The small town of Birdsville is situated in arid south west Queensland approximately 1000 miles northwest of the state capital Brisbane and on the edge of the Simpson Desert. Because of its remote location, the town is not connected to the Australian national power grid and requires its own power generation facilities. Established in the 1870s, Birdsville takes its name from the prolific bird life that soon arrives when the nearby Diamantina River intermittently fills with water. The town currently has a population of around 100 people and is sustained economically mainly by adventure tourism