The old eyes twinkle, he has a few tales to tell and he's ready to take us back along the Birdsville Track for a very special and historic journey - "Last Mail from Birdsville - The Story of Tom Kruse".

In 1954 the Shell Film Unit made a one hour documentary, filmed in black and white, about the mail man Tom Kruse, who served the remote stations along the Birdsville Track between Maree, South Australia and Birdsville in Queensland. The film, "The Back of Beyond", became a classic of outback travel and hardship and has won more international awards than any other Australian film.

"Last Mail from Birdsville" picks up the story about the man and his truck. Tom takes us back to the desert to find his old mail truck where he abandoned it in 1957. This was the truck that featured in the movie and Tom reckoned he could get it going again.

After an almost impossible restoration the 1936 Leyland Badger is brought back to life and the bloke who brought the mail, supplies and good cheer to families along the Birdsville Track sets off on one last mail run through the Australian outback.

"Last Mail from Birdsville" takes us on a journey with one of Australia's outback heroes - a dogged, tough, giant of a man. At 85 years, Tom Kruse takes the wheel again to re-enact the life of the outback mail man of the 1940's and 50's. Along the way he bumps into old mates like George Bell from Dulkaninna Station. George turned 80 the day Tom arrived at Cooper Creek and 500 well-wishers turned up to say Happy Birthday.

This is a tale about a real Australian character and the survival of the old mail truck - a contraption once held together with fencing wire and melted down .303 bullet casings. It's also about outback hardship, ingenuity and a salute to one of the great characters of the Australian bush, Tom Kruse.

HOME | Tom Kruse | The Leyland Badger | Last Mail from Birdsville | The Birdsville Track | Drop us a Line