With the tourist season about to take off, authorities are monitoring the road situation in Far Western Queensland after the big wet.
Birdsville is expecting tourists this weekend for the third Simpson Desert Ultra, a running race over distances from 25-100km while the sold out 2022 Big Red Bash is only a month away.
Recent rain events north of Birdsville in late April and early May have seen river rises and local flooding in the Cooper Creek and Diamantina River.
The Diamantina River peaked at Birdsville at 6.15meters on May 27 from April event cutting the Eyre Developmental Road into Birdsville between the town and racecourse.
The rain from early May is now making its way into Birdsville with the river now rising once more.
The Diamantina River at Birdsville is again expected to peak in the coming days.
Birdsville remains accessible from Bedourie to the North.
The Eyre Development Road from Windorah to Birdsville and the Birdsville Track are currently closed due to being flooded and impassable at the Diamantina River, just before Birdsville. The roads are otherwise in suitable condition to open once the flooding subsides.
Big Red Bash organisers said they were monitoring the roads and said there were no issues expected to impact access to Birdsville from any direction for those heading to the Big Red Bash later this month.
"The road from Birdsville to Big Red and the Big Red Bash site is not affected by the flooding," they said.
Birdsville Police officer Stephan Pursell said the township has been receiving a large number of phone calls over recent weeks regarding flood and road conditions at Birdsville and enquiries on travelling to and from the area.
"Previous flooding of Cooper Creek near Windorah has subsided and Windorah is accessible from the East," Officer Pursell said.
"There is no indication that the current flooding between the racecourse and town will impact the roads into Birdsville for the Big Red Bash," he said.
"As always current road condition reports from local shires and roads authorities are the source of information for current road conditions and closures."
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
