And the alternative routes are just as good. From here on, the changes are more subtle lots of gibber country, mixed with stretches of small flood plains and sand country. Sit atop the 40 metre high Big Red, the biggest sand dune on the eastern edge of the desert, and watch four-wheel-drivers take on the challenge of the steep and sandy tracks. See the map below for details on how to travel to Boulia and book your flight here. Bedourie, meaning 'dust storm' has . Not what we expected! The Grey Nomads is an informative website about open-road travelling and holidays within Australia. We are a couple of seniors off to Birdsville for our first time. It must have been a hot and isolated place to live when it was a working station. Once you cross the border, those Queenslanders have done a few things. That was until they made history as the last Australian bushrangers trialled for murder right here by the side of the Warrego in the Mitchell courthouse. While exploring, listen for famous names such as Tully, Durack and Costello, who were among the regions first settlers. Stretching over 1,700,000 square kilometres, the Great Artesian Basin provides the only reliable source of freshwater through much of arid inland Australia. If you are, either dont go this way or expect suspension damage. And some crests can have nasty bulldust holes over them which you cant see until youre in them. 647 or floodrecovery_roadaccess@tmr.qld.gov.au. BaSC x Drive to road conditions x Closed due to road damage 2/03/2023 . "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." - Mae WestOur 379km trek from Windorah to Birdsville had us embark on a journey into Queensland. The ruins are protected by federal and state heritage legislation, so please, leave them as you find them. Has anyone done this trip across . For accurate up to date road conditions for Queensland also check the following sites: RACQ Road Conditions. Environment, Water & Natural Resources, Port Augusta office Some of the bull dust holes at the top of the sand dune crests are big enough to swallow a small car. And thirdly, theyve erected a giant sign warning that the speed limit is 50km/h in built-up areas. So when youre not smashing over corrugations, youre crashing over rocks embedded in the surface . We were in a 4 wheel drive and averaged between 80 to 90 Klms per hour across the dirt / stony gravel roads without lowering our tyres. Top up wherever you can. By all accounts, it crosses many creeks and black soil flood plains. Theyd had a heavy fall of rain a few weeks before we drove through and water was lying around everywhere. Im driving up from Port Augusta to Birdsville then the next day into Windora and onto Roma. Note: This article contains an affiliate link to Camera House. One such stately building is the restored Old Town Hall, now home to the Ipswich Art Gallery, an interactive art gallery and social history museum worthy of a visit. There are many heritage buildings to enjoy on the leisurely self-guided walk and theres a brochure available from the visitor information centre. Isa to Birdsville then onto Windorah - Quilpie - Cunnamulla- Goondiwindi. Duration: 5-7 days Eromanga is home to the internationally recognised Eromanga Natural History Museum where you can meet Australias largest dinosaurs including Cooper and George, who are in the top 10 largest dinosaurs in the world. 12 hours on the bike, 8 hours on gravel to Birdsville. Theres no signage at all, quite strange really. don't worry about the distance from town as a bus run back and forth all day about every 30 mins. To think Charles Sturt traversed this country then decided to walk back through it because he was fascinated by the landscape, defies belief. Firstly theyve laid down white gravel. Theres two ways you can travel from Innamincka, SA to Birdsville or Windorah in Western Queensland. Im looking at going to the big red bash in July this year have 4x4 and pop top van not off road and wondering it its feasible to take this van to B/ville. . The wind has been blowing a gale all morning and has been collecting dust, by late afternoon it was quite brutal. Its the main link from the Strezlecki Track into the Cooper/Eromanga Basin oil and gas fields. We chose the three states in one day option, a loop up and into Queensland then across to Innamincka. The bike was a BSA 250cc, four-stroke. Be aware, some of these drives can be remote. Mostly sealed bitumen roads lead to you to new and exciting places, where the people are friendly and appreciative you've made the journey into their part of Australia, and the views different each step of the way. So it sort of lives up to its name, Silver City Highway. The road varies from fantastic sandy road to a few deep sand sections to some pretty bad sections of corrugations. We had no idea the Cooper Creek basin and northwards is actually an ancient valley. You gaze down into the valley you just drove through and its laid out before you like a map. Mungallala is the only town you pass through on your trip west from Mitchell to Morven. . So they left on Wednesday and got to Windorah ok. . We covered this part of the journey earlier, so I wont repeat myself here. One Council advises that during the Council's Christmas Break-Up period, garbage collections in Beodurie and Birdsville will occur on the following dates Wednesday, 28 December 2022 Wednesday, 4 January 202. Both are easy to climb from the west (on the way in) but can be difficult from the east. Just be careful. Its simply amazing to see. This Heritage listed cottage constructed in the 1880s of stone and compacted rubble houses an array of historical artefacts including machinery, photographs, communications, homewares and much more. Arrabury Road is well worth the drive. The cheapest way to get from Windorah to Birdsville costs only $82, and the quickest way takes just 1 hour. What is the average time it takes travel from Windorah to Birdsville. Delectable home baked goodies line the shelves just waiting to tempt you and your taste buds will be eternally grateful so give in to this temptation. The eastern option from Birdsville is along the, If you are into a very challenging adventure, you can go west and cross the famous, The third choice is to head north along the. With the road being predominantly gibber rock this makes for an extremely uncomfortable and bumpy ride. its not the wild west that it once was. It is the administrative centre of the huge Diamantina Shire, located on the Georgina River. Day 3: Windorah to Birdsville and Back. Many travel here for its therapeutic benefits. Secondly the road becomes Warri Gate Road. Windorah is the Aboriginal word meaning "Big Fish" and is located 35km south of where the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers join to form the multi-channelled Cooper's Creek. Its a must !!!! The first is the well-known Cordillo Downs Road. just drive to the road conditions. From Quilpie you have the option of taking a short 108km detour along the fully sealed Cooper Developmental road (79A) to Eromanga. Just wide open spaces and plenty of places to pull up stump for the night. wish I was going CHEERS. Permalink. Its not often you get to see the desert like this. Can anyone tell me how far out of Windorah the bitumen finishes on the way to Birdsville, someone said to me that there's only about 170km's of dirt now, is that correct?? information. The road is two lanes through to Toowoomba, which makes for an easier journey. So be careful and be prepared in case you break down. Keep an eye out for the oil donkeys dotted along the Old Strzelecki Track. Apparently it is a fine of $1,000 per wheel if you are caught on a closed road. Take your time and enjoy the unique outback. I am checking out now how and what roads to take. Morven, which the locals say is small in size but big in character, is an easy 44 kilometres from Mungallala. Clearly this is a major truck route. Hello Rita we were thinking of travelling with a commodore sedan & a high lift 16.5 poptop from Cunnumulla to Birdsville by the Birdsville development road in late April . Head north out of Tibooburra towards Warri Gate. Then we started along the track to Cullyamurra Waterhole, only to be faced with a long stretch of black soil covered in water. Hi Interested in driving to Birdsville Races in April 2022. Eventually the road climbs onto the tableland, which stretches out in all directions. The tree is a Waddi (Acacia Peuce), which can only be found in the Boulia/Diamantina Shires. Climb on top of a dune and enjoy an unique sunset. the late afternoon. Derek Barry Planning a trip to Birdsville this year. A call to Diamantina Council is good advice. I carried a full back-pack, a couple of gallons of water on one crash-bar, and a jerry-can of fuel on the other side. You can refuel at Innamincka, Birdsville or Windorah. We are travelling from Walgett to Birdsville. Quilpie is a 210 kilometre drive from Charleville along the Warrego Way. Think of Miles and think of wildflowers. An aerial shot shows the Diamantina cutting off Birdsville township from the road south to the racetrack (top of the image). Generally this road is in pretty good condition, although it can deteriorate quickly. but big red is well worth a look, and a night time concert would be unreal. The first @130km is bitumen then the fun kicks in Drop down to 20psi tyres pressure and enjoy the dust and rocks for the next 3 hours. I will be driving a 2011 AWD Kluger. The Waddi tree aroused explorer William John Wills interest, with seeds from the tree found in his diary after his death. Once you say goodbye to Morven, its only another 90 kilometres to Charleville. Everyone, but everyone, stops here as it's the most obvious place to start in Birdsville. The museum is 3 kilometres outside of Eromanga off the sealed Mt. Let the high mineral content of the water from the Great Artesian Basin relax and revitalise you. Youre driving through remote sand dune country and the landscape is simply beautiful. Birdsville Burke Developmental Road Corner Country NSW Darling River Run Gary Junction Road Gibb River Road Great Central Road Nullarbor Old Ghan Rail Line Savannah Way Strzelecki Track Stuart Highway Tanami Road The Outback Way WA Goldfields Other Road Trips Country Towns QLD Country Towns NSW Country Towns SA Country Towns WA Country Towns Did this stretch in one winter day in a Mazda Tribute towing campertrailer. Learn about and the Birdsville Beetle Car 4. Back on the road again. February 27, 2023 alexandra bonefas scott No Comments . Fuel, food, and accommodation are available at Mungallala. A guard. think it is important to lower tyre pressures (20PSI for mine) as road is mostly crushed rock and 80kmph is about as fast as I wanted to go. Assuming you are coming through betoota, there is no accommodation between Birdsville and Windorah. Deep in the heart of wild and isolated country, Birdsville is situated between the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert, the vast gibber plains of Sturt's Stony Desert to the south and rich Channel Country . Schedule a couple of days in Charleville and enjoy the diverse attractions. Garbage Collection Over Christmas Break. Birdsville to Windorah ch 88.7 - 264.7 See Diamantina Shire Council for Bedourie to Windorah ch 213.1 - 388.78 See Quilpie Shire Council for Quilpie to Windorah ch .00-174.96 Drive to road conditions x x Call into the unstaffed information centre in the old store building and learn from displays how the property once managed over 12.000 head of cattle requiring up to 20 stockmen. Next day, we drove to Burkes Grave on Cooper Creek. And the fuel consumption on this thing is silly at around 450klms a tank. A must for visitors to Miles is the Miles Historical Village where more than 20 buildings are open to the public. Coober . Follow this road through the sand dunes until it hits Moomba Road, turn left, follow until the turnoff to Innamincka on your right. In 2010 I was overtaken by a holden astra towing a camper trailer on these roads. Margaret Road. Then with no moon, the stars blanketed the sky from horizon to horizon. Ipswich was once a thriving river port and the wealth generated by its pioneers is clearly reflected in the grand early nineteenth century architecture. We couldnt quite figure out why. After pushing north for about 250km, you meet the Birdsville/Windorah Road. So as always, give the trucks plenty of room and be prepared to stop until the dust clears. Find the Waddi Trees 6. But with your experience, you obviously know what preparation you need to do and how to look after your vehicle. Close to the highway is the Jondaryan Woolshed, built in 1859 and recently restored. A stay in Quilpie can be as busy or as relaxing as you choose. There is another service station around the corner and if you only want fuel, head around there as the line-ups are much shorter. For all other route restrictions use the following link https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au. Go to the Comments below or join us on Pinterest, Facebook or YouTube.Any errors or omissions are mine alone. If you click through and make a purchase, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You have quite a few options when travelling from Tibooburra to Innamincka. Water from previous rains was still lying around and made the trip a little nerve-racking. Some serious money has been spent on this road, with major earthworks to build up the road between sand dunes and cuttings into the sand dunes. Well, I hope you like corrugations! This property is now part of Sturt National Park. (Commonwealth Development Employment Project) centre; visit the grand old Hotel Corones, the biggest outback pub in Australia, with its resident ghost; and at night take in the star-studded outback night sky at the Cosmos Centre. The eastern option from Birdsville is along the Birdsville Developmental Road to Windorah, the heart of the channel country. At the turn of the century the Kenniff brothers ruled the ranges around here. Drive according to conditions and ensure tyre pressures are lowered. to take the Lake Machattie detour. Roll up and pay when council staff appear. The next stop, Miles, is only 45 kilometres further. You can refuel at Innamincka, Birdsville or Windorah. It is been a while since I drove the route that is also known as the Bilby Way. Birdsville is a friendly place, and you shouldn't have any problems. Join Trish McGreil and her husband Ian as they relax on the porch of their station homestead and hear their tales about the lights and many of the possible explanations as to what causes them. With a few days to spare, Arrabury Road looked like a good option and the last dirt road wed be able to travel on for a while. We have a Land Rover Disco and travelling with another party of 2. The Thomas Jack Park should be your first point of call. Wed never given this border corner much thought before. https://www.oka4wd.com/forum/members-vehicles-public/569-oka196-xt-motorhome. Highlights of a visit to Dalby can include Jimbour House, Lake Broadwater Conservation Park and visiting a cotton gin in full production during the picking season from around April to June. Keep following the Jump Up Loop Road north until you reach Middle Road at Olive Downs. The road was open, with plenty of wet black soil stretches which we easily avoided by driving around them. Given what we saw, there was no way we were going to take on the Coongie Lakes track. The road distance is 379.1 km. Once at the top, youre in Toowoomba, Queenslands Garden City. Public Toilets. Be prepared, the detour might be a With one eye on a huge rain system bearing down on inland Australia from the north-west, we decided to get out of there. Kilometres to Charleville on gravel to Birdsville for our first time fine of $ per. Sturt traversed this country then decided to walk back through it because was! Lanes through to Toowoomba, Queenslands Garden City have quite a few things it. Damage 2/03/2023 you gaze down into the Cooper/Eromanga Basin oil and gas fields some pretty bad of! The night are much shorter informative website about open-road travelling birdsville to windorah road conditions holidays Australia! The east what is the only reliable source of freshwater through much of arid inland Australia we are a of... 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