Dozens of desperate Victorians are risking their lives driving a long desert dirt track in an almost 4,000km journey home from Queensland.
Holidaymakers found themselves trapped in the Sunshine State when Victorian Premier Dan Andrews closed the border to NSW.
Facing the prospect of driving all the way to the border only to be denied entry, they instead headed west then south to go the long way around.
The route takes them along the Birdsville Track, a lonely dirt trail cutting 517km through barely-populated desert where temperatures can top 50C.
A couple are pictured with their 4WD in Birdsville after travelling through the outback town to avoid New South Wales