- And we’re off — let’s go explore the Australian outback!
- Katherine, Northern Territory
- Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
- A day in Darwin, Northern Territory
- Kununurra, Western Australia and the Bungle Bungles
- Broome, Western Australia
- Uluru (Ayers Rock)
- Alice Springs, Northern Territory
- Birdsville, Queensland and return to Sydney
Today, we started flying back to Sydney, the last leg on our air cruise. It was going to be a long flying day, but we made a stop in Birdsville, a tiny town on the edge of the Simpson Desert, near the borders of Queensland, the Northern Territory, and South Australia. And when I say tiny, how about a population of just over 100 people? The nearest major city (Brisbane) is over 500 miles away! This area wasn’t really settled until the mid-1870s, when it became livestock country. Birdsville (lots of theories of the name origin — all seem a bit shady) was settled to service these big cattle stations, both locally and as part of the cattle drive to Adelaide. At the time of its incorporation , the town had 3 hotels, 2 stores, a customs house, a police station, and some assorted commercial buildings. Today, they are down to 1 hotel, a couple of restaurants, a bakery and a pub. But things seem to be picking up some as Birdsville. Tourism seems to be the future of this town, with its position at the edge of the Simpson Desert, the Big Red Sand Dune, and the nearby billabong. For our money, the best attraction in town was the Birdsville Working Museum, made up of 6 buildings whose contents mirror the cattle station past of the area. The couple that run it (the Menzies) almost run it as a living history museum. John performs duties as a harness maker, wheelwright, coach builder, mule skinner, and blacksmith — all of which he demonstrates for visitors. He also shows and demonstrates his impressive collection of horse drawn carriages and gear. We really enjoyed wandering amidst all the ephemera and listening to John. He was quite a character. It’s not clear how long his going to keep this place going, though. Both he and his wife are in their 60s and he was making noises about hanging up his spurs. I hope he finds someone to take over the reins; this is a pretty unique collection of Australiana (hmmm… what is the Australian counterpart to Americana?)
One of the biggest draws to Birdsville is the annual Birdsville Races, an annual charity horse race that supports the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This race has been held in Birdsville since 1882. I can’t imagine how long it took people to get here. Even today it takes nearly 3 days to get here by car. Today, during the two-day race event, the population swells to around 7000 people. I can’t imagine where people sleep; it’s probably like a horsey version of Burning Man!
Anyway, after our short stop in Birdsville, we were off for our final flight leg across New South Wales back to Sydney and civilization. It was rather subdued on the plane with everyone lost in their thoughts about the trip. For the majority of the retired Australian passengers, this was probably the trip of a lifetime. It was also the first time many of them had been in the outback to see the beauty and cultural heritage there. We all learned a lot — even “Mrs. Howell” seemed to appreciate the Aboriginal cultural heritage and the rugged life to survive in the Outback. For Deb and me, it was another opportunity to learn about indigenous cultures, which we seem to be gravitating more and more to. For us, this also marked our last big trip during our nearly year-long stay in Australia. We’ve seen a lot, but hope to come back again someday to see more of Western Australia (WA). We’ve also accumulated a fair amount of Aboriginal art that will have to find a home in the new house we are about to start construction on in San Juan Island in another WA (Washington State). I also must say that “air cruising” has been a blast — the perfect way to visit the outback. Thank you, Bill Peach; hopefully we’ll enjoy your hospitality in another part of Australia in the future!
This entry was posted in Australia, Cruising, New South Wales, Queensland, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
