The Oodnadatta Track.

 

Our Max Traxs pay for themselves.

We nearly didn’t get to venture up the Oodnadatta Track.

The next day the track to Oodnadatta is open for 4 WD only, so we get up early and we are on the road by 7.30am to tackle the track and drive 206 klms to William Creek. We are both really looking forward to our big adventure.




The Oodnadatta Track is open to 4WD vehicles only. We do realise that it is therefore going to be a bit more difficult to conquer than the Burnsville Track.

That dreaded sign and the track that we just had to go down.

Just before the start of the official track there is a 4 klm private track into Hergott Springs - so off we go down this track. This track is still very wet, muddy, slippery and chopped up from the heavy rains experienced throughout this area 4 days ago. 1.5kms down the track and we have miss judged the depth of the bog and we are well and truly stuck in the thickest red mud you would ever seen. We feel like real idiots– Marree is still in sight and we are stuck.



Here we are stuck in the "Red Mud"

We have got out.... Hooray. Can you spot the Max Traxs & Allan's footprints?

A few days earlier, the lady in the local pub told me that the fee charged to get you out of the bog was $500 a tire. We envisaged that this was going to be a very expensive experience- $2000 to be exact. Allan was plodding through red mud as he had looking around to see how we could possibly make it out.

Out came the 4WD book – out came the Max Traxs and after some logical thinking and trying for a short time we were out. Fantastic-but everything including Allan (and especially the car) was covered in the stickiest red mud you have ever seen. Back to the caravan park for a good clean up and after a fair amount of positive talking (things like - this is all part of the adventure and wasn’t that what we bought the Max Traxs for) we decide to give our adventure another go, minus Hergott Springs.

So just after 9am we set off again. The track to William Creek was in a lot better condition than where we had got bogged. Over the 200+klms we drove through many creeks and river beds and across many flood ways. Some had water in them, others were just thick red mud and others had dried out completely. The worst two were very close to William Creek but our early morning experience had taught us a lot about how not to drive through a bog so we had no further trouble and now consider ourselves to be 4WD mud experts.



The Countryside is continually changing. The colours in this eroded paddock are just beautiful - red, ochre and grey.

Via duct with water running under it.

Red Gibber Plains with green plants poking through the hard rocks.

The countryside along the track was fantastic and changed often. Sometimes we were passing through low lying mountains that were just beautiful colours, other times it was desert area with Gibber plains (small red rocks) and then vast expanses of salt bush. It was very pretty and green and fresh looking as a result of the rains and not grey and dusty as we had expected. There was still a lot of water lying in the low lying areas of scrub on the side of the track and at a couple of the crossings, the water though shallow was flowing fast across the road.

The red rocks with the green is great to see.



Even through there is a lot of water around we still have to pass across dry creek beds with next to no water in them.

When we got to the Lake Eyre South Lookout, to our pleasant surprise this vast expanse of what is usually salt lake has water in it. It is just great to see.





It is wonderful to see Lake Eyre and to see that it actually has water in it.

The Oodnadatta Track known as the String of Springs, follows the old Ghan Railway line that stopped operation through this area back in 1984. The remains of the railway line is visible most of the way along the track and there are many viaducts and remains of many old stations for us to stop and explore. The history and how this area was opened up by the introduction of the overland telegraph and then the pastoralists and miners is very interesting. This area also acknowledges and owes a lot to camels and their Afghan herders who helped transport goods back in the 1800’s.



The old train line follows the track so we see many viaducts along the way.



The water flowing under this bridge was flowing very fast.



One of the old watering tanks for the locomotive trains has been given a new lease of life as a dog. It can be seen for miles.



There are many old train stations or sidings in ruin along the track. We stop and explore about 4 of them. They really bring history to life.

All are in very isolated places. Most had their own well when the trains were in operation but these have been allowed to dry up now.

One of the largest sidings is the Curdimurka Siding. The building is also still in reasonable condition.



This is the largest water tank we saw.

The Train Tracks and the station in the background.

A pink Galah enjoys a bath in the last of the rain water in the gutter on the station veranda.



The stone work in these buildings in quite special.

Me standing outside Margaret Siding.

We then stopped at Coward Springs where there is a spring complex of 12 active spring groups – it is a little oasis in the middle of an arid area. There are people camping here and there are a few people enjoy a soak in the spring pools – all having a wonderful time. Coward Springs is also renowned for its date palms and plantation and there are the ruins of two old buildings.

Photos at Coward Springs. I don't think I would swim here. Too afraid that there might be a snake about.

The best stop we made on our way to William Creek was at Mound Springs Conservation Park. This is an extremely important place to the local Aboriginal groups, both for water in lean times, and as places of spiritual significance.  Here, virtually in the middle of a vast expanse of salt plains are two hills/mounds with continuous flowing artesian springs. They are known as The Bubbler and Blanche Cup. The water continuously bubbles to the surface on the very top of the mounds, providing a source of potable water and an area of green. This area had been well developed for tourists with great raised walkways and ramps - it was truly a remarkable place to visit and again we had it all to ourselves.

The drive into the Springs was across salt pans that were criss crossed with small dry creeks. It was like a landscape you would expect to see on the moon.

Another view of the Salt Pans.



The water bubbling up naturally through the ground. This is The Bubbler.



This is another natural occurring spring - it is called Blanche Cup.



The water flowing very slowly down the side of the hill. The only green is where the water flows

We pass through still more different kinds of scenery. The closer we get to William Creek the redder the soil gets.

William Creek, one of the smallest towns in Australia, was a little bit of a letdown but at least we got there. The only thing really at William Creek is the pub - which had a few locals and two bike riders there. Once we had finished our mandatory drink at the pub we turned around and headed back to Marree.



The Pub at William Creek. This is an iconic hotel and every one who travels the track calls in here for a drink.

The trip back was just beautiful. It was getting late in the day and the sun was behind us, so the light on the mesas and glowing through the fields and scrub was magical.

There was a lot more to see on this trip than we had expected and because of our late start we did not get back to our caravan until the sun was ready to set for the day. It was a long day but we had a wonderful time.



The colours coming home are fantastic.

Our car has done a great job getting us to these wonderful places but she definitely needs a good clean both inside and out.