Solo Aussie outback cop mans beat the size of Britain

Birdsville, Australia: Being the only policeman in an area the size of Britain might be daunting for some, but not for Senior Constable Stephan Pursell. The easygoing 53- year- old runs a modest police station in the equally modest town of Birdsville, making him the law across a vast swathe of outback Australia. In this isolated, arid, ferrous- redandorange moonscape fringing the Simpson Desert, dust, pesky flies, feral camels, wild dogs and deadly snakes are your main companions. Pursell acknowledges that his patch — which takes four days to drive across — is “quite big”. But he relishes the challenge. “This ( job) came up and I thought, ‘ what an iconic location in Australia’, he said, “so I put an application in.” He got the gig, and so two years ago hauled himself and his wife Sharon away from Queensland’s gleaming surf, 1,600 km to the east, and into this sandy cauldron. It is not a place for everyone. Daytime temperatures can soar above 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds can whip up dust storms that blot out the sun and turn the skies dark. “You’ve got to experience it to enjoy it. It’s an amazing place,” said Pursell, who became an internet sensation last year after shots of him frying an egg in the withering heat on the bonnet of his Toyota Land Cruiser went viral. Birdsville itself is home to just over 100 people. There’s one hotel that doubles as the watering hole. A roadhouse allows people to stock up on fuel and life- saving essentials. But the highlight may be a bakery selling curried camel pies. The tiny township is a relief from the barren landscape. Surrounding Birdsville are endless sandy plains and rolling dunes that merge into the distant horizon, a nothingness that’s both mesmerising and isolating.