing transformation of the sunburnt, desolate landscape. Water from the Artesian basin helps that cattle can survive during the drought periods.

The Birdsville Track is surrounded by Australian deserts. The Tiari and Sturt's Stony Desert line the southern and central part, the Strzelecki and Simpson Desert surround the track in the north.

Is it boring? No! Although there are many featureless stretches, old ruins, creek beds (usually dry) and sand dunes provide changes along the way.

Once you leave Marree for the northbound journey, or Birdsville for the southern route, there is only the Mungeranie Roadhouse about halfway that provides provisions like fuel, meals & drinks for travellers.

Join me on a fantastic journey. Read about the history, highlights, track conditions and get facts about the Cooper Creek ferry.

Looking back...

The Birdsville Track was established in the 1860s. It once was the main stock route to bring cattle from central Queensland to the railway in Marree. In these days, the trail had a grim reputation, many people and mobs of cattle lost their lives.

Due to the lack of surface water the Australian government sank artesian bores along the way. This made it possible for men and beasts to survive the distances in this remote country.

Crossing the Natterannie sandhills was a challenging task for cars in the early days. The dunes are clay-capped today, and don't cause problems any more.

For the first motorists the Birdsville Track was an adventure that could take a couple of days or weeks. Tom Kruse, the most famous of the mail men, did the mail run from 1936 to 1957. He had to fight many battles with the harsh conditions in these days.

The Birdsville Track is rich in history and tragedy. Unlike the Oodnadatta Track you need to know what to look for to notice the relics of the days gone by.

The Birdsville Track today...

Look at this map of the Birdsville Track - it opens a new window for your convenient reading and planning.

• The modern track is a wide stony, gravel road that lost the horrors of the early days. Nonetheless, the route crosses dry & desolate country, and it is very remote.
  
  
• Travellers should be well prepared, carry sufficient water, a spare tyre & everything essential for driving in the Outback. Read my driving tips here.
  
  
• Avoid to travel in summer, it gets too hot. You won't meet too many fellow travellers, and probably have to wait a while until help arrives when you break down.
  
  
• After rain, the road will become impassable quickly, so watch out for the weather forecast before you go.
  
  
• The piles of stones and gibber pay toll to your tyres, punctures happen as well as accidents. Drive slowly and stay safe.
  
  
• Watch out for cattle roaming on the track! This is cattle country, after all.
  
  
• As always, road conditions vary depending on the weather, amount of recent traffic, and when the grader went through for the last time.
  Actually, I found conditions on the Birdsville Track rougher compared with the Oodnadatta Track.

The highlights along the Birdsville Track

• Lake Harry ruins - More than 100 years ago, after a bore had been drilled, a date palm plantation was established here. This is not a joke! Although the date trees grew successfully, up to 2000 date palms stood there in the 1930s, the project failed due to the lack of bees to pollinate the trees. The Outback has reclaimed its land and only the ruins remind of these days.
• The dingo fence meanders 5400 kilometres from the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight throughout Outback South Australia and NSW to the coast north of Brisbane.
• Cannuwaukaninna Bore - this is the most accessible bore, only a few metres off the track. Be careful, the artesian water pours out at near-boiling point. It's a good picnic spot, and the small wetland attracts many birds. Take your time, sit down and watch the amazing bird life.
• In 1926, Betty Broadbent, an English nurse, fell in love with the country, and decided to live by Cannuwaukaninna Bore running a little store on her own. What a tough woman!
• Cooper creek - crossing the 5 km wide sandy creek bed is no problem if it's dry. Scrubs and low trees indicate the Cooper's channels, and make a difference to the surrounding country. There is a detour to a ferry on Etadunna property, check if the Cooper is in flood before you start your journey.
• Mulka ruins - not much is left of the former station homestead and store.
• Mungeranie Gap and roadhouse - the gap is the highest point on the track (150m) and a scenic highlight. The roadhouse is a highlight for all who long for a cold beer and a dip in the nearby wetlands. It is a lovely place to stay a day, or two.
• Koonchera sand hill - the largest dune on the Diamantina floodplain
  
  

About 200 km before you arrive in Birdsville, the newer "outside track" begins. The turnoff is near Clifton Hills station. This part of the road was built in the 1960s to detour Goyder Lagoon and the flood plains of the Diamantina river. It is highly recommended to use the new outside track as the old route is not maintained frequently, and often closed anyway.

When you finally arrive in Birdsville, the tiny town at the end of the route, you are still in the middle of nowhere, but there is so much to explore!

Now you are in the south-western most part of Queensland, a great chance to discover another beautiful region of Outback Australia. I am sure you'll enjoy your travels in this remote area as much as I did.

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