Day 52: Birdsville, Big Red and getting stuck
Waking to another cloudless sky reaching down to the flat endless plains we set off for Birdsville.
This was an appropriate time to start listening to an audio book of the journey of Burke and Wills. Despite being taught the history in Primary School it is not until you come out to this harsh land that you can fully appreciate the hardship of the journey they undertook. What was disguised as a scientific exploration in reality was a race to be the first to cross Australia.
In 1860 they set up camp 76 on the banks of the Diamantina River on the edge of what is now Birdsville. Birdsville lies between the rolling red sands of the Simpson Desert and the rough gibbers of the Sturts Stony Desert. You are left in no doubt when you are entering the Simpson Desert as the first mountain like red sand dune you reach is Big Red, believed to be the largest of all the dunes.
So with this in mind there was only one thing to do and that was to go out and tackle the dune. When you arrive at the base of the dune the first thing you notice is how red it is against the blue cloudless backdrop. I have experienced white sands on Fraser Island and Stockton Beach but this was a unique experience.
I was surprised when we arrived that there were not any other cars attempting the climb. However there were 2 others waiting patiently for some entertainment. There were two tracks up, the first much steeper. So not wanting to disappoint them I lowered the tyre pressure, pointed the car at the steep track, shifted the car in to 4WD and hit the throttle.
Starting back on the flat plain the car builds up speed along with the level of confidence. Then at the base of the dune the car jumps and shudders from side to side as the grip on the steering wheel tightens. Reaching the dune the car begins to claw its way up however it does not take long for sand to grab at the tyres sapping all forward momentum. As the wheels spin and sand flies the battle between machine and nature is now at its peak. But today nature won. The car came to a halt only metres from the top of the dune.
That was awesome! Let's do it again!
Despite a couple more attempts we just couldn't beat the soft sand at the top so decided to take the slightly less steep approach.
Reaching the top of the dune this time was easy. What was not so easy was deciding to continue on and stopping just before the track disappeared down the other side. I know the golden rule is to never stop at the top of a crest and now I know why. Like a playground sea-saw the car lodged it self at the crest, wheels helplessly digging them selves in to the sand.
As we were the only ones driving in the dune there was no one to snatch us our. Luckily I had my recovery gear so got Hux out of the car and told him to start digging. I was even considerate and lent him the maxtrax.
After a bit of sweat, interspersed amongst the laughter, we were out and down the other side. If we were doing the Simpson there was another 1133 dunes to go! For some reason Hux declined to agree to join me on that future trip.
With the adrenalin slowly disappearing it was time for a beer, and what better place to go than the Birdsville Pub.
Birdsville pub is one of the great iconic pubs of Australia. The pub has served drinks to weary travellers as far back as 1884. It is full of hats of past locals who have done their time in this harsh environment. Standing on the edge of the verandah, beer in hand, our trip may not have been as harsh but following today's adventure it was enjoyed just as much.
The town is said to have a population of 115 + or - 7000. This is largely due to the Birsdsville Races.
Started in 1882, thousand converge in this tiny town to watch them. As we stood in the middle of the race track you could almost hear the echoes of the hooves kicking up the dust as they gallop down the home stretch, revellers cheering on the riders, not caring who is winning but just enjoying the moment.
Leaving Birdsville we followed the path of cattle duffer Harry Redford who pioneered the now famous Birdsville Track.
Another night was approaching so we found a spot just of the track to set up camp and enjoy the most magnificent roast beef and vegetables, garlic and butter potatoes cooked in the camp oven. Life doesn't get much better than this.
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