Stretching north south between Marree and Birdsville, the Birdsville Track was once one of the most dangerous stock routes of the Continent, mostly due to the unreliability of the waterholes in what is one of Australia's driest regions. Awkwardly, it's rain that prevented us from reaching Birdsville. So much water had fallen on the northern part of the track than when we reached Mungerannie (also sometimes spelled Mungeranie), the road was being closed. We decided not to wait there and to get back to Marree, though the original plan was to reach Birdsville and from there go to Innamincka and the Strzelecki Track.
The landscapes on the Birdsville Track are a bit monotonous, but the loneliness in vast empty gibber plains is a great experience.
The Birdsville Track was opened in 1880 by E. A. Burt. It allowed the cattle stations of South Western Queensland to link with Adelaide (which was their closest market and supply center). Until the 1930s, the track was regularly used by camels trains, which carried all the goods the local stores and stations needed, including construction materials. It took them 24 days to cover the distance between Marree and Birdsville. Today, the track is a rather good dirt road which can be driven in one day.