Birdsville: My Year in the Back of Beyond

by Evan McHugh

For a town with seventy residents (on a good day), Birdsville is remarkably well known - the Birdsville Track, the rodeo, the pub, the infamous races. With its ruggedness, inaccessibility and larrikin charm, this small town on the edge of the Simpson Desert has become a symbol of the great Australian outback. What is it about Birdsville that has made it stand so large in our legends? And what's it like to live there amongst the floods and the heat and the dust storms? To find out, Evan McHugh packed up his Sydney home, bought a four-wheel drive and headed off with his wife for a year in the back of beyond. Here, he tells us of the large adventures - midnight desert rescues, aerial mustering on vast cattle stations, relentless heat and massive floods - but also the small details of life in one of Australia's most isolated towns, like driving 700 km to go shopping. As the months fly by, Evan learns about an ancient culture, sees dunes carpeted in millions of tiny wildflowers, and meets the members of an outback community facing extraordinary challenges with quiet determination and buckets of good humour.

Genres: Australia, Nonfiction, Travel

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

“I’d discovered that when people in the bush say people in the city don’t understand what life is like in the outback, they’re absolutely right. The outback has its frustrations…Yet it also has its rewards. The quality of life is vastly superior...And surprisingly, it’s never boring.” (Pg 268)

This is the reflection of Evan McHugh after living in Birdsville for a year. After setting out from Sydney on 1/5/2008 with his wife Michelle in order to write a book; the only thing that the McHugh’s knew is that they would have no idea what the next twelve months would bring.

With an open mind, a sense of adventure and two hands in dire need of some manual labour; Birdsville: My Year in the Back of Beyond is the story of Evan as he and Michelle ride the highs and lows of living in one of the most beautiful yet harshest places in Australia.

What a memoir McHugh has delivered! I devoured it and it reminded me so much of moving from Melbourne to Mount Isa. The culture shock, the amazing outback locals and hospitality, and the wonder at how such a small town in the middle of nowhere can not only change your life; but make you a better person for it, was all there. I could relate completely and found the telling of the story to not only engaging; but also relatable and authentic.

This would not be possible to achieve without McHugh’s strong writing, which is open, honest and descriptive. I felt like I was there as he braved the weather and environment, attended car rescues, drove over sand dunes, walked his neighbour’s dog through a carpet of flowers, attend sacred Aboriginal sites, yarned with locals and made his way to the famous Birdsville Bakery for a pie and a coffee.

Overall, I loved the people in this book. McHugh clearly has the ability to get a yarn out of everyone and anyone about one of Australia’s most isolated towns. It’s not just their stories he’s captured though; but also the voice of person telling it. I could hear these people as though I was beside them.

Whether you’re after a vicarious holiday, a change of lifestyle or a fan of the memoir genre; Birdsville has a wide reach and you’ll be hard pressed not to be impressed!

To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.

[Cathryn Wellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Evan and Michelle McHugh decided to spend a year in Birdsville, in the Queensland outback, the intention was for Evan to get a book out of the adventure. They got much more. With both of them volunteering for community events, Michelle working in the local bakery, and Evan called out on rescues, they integrated themselves into the small, remote town as no short-term visitor could. They helped out when the floods came and swung into service during the annual Birdsville races. Evan's memoir is a tribute to an outbook town with the mettle to make it through quiet times and hard times. He is a good storyteller, easily drawing in the reader and keeping her engaged to the last page.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sparked a lot ideas of adventure and exploration for me. There were a lot of surprising elements of outback life I had never thought about - for example, having your nearest food store 700km away, having roads in and out of your town closed for hundreds of kilometres due to regular flooding, and all the townsfolk needing to work multiple jobs to keep the town functioning. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the community spirit shared amongst Birdsville's 70 residents, the indigenous history of the area and the unique, beautiful and ever-changing landscape of the Australian outback. Special points because there was an enormous chapter on vehicle recovery expeditions. A great read!

[Pollyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! Urbanites Evan and Michelle McHugh live a year in Birdsville, a town in western Queensland near centre of Australia. I really enjoyed Mchugh’s writing style. The book was incredibly informative and highly readable. Would recommend to just about anyone who wants a nice light read about outback living!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story held one’s attention most of the time as the writer relates his story about the time he and his wife left Sydney to live at Birdsville.
It gives a great insight into the way of life and the characters who live in Australia’s Outback.
Recommend to all.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this in audio book form. It was relaxing and gave what I believe to be an accurate and interesting account of outback life.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great read and description of one of our iconic towns. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book to read, especially so as it reminded me of being in Birdsville myself. Very worth reading.

[Merete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, Captivating - in short: Excellent

[Bronwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally loved it..a real eye opener of country life. The good and hard times of living in such a remote place . heading up there in a week and now can't wait to get there..hope my experience is as great..shame its only for two days..I would gladly leave the city behind and live there..

[Anna Ciddor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on audio. Very interesting description of a year living in the back of beyond - almost inspired me to give it a go in spite of all the hardships described! The sense of community and mateship was wonderful.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, developed a real understanding of contemporary outback life.

[Andree Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into Birdsville. Never knew much about it before.