Coronavirus restrictions turn outback Birdsville Track into ‘COVID highway’

The outback Queensland town of Birdsville is usually dead at the height of summer.

Sitting on the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert and with an average maximum temperature of 40.7 degrees Celsius in January, it rarely sees tourists at this time of year.

But coronavirus border restrictions transformed it into a bustling travel stop over the holiday period, as many motorists making their way from Queensland to other states rerouted their road trips to avoid…