Pauline Lewis
Along a track so arid and forlorn
Maree left behind in the distance
A nine-hour drive to the infamous location
To delve into the history of its existence
Forward we go on the old stock route
Where explorers perished on gibber plains
Cameleers grappling to survive
The harshness of an ancient terrain
Europeans traced back to 1844
Exploring the land that God created
Oppressive heat and shelter lacking
Their mission seemed so defeated
Birdlife galore, hence our destination
Dingoes roaming in desert habitat
The Waddi tree portraying loneliness
Eerie hot winds and desert rats
To the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert
Lies the remote Aussie destination
Charles Sturt being an early explorer
The town that is now Birdsville haven
A hotel built in 1884 with weathered sandstone walls
A welcome refuge to global travellers
The spirit of the outback in all its sense
Panoramic views creatively spectacular
Surrounded by the regal channel country
And water supplied by the artesian bore
Birdsville township so beautifully remote
None other alike yet we explore
Temperatures recorded up to fifty degrees
New travellers to survey the back of beyond
Birdsville just a particle in God’s country
But historical to those who have been found