DOWN THE FAMOUS BIRDSVILLE TRACK
Tom Kruse MBE
Birdsville Mailman
The legendary Tom Kruse took over the mail contract paying 396 pounds per year to operate the Birdsville - Marree Mail Run from January 1948 to 1963. Tom held the mail run for 15 years, delivering goods and mail to Birdsville and outposts along the track through floods, drought, and drifting sand dunes.
Driving a Leyland Badger built in the UK in 1936, his exploits resulted in the documentary:
Last Mail from Birdsville - The Story of Tom Kruse.
(2000) 54 minutes
Birdsville Track
The track had reopened a few days before allowing our Toyota Landcruiser to drive down the Birdsville Track. It had been closed for recent heavy rain.
The Track is a distance of 517 km of dirt road. A few patches were encountered over the track of drifting sand perhaps fifty metres or so pulling the Landcruiser to one side a little. A few water crossings here and there. More like large shallow puddles almost the width of the track and all with a firm base. The Mungeranie to Marree section of road in much better shape being a well formed double road. Perhaps in the future this will be sealed? 205 km in length.
Whilst the track was closed, a 4WD vehicle had driven up the track from Marree, making it all the way to Birdsville. The track was still very much water-affected from recent heavy rainfall. Because of this foolhardy individual, his vehicle had left deep wheel ruts the length of the two-way track. Most had now dried out, leaving behind very rough wheel ruts to navigate. Much of the driving needed to be done on the wrong side of the road to avoid the churned-up ruts in the road. Luckily, there are very few travellers along the track.
Traveldriven
Rain On The Track
You won't get up to Birdsville mate.
The inside tracks a lake;
The Diamantina's running strong
For that's the way droughts break.
And if you drive from Clifton Hills
Across the swollen creeks
And take the outside, why mate,
You'll be out for weeks.
Refrain
For there's rain on the track and there may be more.
The grass will come as it did before,
And even the cattle are water logged,
There's rain on the track and the mailman's bogged.
There's a glint on the plain where the creek-beds lie
The dingoes whine 'cos they can't keep dry,
So move on mate, for beyond that hill-
Birdsville!!
The country there is wide and lean,
The gibbers look like blood;
And when it's dry the sand is mean,
And when it's wet there's mud.
You won't get up to Birdsville mate,
Or else you'll need some luck;
You're down, and to the axle too-
Well mate, I'd say your stuck.
There's bitumen in Birdsville, mate
A great artesian bore.
It's in the beef and sugar State-
You've not been there before?
The brolgas dance at sunset mate,
And street lamps light the town.
It makes a kind of music
When the Diamantina's down.
And so you've got to Birdsville now
Although you're two weeks late,
You've left a tyre and pints of sweat,
You're dug up half the State.
Your car's a muddy juggernaut,
Such roads you've never met.
You'd better rest in Birdsville, mate,
You have to drive back yet!
.... by Max Fatchen
DRIVE BIRDSVILLE TO MARREE
BIRDSVILLE TRACK SIGNAGE
RAIN ON THE TRACK
WILD DINGO ON THE
BIRDSVILLE TRACK
BIRDSVILLE TRACK
TOM KRUSE
FAMOUS BIRDSVILLE MAILMAN
TOM KRUSE PLAQUE, IN BIRDSVILLE
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