Birdsville Track was established during the 1880’s and was the main stock route between Marree in South Australia and Birdsville in Queensland. Back then, the route had taken approximately a month to complete and because of the long and harsh environment, many cattle didn’t survive the trip. The track these days is passable with many conventional vehicles and many people like to undertake the journey to discover the route the old stockman used to take.
There are two routes which heads into Birdsville from the south and that is the Outside and the
Inside track. The
Inside Track saves considerable distance than the more commonly used Outside Track, however the route traverses through some treacherous soils of Goyder Lagoon and must be undertaken by 4WD at all times. The biggest threat is from the floodwaters of Goyder Lagoon and Cooper Creek -- if northern monsoonal rain is excessive, flooding from Queensland's rivers will close the
Inside Track and the
Birdsville Track well into winter. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often.
How to Use this Trek Note
If you'd like to download this Trek there are two options:
- purchase our app ExplorOz Traveller. This will allow you to download all the ExplorOz Trek Notes to your GPS enabled smartphone/tablet/iPad or laptop and enable active route guidance along the route we provide as per the Directions. The app also allows you to edit/customise the route. In the app you will get all the words, images and POIs for each Trek exactly as on the website (excludes Wildflowers). For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage.
- Alternatively, if you already have another mapping software program (or an HN7 device) you can try downloading the data files we provide via the Download Trek button at the top of this page (or purchase EOTreks Route Files). Be aware that this doesn't include maps or text just the route line.
TIP | To purchase our maps for offline use, you will need to purchase an EOTopo map licence (available either in App Version, or Raster Version). |