The boys were going to hit the real Australian outback today by driving south towards Birdsville but before doing so they had to find a place to repair Lipstick’s windscreen which was hit by a stone from one of the many roadrail trucks.
As it is Saturday today it was not easy to find a repair shop which is open – but Andre spotted one.
and the owner of the business attended to the chip in Lipsticks windscreen himself and some 45 minutes later the boys were on their way south and soon found themselves leaving tar roads behind and travelling on desert gravel roads.
The worst point when driving on these roads is the rare occasion when one of the monster roadrail trucks are in front with a huge dust cloud behind them. Fortunately, on both sides of the desert roads the area is fairly flat so the boys decided to overtake these road monsters by leaving the road on either the left or the right side depending which way the wind would blow the dust.
Here the wind blows from the left so Lipstick will also pass on the left as if it would take the legal route of overtaking on the right, they would sit in a sand cloud.
Oncoming railroad trucks of course are a bigger problem as there dust clouds are so huge that for a few seconds the boys feel like being in a sandstorm…
With a bang from the left rear the boys realized that one of the tyres must have gone flat and this indeed was the case (only their second flat tyre on all their trips)
The many sharp stones on the outback’s gravel road can destroy even the best of all tyres and replacing a wheel in heat and dust is also not high on Lipstick’s agenda but needs to be done .
The next village would be Bedourie but being so small they would not have a tyre shop at all so Lipstick proceeded to drive a bit slower as the only spare wheel available has now been used.
The boys however stopped at an old historic building exhibiting some live of the past and giving some info about the outbacks..
After this short stop and being clear that the boys could not obtain any tyres here, they proceeded to Birdsville and arrived there in mid-afternoon.
Birdsville is a small outback town situated on the banks of the Diamantina River between the sands of the Simpson Desert and the gibbers of Sturts Stony Desert. The area is steeped in history, from aboriginal meeting places to European settlement in the late 1870s and beyond.
The Birdsville population currently stands at approximately 100. The town provides modern facilities for all travellers along with many thriving businesses. Accommodation and general supplies are available in the town.
Fortunately, Team Lipstick located one of 2 tyre places in town which was open and willing to assist with a new spare tyre – although it would not be a BF Goodridge….
After this dusty day it was time to proceed to the iconic Birdsville Hotel and its famous bar just in time to watch England beating the All Blacks in the World Cup Rugby semi final.
One cannot stay or be in Birdsville without taking a photo of the weathered sandstone walls of one of Australia’s most photogenic pubs, the Birdsville Hotel, which has welcomed travellers since 1884.
… New Zealand lost against England and the boys went for a good night’s sleep…