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Report of a self-supported and self-planned bicycle tour on the famous Birdsville Track, Australia. Monsoon rains added an unexpected degree of difficulty...

Summer, Sun, Sand and Mud - cycling the Birdsville Track, Australia

Waltraud
2004-03-05 13:53:55

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address of a German artist who is living in Birdsville. Seems like we have been waited for – as often, the news about us has arrived before us.

After a refreshing swim in the Diamantina River we wet ourselves from the inside in the Birdsville Hotel with conversation with the locals ("I heard you can bake bread in the desert?"). Then we already make plans about how to spend the next few days here. The German artist Wolfgang John who chose this place to live because of the unique colors of the desert, invited us for a trip to the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. We would not have reached these by bike, since our time frame was too tight.

A cool Coopers at the top of Big Red

Remembering our experiences in Mungerannie, we decide not to spend the first day in the pub, but relax in our tent at the Diamantina River. In the morning we are awakened by a galah singing in the tree above our tent. The town is 2 km away, and there are no other sounds, except the birds. After a relaxing breakfast we pack our gear for a day's trip in a car and cycle to meet Wolfgang.

The dunes of the Simpson Desert are oriented northwest to southeast and are all in parallel. We are driving east to west and thus have to make our way over one of the high dunes every few kilometers. The dunes are of fine red sand. The highest sand dune – Big Red – is the second attraction of the Birdsville region, besides the famous Birdsville horse races. So what will the Australians do to enjoy the scenery? With the words "the sun is over the yard", open a cool beer and enjoy. We are having Coopers, an Australian beer brewed to the rules of the German "Reinheitsgebot".

A swim in the green desert

We are surprised about how green the desert is. The valleys between the dunes seem like meadows with fresh grass, trees with fresh leaves, and many flowers in bloom. We also can see many big red kangaroos, and cockatoos. In the distance ...