'Only one man and a dog! Go to Birdsville, then down the Birdsville Track, if you want something out of the ordinary!' His words kept recurring to me - an invitation to loneliness, utter loneliness ...

Noelle Sandwith, 1953

In the summer of 1952-53 a young English artist, Noelle Sandwith, undertook one of Australia's best-known journeys along the Birdsville Track from Birdsville to Marree. Noelle sketched, photographed and wrote about those she met and the scenes she encountered.

This exhibition features works from the Museum's collection donated by Noelle Sandwith. Through Noelle's sketches and writings, the exhibition captures the unique environment, the characters and the lifestyles of this quintessentially Australian experience.

In conjunction with the exhibition the National Museum of Australia Press has released In Search of the Birdsville Track featuring a collection of Sandwith's sketches and extracts from her journal.

More on In Search of the Birdsville Track:

> Biography
> The Journey
> The Birdsville Track

Banner image: Station hand, Keera, September 1952, New South Wales

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In Search of the Birdsville Track debuted at the National Museum of Australia from
23 June – 9 October 2005.