Birdsville

Birdsville is a small town and locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Birdsville had a population of 115.Birdsville is located on land traditionally owned by the Wangkanguru People, in the Channel Country of Central West Queensland, Australia. It is 1590km west of the state capital, Brisbane, and 720km south of the city of Mount Isa. Birdsville is on the edge of the Simpson Desert, approximately 174 km east of Poeppel Corner and the climate is very arid.HistoryBirdsville was known as Diamantina Crossing from 1881. There are a number of different theories as to the origin of the name. One is that the name derives from the prolific bird life in the district. The other is that a store was established by Percy Bird and George Field and they called it Birdfield. However, in 1882, G. and R. Wills, of Adelaide, misaddressed a consignment of goods as going to Birdsville and that name stuck. Another is that a man named Burt established a store and called it Burtsville which corrupted to Birdsville. Whatever its origin, by 1882, the name Birdsville was in common use and was formalised at the proclamation of town in 1887.Birdsville Post Office opened on 1 January 1883.Birdsville was located at the border of South Australia and Queensland to collect tolls from the droves of cattle being moved interstate.