After Woomera we travelled across to Roxeby Downs, quite a busy community, based on uranium mining. After Roxeby Downs we set up camp off the Oodnadatta track so we would be fresh to tackle the Birdsville track.

The next morning we set off and were pleasantly surprised to find the track in reasonable condition. We stopped several times to enjoy the natural artesian springs and in one place a spa of sorts.

We arrived safely at Birdsville in good spirit to enjoy a welcome beer at the pub. Birdsville is home to a famous annual race meeting, to which people flock track side, from all over Australia. Many fly-in in their private planes with which you can taxi right up to the hotel.

Just to the west (35km) of Birdsville is Nappanerica or the Big Red Dune reputably the highest dune in Oz and is on the road to Poeppel corner the corner of the South Australia and Northern Territory and having recently visited Haddon Corner we were tempted to deviate, however decided to leave for another time and given we still had daylight, pushed on towards Mount Isa.