From Coober Pedy we turned east and hit the dirt. We were taking the shortcut home along one of Australias best known inland tracks – the Oodnadatta track.
The first leg is roughly 170km along the William Creek track, which intersects with the Oodnadatta track at William Creek roadhouse, which was our camp for the night.
The start of the road was very rocky, with large sharp baby head sized rocks all over the road. Thankfully after about 10km they thinned out and the road improved and was in reasonably good condition all the way to William Creek.
The most disconcerting thing was the complete lack of any other cars, we didn’t see any in either direction for the whole drive. At about 40km in Bel asked what happens if we break down? I assured her someone would come along, we always had our bikes too! About half way we did pass a road crew doing some grading, which gave a little comfort.
We reached William creek early afternoon and setup camp – we were the only ones there so choosing a spot was difficult. Too many options!
The flies were horrendous, tiny ones that attacked in mobs trying to get into your nose, ears and mouth, so we decided to take shelter in the pub for the afternoon. It was a great decision, another classic outback pub adorned with relics and signatures of the thousands of past visitors.
While we were there a big group came in which we were told was the board of directors for the Journey Beyond group that runs the classic rail tours around Australia. They were there to taste the Outback and Lake Eyre experience that can be had from the Ghan rail trip. After an enjoyable afternoon we went back to the van, and hid inside from the flies and the heat. We had power so we’re able to crank up the aircon and stream the footy. Luxury!
The following morning we headed down the Oodnadatta track to Marree. The track follows the line of the old Ghan train line, on the southern edge of Lake Eyre. The train line no longer operates this route but the relics are still there.
The first of these was Coward springs. Which was a very popular stop in its day.
It’s now a privately run campground, but it’s main attraction is still there – a heated pool from a spring/bore!
The road was again in good condition so it was a relatively easy drive. There were also more more cars on the road so it didn’t feel as remote as the first day.
About half way along we crossed the southern tip of Lake Eyre. It is quite dry at the moment so was a huge salt pan.
About 50km before Marree we came across a collection of sculptures.
200km later and we were back on bitumen and had reached Marree, a small town with a population of 150, a regional hub for many and famous for its yacht club. We had visited Marree last July when we drove down the Birdsville track, so it was comfortingly familiar.
It was much hotter this time so we took advantage of the pool at the back of the pub.
When we stayed last time we had explored town and did the flight over Lake Eyre which was very special, so these photos are from then.
Marree marked the end of the Oodnadatta track along with another fantastic outback experience. Well worth the drive.