DAY 26 BIRDSVILLE

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In no rush. Lingered in bed longer than normal. The cold was very persuasive with that decision. As the airport is across the road from the pub, well most things are across the road from the pub, the early morning flights of the roaring, sometimes straining, single engine Cessna’s fly directly overhead, so the lingering is not sleeping.

Today we readied ourselves for the Big Red Bash beginning tomorrow and lasting for 3 days. By readied I mean what food, drinks and warm clothes would we take to get us comfortably through the day. The camper stays put. We wandered around the well organised and kept roads taking snaps here and there, visiting the pub, conversing with other travellers, and visiting the very interesting Information Centre. The walk along the bank of the Diamantina River was refreshing and quiet.

Information re:BRB

This is taken directly from the BRB information brochure:

“ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Wangkangurra-Yarluyandi peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters where the Big Red Bash is held. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and to their communities.

The Bash began in 2013 on the red sand of the Simpson Desert, not far from the outback town of Birdsville. impromptu concert on top of the famed Big Red dune with the Australian icon, John Williamson. With little more than a PA system and his guitar, John played to 600 revellers under starry outback skies. This tiny concert in the desert struck a chord and the next year it became the Birdsville Big Red Bash. The Bash has grown each year, and in 2021 almost 10,000 Bashers came together to rock the Simpson. As we’ve grown, we’ve held onto our original Bash spirit: bringing people together to celebrate great company, awesome Aussie music, and desert culture in the beautiful outback.”

My research finds that the BRB is held on Adria Downs Station, an accredited organic property and operates to the Organic Food Chain Standards. The Station aims to produce high quality cattle, managed within the environmentally sustainable limits of the region, with the aim of conserving natural resources for future generations. The BRB is therefore held on private property with the kind permission of its owners.

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