b'CLUB SPOTLIGHT ALBURY-WODONGA 4WD CLUB hazy mirage. After 6 days of rough camping, the hot showers We eventuallyand amenities of the Birdsville Caravan Park were reached the salt lake atmost welcome. Later that afternoon, all cleaned up the end of the Hay Riverand looking presentable we gathered once more at the track and turned onceiconic Birdsville Pub for our farewell dinner.more towards BirdsvilleEventually it was time to say our goodbyes Over over the familiar dunesthe past two weeks we had lived and played together, of the QAA line. Wehowever all things must come to an end, and so camped beside the trackregrettably our journey was finally over.23km west of the Qld/NTPersonal Reflections (courtesy of our current President, Jeff border. Cavanagh)Day 12:It was an easyThis trip was my fourth visit to the big sand-pit, yet I never drive over the remainingcease to wonder at the absolute clarity of the sky each night.dunes to the Eyre Creek western bypass track. AlongEvery star seems to shine more brightly and the milky way is one section of the track was what we called the Camelan absolute delight to see.Graveyard. Beside the track were the bleached bonesThe desert wild flowers, growing after two years of bountiful of at least a dozen camels, possibly the result of a cullrainfall turned some parts of the desert into glorious many years ago. multicoloured gardens. This display, courtesy of Mother As we turned east once more and got closer to Eyre Nature, was admired by all.Creek the landscape became much greener, and the birdlife was more prolific, a result of the now receding floodwaters. The natural beauty of this area was amazing.We arrived at Eyre Creek at lunchtime, set up camp and spent a lazy afternoon relaxing and taking a dip on the cool waters of the creek. That night following dinner, we sat around our final campfire chatting about the trip.Day 13:Journeys End Awakening to the soothing sound of the rippling waters of EyreCreek and the twittering of the birds, we prepared for our final leg of this unforgettable journey. As the rising sun lit up a glow on the horizon, with the tree lined banks of Eyre Creek in the foreground it was a magnificent sight to behold. The Simpson Desert is certainly a place of contrasts, from red sand and spinifex to colourful patches of wildflowers and the tranquil setting of Eyre Creek.We headed for the final run into Birdsville. As we made our way south, we passed parallel to the creek and the many picturesque lagoons formed by the past floodwaters. Once again, we marveled at the beauty of nature in this vast country of ours.As we reached the QAA Line once more, we regrouped for the run over the final sand dunes to Big Red. After we descended the last dune before Big Red, we stopped for morning tea. After the break we made our way across to the foot of Big Red to test our skills against the steeper tracks.When our fun and games and group photo were all done, we made our way down to the plain area to restore our tyre pressures to normal before the run into Birdsville. After refuelling, a few of us set up camp at the caravan park while a couple opted for the comfort of motel accommodation.12 TRACKWATCH|March 2024'