Big Red Bash Birdsville and Beyond 2017: 3rd July

Had to move into Birdsville last night. It seems 'our too good to be true' camp was! Police visit yesterday to ask us to move please. This is our camp in the common.

Sun rising over camp in town common area.

Our camp

Lots of campers around us, some were already long gone by this time.

Today is early bird entry day. I heard the first vehicle move out a little after 5am. Gates open out there at 8. There are a few more pulling out now. It will be interesting.

Left camp at 8.25. Just waiting for Steve and Phil to empty waste at the dump and we are off to join the hoards heading for Big Red.

and this is where they were headed. The queue on the road to BRB.

After a toilet stop in town we pulled onto the Birdsville to Big Red Road at 9.06. There was a steady stream of traffic so the only way we could all enter the roadway was for Steve to pull out and basically block the traffic while the other 5 vehicles zipped out in front. We managed that manoeuvre pretty well until 3 vehicles decided to pull out in front of Dad, we managed to beat two of them and get around the third, but now Steve was cut off from us. We motored along nicely with a bunch of other traffic for about 15 kms then we ground to a halt. At the halt Steve talked to the folk in front of him and I chatted to the ladies behind us. They were separated from their group and were happy to let Steve past, if we'd let them do the same. Ended up their party was behind Steve, so letting Steve past sorted them and us out.

Cars and Vans and campers etc for as far as the eye could see.

came to a dead standstill a number of times.

Mary was out and about taking pics.

Michael got a little drone action

Here is Michael with the virtual reality headset on, he uses this with his phone to see where the drone is going.

Getting into the Red Sandhills.

Mary and Sarah ran up to get some shots.

The queue behind us was no better.

sign along the way

The sandhills - the red of the Simpson Desert

Welcome, we must be getting closer

Nice dead tree, and sandhill on the left.

our crew.

Some of our guys got bored, Stef, Steve and Sarah headed up the sandhill

There they are.

It was a fair hike.

Stef was up the hill, so Milani moved the car along in the line.

That's Camp Bashville out there.

The 35 kms out to Big Red took 3 1/2 hours. We managed to get a pretty good site and set our selves up nicely. There was a whole lot of phaffing around to set up for 4 nights.

Our camp set up in Bashville.

We decided a roast night was a good option and set off to buy some wood. The folk selling it are from Cobram. They deliver cut wood to your site. I had to go on the back of the motorbike to show him where to deliver.

I also bought Port label and received a free bottle of wine.

We purchased some wood when we arrived, free delivery, but you had to accompany the
driver, so he knew where to drop the wood too. Interestingly they were selling ice, wood, port labels - with a free bottle of port. The people were from Cobram.

a whir of action to get fire, coals, and roast going.

Phil sawing some wood.

Now to sit around and wait for tea to cook.

Roast dinner was in 3 camp ovens. Two beef and one lamb, with bucket loads of vegies - carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, corn, onion, cauliflower and broccoli with gravy and cooked to perfection using our little gas bottle brazier to create the coals and transferring coals to each of them.