After one more night trapped in Birdsville...

...we decided to look at the start of the one route out of Birdsville not blocked by water. The route west, across the Simpson Desert.

Although the normal road to the Simpson Desert was blocked by water (1.2 metres deep) there was a diversion that got us to the first sand dune. The track over this sand dune is known as little red or a few kilometers north....

...as big red.

We were intending to leave Birdsville east via the Birdsville Developmental Road to Windorah but when the northern Eyre Developmental Road opened first, with more rain forecast in a few days we decided to take it. As expected there was a little mud about 85km out of Birdsville.

We spent the first night at Cuttaburra Crossing along with several thousand pelicans.

By the time the forecast rain arrived we were on the tarmac road between Stonehenge...

... and Longreach.