vesna0103

• 17/Jan/2022 03:31:46

It is so far from the coast, and so intensely isolated, that Birdsville has become a byword for the Australian outback. It is a tiny township - really nothing more than a village - on the edge of the Simpson Desert on a road which effectively goes nowhere - apart from into the desert. Birdsville sits on the edge of the Simpson Desert and operates like some kind of mysterious magnet to people who want to go to the most isolated place on the continent. The current fascination with isolated places has meant that a regular stream of 4WD adventurers, all determined to travel the 500 km of the Birdsville track, pass through the town. This has been complemented by the Birdsville Races which attract over 8,000 people to the town for the two day race meeting. Origin of Name The first name for the town was Diamantina Crossing, a practical description of a place where travellers could cross the mighty Diamantina River. There are two possible explanations for the name: (1) it was named Birdsville because the owner of nearby Pandie Pandie Station was amazed by the diversity of birdlife attracted to the area when the river was in flood. It was not uncommon to see pelicans and seagulls in the region's salt lakes. (2) Percy Bird and George Field opened at store at the place and it became known as Birdsfield. In 1882 a consignment of goods was sent from Adelaide addressed, incorrectly, to Birdsville. The name stuck and became the accepted name for the tiny settlement. Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/birdsville-qld