Birdsville, Queensland, was at one time known as the Diamantina Crossing, is one of Queensland's most
remote towns.
Birdsville is on the Queensland border with both the Northern Territory and South Australia.
The Wangkangurru Aboriginal People
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| Two young warriors of the Wonkonguru tribe. Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 11 October 1930 |
1840s
John Oxley explored the area, mapping parts of the Diamantina district.In 1844. Charles Sturt also explored the region while searching for an inland sea.
1860s
William Landsborough led expeditions and mapped the area.
The Birdsville Track, was a legendary stock route from 1867 to 1960. The Birdsville Track is an outback road in Australia. The 517-kilometre (321 mi) track runs between Birdsville in south-western Queensland and Marree, a small town in the north-eastern part of South Australia. It traverses three deserts along the route,
1870s
Brothers Hector and Norman Wilson formed 'The Bluff' property around the present
site of Birdsville in 1875, as an outpost of their massive Coongy station across the border in South Australia.
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| Yorke's Peninsula Advertiser (SA : 1878 - 1922), Friday 12 September 1879 |
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THE MAIL LEAVING BIRDSVILLE ON CAMEL-BACK IN DROUGHT TIMES. Yorke's Peninsula Advertiser (SA : 1878 - 1922), Friday 12 September 1879
In 1879, Sub-Inspectors Henry Kaye and Henry Gough of the Native Police, together with troopers and stockmen from The Bluff and other properties, conducted a sweeping patrol for the perpetrators of the murder of a stockman. here |
1880s
Warning: Pointing The Bone, here
Birdsville had a store and a hotel by 1882. The present hotel is a replica of the one built in 1885.
In 1882, a group of 150 owners, managers and stockmen from South Australian and Queensland started the unofficial Birdsville Races. They raised almost 200 pounds by
public subscription, and drew a significant crowd.
F. A. Hartnell laid out the town in 1885 and officially gave it the name said to have been bestowed by Robert Frew, owner of 'Pandie Pandie' station, who had accompanied Charles Stuart on his crossing of the continent. Birdlife teemed there, and even seagulls were
seen in the salt lakes, a thousand miles from the coast.
Frew is also credited with establishing the Birdsville Track and had opened a tent store on the banks of the Diamantina River, Birdsville, in 1879.
1890s
Frontier Violence
See
Mounted constables Willshire and Wurmbrand, with the native Police in camp, in central Australia, 26th May, 1887, photos, here
J.S. writes; Allow me to reply to a recent contribution in "On the Track," signed by E.K., and which concerns a massacre of blacks by the Native Mounted Police, and pre sumably pioneers in the Birdsville district as late as the Nineties of last century. It would be interesting If E.K. would give the names of the stations where the massacres occurred and where the Native Police were domiciled, and under what officer. I lived in the Birdsville district for 20 years, from 1883 to 1903. During my life at Monkira I visited most of the stations within a radius of one, two and 300 miles. I cannot recall ever having heard of the Indiscriminate massacre of blacks, nor did I ever see the numerous cripples E.K. mentions. Long before the Nineties the blacks had learned to respect the weapons of the white man, and had become friendly and trustworthy. The statlons in those days would have been badly off without their help, as they were invaluable servants. It Is true that when the white man first settled on the Dlamantina and Georglna the blacks were resentful and some murders of whites did occur, but these were few and far apart. On the whole the blacks were friendly and gave little trouble. At the end of 1879, at the request of some of the early pioneers, the Government sent Sub-Inspector Sharpe, with his native police, to the district. He built his barracks at Pullawarrle, a waterhole on Monkira run, and called the place McKinley Downs. Shortly afterwards he was joined by Inspector Nowland, who did not remain very long, and Sub-Inspector Sharpe was left in charge, which position he held until his death about the year 1886. He passed away at Birdsville and after his death the barracks at McKinley Downs were abandoned, the troopers joining those under Captain Little. A short time previously Captain Little and his native police had been stationed at Bedourie, near Cluny Station. In 1889 Captain Little died in Birdsville. As the blacks had not been troublesome for some years it was not considered necessary to appoint another officer in his place. The barracks were deserted, the police going elsewhere under Inspector Britten. The murder referred to by E.K. was evidently that of a stockman called McConachie, at Thundapady, now called Durrie. Thin murder occurred about 1881. It was a showery day and McConacbie's mate was out around the cattle, which had only been a short time on the run. McConachie was in his tent plaiting a whip when the blacks sneaked up. Through a hole in the tent they rammed a spear into his back. The unfortunate man ran out of the tent, and was battered to death. When his mate returned, he left his horse in the yard, and started to walk to the tent, but saw so many blacks about that he ran back to his horse and escaped. If he went to McKinley Downs he would have had a ride of about 40 miles. I never heard that a massacre of blacks took place there.
The blacks would have dispersed long before Sub Inspector Sharpe and his troopers arrived. The ringleaders of that murder were two notorious blacks called Monday and Maloney. Several years later Monday was shot at Carcory Station, and he deserved his fate. Maloney was a Currawilla black, but had been chased away from there by the owner of the station because of his cruelty. He had chopped off both legs of his gin, about five or six inches below the knee. He was killed somewhere on Monkira by his own people in a feud. Another bad character that no station owner or manager would employ was Shotface Charlie. He had tried to rob a carrier, and when caught had attacked the man. who in self-defence had fired a shot gun at him, shooting away one side of his face. After that the aboriginal wore a handkerchief tied around his head to hide the disfigurement. Read here
1900s
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| Fourteen horse team at Birdsville, 1900, SLQLD |
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| J. Turnbull catching shrimps in a waterhole in front of the Township of Birdsville (a branch of the Diamantina River) 12/11/1906" |
The Australian Inland Mission served an expansive parish of about 2,000,000 square miles, when
it began operations in 1912 under Reverend Dr John Flynn — or Flynn of the Inland.
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Birdsville Hospital, Birdsville - 1912 : a lantern slide used by John Flynn in lectures. John Flynn OBE (25 November 1880 – 5 May 1951) was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Australian Inland Mission (AIM) which later separated into Frontier Services and the Presbyterian Inland Mission, as well as founding what became the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the world's first air ambulance.
(National Library of Australia) |
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| The Birdsville Mail, Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1965), Saturday 3 November 1917, |
1920s
"The Story of John Conrick, Pioneer" Frontier violence here
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| Birdsville Hotel, QLD, Approximately 1922-1935, SLSA |
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| Crossing the Diamantina River in flood at Birdsville, Queensland, 1924, SLQLD |
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| An Aboriginal Corroboree near Birdsville, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 10 January 1925 |
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| "Rock Wallabies", An Aboriginal Corroboree near Birdsville, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 10 January 1925 |
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| 1. Emu representing different districts. 2. "Decorating" for the festival. An Aboriginal Corroboree near Birdsville, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 10 January 1925 |
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| 1. A "kedeicha group". 2. Kangaroo and dog tableau. An Aboriginal Corroboree near Birdsville, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 10 January 1925 |
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| An Aboriginal Corroboree near Birdsville, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 10 January 1925 |
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| Police Station and Court House, Birdsville, ca. 1925, SLQLD |
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| Post Office and general store at Birdsville, 1926, SLQLD |
Modified car with a water tank attached, Birdsville, Queensland, SLQLD |
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| Birdsville Provisional School, Queensland, ca. 1926, SLQLD |
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| Birdsville Racecourse in the Queensland outback, ca. 1926, SLQLD |
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| Boulia to Birdsville mail run, 1926, State Library of Queensland |
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| Drawing water from a creek bed in Birdsville, ca. 1926, SLQLD |
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| Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville, 1927, SLQLD |
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| Spectators gathering to watch the opeining of the Birdsville Tennis Season, Easter Saturday, 1927. (Description supplied with photograph.) SLQLD |
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| Old stone Birdsville store in 1927, Queensland, SLQLD |
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| Pupils of the Birdsville Sunday School, 1927, SLQLD |
MR. S. W. CORKHILL of Norwood, drove for Cobb & Co. in the early coaching days.
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MR. S. W. CORKHILL of Norwood, who drove for Cobb & Co. in the early coaching days. Overland to Queensland 'I took my wife to Queensland, a journey of 1,800 miles, and we took eight months to get there. We had plenty of fishing and shooting gear, and as it was a good season we had an excellent time. Our horse was in good fettle and our conveyance was comfortable. 'In Queensland I drove for McCremmin & Co. for two years between Stony Point and Birdsville, in the Never-Never. That run was 187 miles. In those times aborigines looked after the horses, which were swum across the rivers, and the packs were carried in boats. Natives did the rowing, and on the other bank several of their tribe would wait to catch the horses. In wet weather packhorses ?could do the journey in about two and a half -days. Of course, the horses were changed at stages of 20 to 25 miles. 'Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 4 February 1928 |
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| BIRDSVILLE STATE SCHOOL, WITH THE TEACHER, MR. CLIFF EVERETT. AND THE PUPILS, Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934), Friday 17 February 1928 |
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A CONTRAST. THE OLD AND THE MODERN METHOD OF CARRYING MAILS IN SOUTHWESTERN .QUEENSLAND., Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934), Friday 17 February 1928 |
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| Aboriginal people at Birdsville, QLD, Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 30 March 1929 |
1930s
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| Koonki and Baldy, of the Wonkonguru tribe, "make fire" with a muckatuchurna.Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 11 October 1930 |
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| BIRDS VILLE'S MAIN STREET — 'AND WE'RE TAXED FOR THIS.' Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 30 September 1931 |
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| Australian Inland Mission, Birdsville, QLD, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 30 September 1931 |
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| The Australian Inland Mission, A.I.M. home at Birdsville Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Sunday 14 January 1934 |
(warning) Tribal Fight?
hereHow the Wonkongura tribe makes rain.
It starts with a little blood-letting. The blood must be smeared on the body, and then covered with down from the pelican. Next a little gypsum is put in a bowl and four bones are
put across the bowl. The bowl Is filled up with water and covered with emu feathers. The rain-makers then take another bowl which they place under a fibre streamer hanging perpendicularly in the air, and dance away from the first bowl, swishing a number of eagle feathers to make a noise resembling falling rain. That is how it is done.
Smith's Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 - 1950), Saturday 20 October 1934
'For the first time for many years the Diamentina is in flood at Birdsville, and we had to row across the fast moving river. Birdsville is an ordinary bush town, but it has one distinctive feature. Five hills about the size of an ordinary bungalow are in close proximity to the town and on investigation they proved to consist of beer bottles. I asked the oldest inhabitant how many bottles were there and he said somewhere between two and three millions, but even knowing the capacity of the cattle men on their few visits to hotels with beer at 4/ a bottle, the estimate seems a little high. Appreciation must be expressed at the work of the Inland Mission for the sole communication with the rest of Australia of Birdsville, Mulka and Clifton Hills Is through the peddle wireless transmitters and receivers installed by the mission. They have made a great difference to the life of these fine people of the bush. In addition, the mission hospital service, with one of its centres at Birdsville, has proved a great boon.'Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1965), Thursday 25 June 1936
1940s and WWII
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| World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), Saturday 12 February 1944 |
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| Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1948, |
1950s |
Black-Tracker As Witness Formerly of Birdsville, now of Hemmant, 37-year-old Constable Henry Cecil 0rmsbypleaded not guilty and reserved his defence to a charge that, on or about August 3 last, he stole a portable gramophone and 11 records, of a total value of £15/13/6. the property of Corporal Tommy, an aborginal (photo left). Ormsby was committed for trial by Mr. L. H. Mansell; S.M., after bewizened black-tracker Corporal Tommy (age, estimated between 76 and 80 years), who has served the police for 40 years at Birdsville, had given evidence and thumb-printed his depositions in lieu of signing them. He told Mr. Mansell that he had never seen the gramophone and records exhibited in court. The black-tracker said that at Birdsville he had seen a photograph of a gramophone like the one in court, and had asked Ormsby to get it for him, but he hadn't received it. Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Sunday 29 October 1950 |
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BLACKTRACKER. Working at Birdsville (Qld.) police station is Australia's old est blacktracker, Tom Copel. Tom has been tracking for near-ly fifty years, and in that time has tracked down scores of horse and cattle thieves. His, longest chase was along the Dia mantina after a horse-thief; it took him three weeks to get his man. Asked about his present tracking, Tom replied "No horse pinchers now everyone gone goody-goody since the war."Illawarra Daily Mercury (Wollongong, NSW : 1950 - 1954), Saturday 27 January 1951 |
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Since Cobb & Co.'s coaches stopped running through Birds ville, the little township never has been the same, an old abor iginal said last week.The population has dwindled until there are now only 15 inhabitants. Cobb & Co. coaches stopped operating about 1920. At that time Birdsville was the junction for a coach route to Bedourie, in the north, Win dorah in the east, and Maree, in South Australia.The aboriginal is Old Joe, the oldest inhabitant of the area. He claims to be more than 100 years old, but does not know his exact age. Joe is a picturesque charac ter, with white beard, and 8in. moustache.He is still active, speaks dis tinctly, and retains his faculties. Charleville Times (Brisbane, Qld. : 1896 - 1954), Thursday 13 August 1953, |
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| Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 27 August 1953 |
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| Hospital opening. It was "back to Birdsvillc" for many people in this group of guests and officials of the Presbyterian Church's Australian Inland Mission, who left Brisbane by chartered T.A.A. plane f or Birdsville today. They are flying to the official opening of the new Mission Hospital, which has been built at a cost of £15,000, to replace the original hospital, which was burnt down last November.Brisbane Telegraph (Qld. : 1948 - 1955), Wednesday 5 August 1953 |
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| Sister Henry and Dr. Hunn at Flying Doctors Drover aircraft in Birdsville, 1953, SLQLD |
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BIRDSVILLE'S MAIL Only 15, but 600 letters From Annette. Moir BIRDSVILLE — On a population basis Birdsville has probably ' received more mail in the last couple of months than any other country town in Queensland. There are only 15 people here, but they have had a deluge of GOO letters from England. One was addressed to the 'Lord Mayor of Birdsville,' another to the 'Manager of the General Post Office.' The letters started after the Shell Company documentary film 'The Back of Beyond' had been shown twice in television thoughout the British Isles.Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Friday 8 October 1954 |
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| Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Saturday 9 October 1954, |
'At the time of Federation, there were three hotels, a customs house, a butcher, a blacksmith and two stores. It was something of the real rip-roaring west. Now it could be described as a ghost town.'
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1955 - 1965), Friday 14 October 1955
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| Birdsville, QLD, Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1955 - 1965), Friday 14 October 1955 |
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| Sister V. Roden (left) and Sister L. McKay outside the hospital, Birdsville, QLD, Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1955 - 1965), Friday 14 October 1955 |
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| Birdsville is also a base for the Flying Doctor Service. Patrol Padre Les McKay, who succeeded the late Dr. John Flynn to the Flying Doctor Service, is pictured (above) with two native patients at the hospital, Topsy and Alice. (On Flynn's death, McKay became superintendent of the mission.) Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1955 - 1965), Friday 14 October 1955 |
The township, which takes its name from the thousands of birds in the area, has a store, hospital, hotel, and police station, as well as the homes.
Policeman Eric Sammon, known locally as "Lord Mayor of Birdsville," holds down 16 jobs in addition to that of keeping the outback peace. They include the positions of banker, stock inspector, coroner, and airways agent. But he has no traffic problems. Birdsville boasts only one car. They have no green vegetables, but they drink plenty of milk-supplied by the town's three goat herds.Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 26 June 1957
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| ON THE BIRDSVILLE TRACK TRIAL DRIVERS can ease dry throats at Birdsville Hotel, favorite stopping place of south-bound drovers. The. hotel, built of mud, saplings, and stones, is managed by Jack Roberts, ex-R.A.N., who lives there with his wife and daughter Sharron. Standing br survey car are (left) Mr. Al Work, Trial director, and Mr. Evan Green, also of Ampol. Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 26 June 1957 |
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| "Butcher." head of town'» aborigines, inspects trial surrey car. He camps in gunyah near police station. |
Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 26 June 1957
2000s
In 2010 thousands of people who gathered in Birdsville for the annual races were stranded as unexpected heavy rain turned the roads to mud and forced the cancellation of the Birdsville Races for only the third time in their history.
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| Birdsville Hotel during flooding in 2010. Creator: Karren Pickering. PD |
Around Birdsville
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| Birdsville Bakery sign, Caroline Jones, PD |
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| Anzac Park, Adelaide Street, Birdsville, QLD |
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| Birdsville Old Hospital Museum, QLD. In 1923, Rev. John Flynn established the Australian Inland Mission (AIM), bush nursing home in Birdsville, bringing much-needed care and support to an extremely isolated community |
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| Birdsville Hotel, QLD, established 1884 |
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| Birdsville Campdraft, Rodeo and Bronco Branding Big Red Road, Birdsville, QLD |
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| Birdsville Bakery, QLD |
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| Birdsville Caravan Park, QLD |
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| The Birdswood Races, QLD, celebrated 144 years on 4 & 5 September 2026 |
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| The Birdswood Races, QLD, celebrated 144 years on 4 & 5 September 2026 |
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| Birdsville Billabong is on the edge of town. It is a great place to swim, kayak, fish, or walk or just to sit and admire the birdlife |
Things To See and Places To Go
The Carcory Homestead Ruin (also spelt as Carcoory and Cacoory) is a roofless stone structure located on the northern end of Roseberth Station, eighty kilometres north of Birdsville. |
| The Carcory Homestead Ruin |
