Thousands stuck after Birdsville deluge

The iconic Birdsville Hotel pub is still doing roaring trade for thousands of
tourists stranded by a very unseasonable 'Big Wet'.
Last Friday's deluge washed out the next day's historic annual Birdsville race
meeting for the first time in its 128-year history.
On Monday, all the roads in the area remained closed.
But nobody seemed to be complaining.
One of the hotel's managers, Kate McDonald, reckoned everyone was in good spirit.
"They are playing tug-a-war games and cricket out the front," she told AAP.
"They know how to make their own fun."
The cops said if ever there was a good time to be stuck in Birdsville, it was now.
"All the food vendors that were here for the races are still here, so no-one's going
hungry," a Birdsville police spokesman said.
"It's probably the best time to be flooded, because everything's here."
But the police said two commercial airlines that serviced Birdsville had put on
extra flights for tourists who needed to return home.
The local authorities, meanwhile, were hopeful of opening at least one of the major
road routes on Tuesday.
Diamantina Shire Council chief executive Scott Mason stressed roads won't be opened
until they are safe to cross.
"But we should be in a position to open the road between Birdsville to Bedourie
tomorrow," Mr Mason said.
"We were hoping to open the Birdsville to Windorah road today but it's still heavily
impacted by local flooding."
He said a road to a popular tourist attraction, a giant sand dune called The Big
Red, has opened, giving tourists an alternative.



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