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angling or swimming to wash off the heat of
your day in the desert.
The Burke and Wills Tree: This historic
coolibah tree on the Diamantina riverbank
was marked by a party tracing the route
taken by Burke and Wills.
Waddi Trees: Located just 12km from
town, the rare Waddi Trees can be up to an
incredible 1000 years old.
Lake Eyre: Now is your chance to witness
an iconic Australian natural phenomena as
the lake fills with floodwaters. The town of
Marree is 520km south of Birdsville on the
junction of the Oodnadatta and Birdsville
Tracks (offroad vehicles and vans only).AN RV FRIENDLY TOWN
Birdsville is classified as an RV Friendly
Town by the Campervan and Motorhome
Association of Australia (CMCA) so it offers
excellent RV facilities.
The Birdsville Caravan Park offers 84
easily-accessible powered sites suitable for
rigs of all sizes including water. In the off
season, prices are $35 for two persons per
night, and up to $55 per night during major
events. The park also has unpowered sites
spread over 30 acres. The costs range from
$25-$40 per night for two people in offpeak/
peak seasons.
There’s free camping on the Birdsville
Common on the Birdsville Development
Road. Many spots have water (but no toilets)
and are set amongst the Gidgee Trees. There
is almost no firewood for about 5km around
Birdsville, so collect some in advance. Local
Waddi Trees are protected.
Dump points are located on the eastern
and western side of the town common, near
the racetrack and the rodeo grounds. For
supermarket provisions, stop in at Birdsville
Roadhouse or Birdsville Fuel Service.Birdsville Races
The iconic Birdsville Races have arguably put
Birdsville on the tourist map.
Part of the annual Simpson Desert Racing
Carnival also incorporating the Bedourie
Races and Rodeo and The Betoota Races,
The Birdsville Races now take place each
September (this year it’s 6-7 September)
and offers a rich purse of $200,000.
Begun in 1882, a princely sum of 200
pounds was offered to the winner among the
150 owners, managers and stockmen who
had gathered.
The event is now run by the Birdsville Race
Club and attracts more than 6000
attendees. You can just imagine how the
camping areas swell during this time...The current track, which was established in
the 1930s about 3km southwest of town, is
2000m in circumference and sits on a
claypan amidst surrounding sand dunes. It’s
about as ‘outback’ as you can get. The
longest race is the 1600m Birdsville Cup.Big Red Bash
What began as an intimate music festival on
part of the Adria Downs Station property for
300 people in 2013 has now swelled to an
annual pilgrimage for 9000 music lovers
each year.
Billed as Australia’s most remote music
festival set against the backdrop of the
30m-high Big Red Dune, it’s a three-day,
three-night bucket list camping and musicadventure — and you can even bring the dog
along with you, too.
This year’s festival (16-18 July) will feature
Midnight Oil along with ARIA award-winners
The Living End, Richard Clapton, 1927, Kasey
Chambers and Wendy Matthews, as well as
Neil Murray and Brisbane duo Busby Marou.
There’s also plenty of other fun stuff to do
too, such as outdoor film screenings, the
Australian Outback Air Guitar
Championships, dune surfing, Fashions in
the Desert (a wicked take on ‘fashions on
the field’) and the charity RFDS Bashville
Drags, where festival-goers race a 500m dirt
course wearing colourful drag outfits. Both
fashion events raise welcome funds for the
Royal Flying Doctor Service.BIRDSVILLE’S ICONIC EVENTS
“The BirdsvilleCaravan Parkoffers
84 easily-accessiblepoweredsites
suitableforrigsofall sizes”
TRAVEL Birdsville, QLD
ABOVE AND TOP Birdsville Caravan Park offers a true outback-style experience