6 days ago
Music icon John Williamson performs near Birdsville in place of Big Red Bash
Atop a red sand dune on the edge of a desert, an Australian country music icon spilled the secrets of the bush.
A crowd of 1,000 sang along to John Williamson's True Blue as the sun set over the Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert and reflected upon the lingering floodwater.
The intimate concert this week was a stand-in for the popular Big Red Bash, which is on hiatus this year, and a nod to how the bash began in 2013.
"To hear it in the flesh was amazing, very emotional," concertgoer Sharon Wilson from New South Wales said.
Volunteer Thomas Kessell, from Perth, said Williamson swallowed a few flies during the performance.
"But I'm sure he's writing lyrics about it right now," he said.
The Simpson Desert is known for its challenging terrain, and for the past 11 years has hosted Australia's most remote music festival, the Big Red Bash.
But last year, festival organiser Greg Donovan announced his team would be taking a break in 2025.
"Once we decided to do that, there was a lot of talk about the impact on tourism. It brings so much tourism to the outback," he said.
Mr Donovan put on an intimate two-night concert capped at 1,000 tickets each night.
"We had John Williamson play on the Big Red dune behind us. The Big Red Bash really came from that little music event, and we built it up to a big three-day festival with 10,000 people over 10 years," he said.
"It's really nice to just remember how it was in the beginning; it was basic but really nice up on the dune."
It will likely be the last time John Williamson performs in Birdsville, after 55 years touring Australia.
Williamson said singing on top of Big Red was an honour and a novelty.
"I've got an audience that wants to hear my music who have gone to that much effort to be here, so I'm honoured by it."
The township of Birdsville, nestled in the bottom corner of Queensland, was cut off for around six weeks earlier this year as record-breaking flooding made its way through the outback.
It has been a tough and slow start to a tourism season that typically starts in April.
But those who are now making the trek get to see the desert in bloom.
Glenn David Taylor travelled from Beenleigh with his father and son.
"It's our first time out this far west. It's a bit of a bucket list tick off," he said.
For Cheryl Crossland, from Far North Queensland, it was her seventh time attending the Birdsville event.
"It's unique because it's on top of Big Red and I love John Williamson," she said.
The Big Red Bash has become a lifeline to businesses and tourism operators in Birdsville.
They have a six-month window before the desert heat sets in and travellers drop off.
Diamantina Shire Council Mayor Francis Murray said when news broke last year of the bash's hiatus, locals put their heads together to fill a gap in the calendar.
They came up with the idea for a camel carnival, featuring market stalls, live acts, and camel rides.
"Without the bash, we thought we still had to get that crowd here," Cr Murray said.
"There's already camel racing in Jundah, Bedourie and Boulia, so we've marketed it as a camel trail and put this on in Birdsville."
Mr Donovan assured fans that the Big Red Bash would be back next year.
"We don't have any grand plans to change the format … as long as there is demand," he said.
