Birdsville Track –Queensland | |
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| A sign at the northern end of the Birdsville Track | |
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Birdsville Track route (blue and white) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Track |
| Length | 517 km (321 mi)[1] |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  Eyre Developmental RoadBirdsville, Queensland |
 Birdsville Developmental Road | |
| South end | Oodnadatta Track The Outback Highway Marree, South Australia |
| Location(s) | |
| Region | Far North[2] |
| Restrictions | |
| Permits | not required |
| Fuel supply | Mungeranie28°01′7.28″S138°39′48.02″E / 28.0186889°S 138.6633389°E /-28.0186889; 138.6633389 |
| Facilities | Mungeranie28°01′7.28″S138°39′48.02″E / 28.0186889°S 138.6633389°E /-28.0186889; 138.6633389 |
TheBirdsville Track is anoutback road inAustralia. The 517-kilometre (321 mi) track runs betweenBirdsville in south-westernQueensland andMarree, a small town in the north-eastern part ofSouth Australia. It traverses three deserts along the route, theStrzelecki Desert,Sturt Stony Desert andTirari Desert.
Originally the track was of poor quality and suitable for high-clearancefour-wheel drive vehicles only, but it is now a graded dirt road and a popular tourist route. It is also used by cattle trucks carrying livestock. The track passes through one of the driest parts of Australia, with an average rainfall of less than 100 mm annually.[3] The area is extremely barren, dry and isolated. Travellers should carry water and supplies in case of emergencies.
The track was opened in the 1860s to walk cattle from northern Queensland and theNorthern Territory to the nearestrailhead inPort Augusta, which was later moved toMarree. The pioneering drover credited with establishing the track was Percy Burt.[3] Burt set up a store at Diamantina Crossing, today known as Birdsville, and used the path to bring cattle out of theChannel Country to the railhead at Marree that was completed in 1883. Thisstock route was at least 1,000 km shorter than the alternative path toBrisbane.[3]
By 1916 enoughbores had been sunk into theGreat Artesian Basin along the route that the movement of stock was much easier and safer than in earlier years.[3] Bores were drilled at 40 km intervals.
An isolated store along the track operated for several decades from theMulka Station. The Mulka Store Ruins are listed in theSouth Australian Heritage Register.[4]
Over the years the Birdsville track became one of the country's most isolated and best-known stock routes, as well as a mail route made famous by outback legendTom Kruse. Tom Kruse and the track were immortalised inThe Back of Beyond, the 1954 documentary film made byJohn Heyer. Kruse's services ceased in 1963, replaced by an air service from Adelaide that started in 1970.[3]
In 2006, as part of the Year of the Outback, theAustralian Governor-General,Michael Jeffery, travelled along the track in a 5-day event.[5]
The route was earmarked to be signed as part National Route 83 in the original plan of National Routes. It was to start in southern SA before travelling north through to far-north QLD. The route was never fully signed, the Birdsville Track being still largely unsealed.[6]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the track experienced a boost in popularity among drivers taking the route to avoidNew South Wales and possible quarantine.[7]
Up until the 1930s only stock and camel trains would take the Birdsville track. Today, it has become a very popular track. As a result, the track is reasonably well maintained and generally fairly smooth. However like any outback track, its condition can change, especially after rain. Large stretches of the track can still be destroyed by flash flooding and drifting sand.[3]
In dry conditions, a shorter route at the northern end depicted on maps as the "Inside track" saves 35 kilometres in distance.[8] Other than this, the road has no major intersections.
Fuel, supplies and facilities, including a hotel, can be found on the track at theMungeranie station, 204 km from Marree and 313 km from Birdsville. It is linked with theStrzelecki Track via the Walkers Crossing Track, which is closed in summer and only traversable in dry weather.[9][10]
| State | LGA[11] | Location[1][12] | km[1] | mi | Destinations[11] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | Diamantina | Birdsville | 0 | 0.0 | Eyre Developmental Road (National Route 83) – Bedourie,Boulia,Mount Isa | Northern terminus of track |
| 4 | 2.5 | Birdsville Developmental Road – Windorah,Quilpie,Charleville | ||||
| State border | 13 | 8.1 | Queensland – South Australia border | |||
| South Australia | Outback Communities Authority | Mungeranie | 314 | 195 | Mungeranie Roadhouse | |
| Marree | 517 | 321 | Oodnadatta Track (north) – William Creek,Oodnadatta The Outback Highway (south) – Lyndhurst,Hawker | Southern terminus of track | ||
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The miniseriesAlice to Nowhere and the book byEvan Green on which it is based, are largely set on the Birdsville Track. The show heavily features a mail truck which may have been based on the Leyland Badger driven byTom Kruse.
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| National | |
