Oodnadatta Track South Australia
Rain on the way: Oodnadatta Track I have lost count of the number of times I have travelled all, or part, of the Oodnadatta track. Once you travel it and get to know it you will find what a special place the Track can be. Admittedly there are long stretches that appear boring if you rush past them. But take your time, explore the minor tracks, especially those near the creek crossings and you will experience the real Oodnadatta Track. Those clever road builders of the past picked the shallowest part of the creek to build their crossing which means you need to explore a bit either upstream or downstream for the hidden waterholes. Look for them at Kathleen Creek, Screech Owl Creek, both Coongra Creek crossings, Margaret Creek and Stuart Creek. They won’t always have water in them though. Remember you are in the driest State of the driest inhabited country in the world. Don’t you love the creek names along the Oodnadatta Track? My favourite is Tina Din Tana, a beautifully musical name for a small creek with interesting rock formations and limestone calcification in its tiny bed. Find some of the unique Australian animals and aquatic life here. Even the salty creeks have abundant life in them if you look closely. Use a small hand net to find these unique creatures but please put them back after you have a quick look. These aquatic animals have developed over millions of years to survive in this environment, they won’t survive anywhere else. After heavy rain, stop to look in the muddy water of the claypans for Australia’s living fossil; the Shield Shrimp.
The prehistoric fossils of the shrimp, found in the Flinders Ranges, are identical to the shield shrimp in the mud hole in front of you. Their eggs are believed to survive temperatures from those approaching absolute zero up to boiling point. I have even seen them in tiny rock holes on top of
Ayers Rock (Uluru).
The engineers’ building prowess is still evident in the remaining bridges along the Old Ghan Railway. While north of Oodnadatta is the Angle Pole; a tribute to a phone line that was built right across Australia in just two years! The pastoralists, who have chosen to live out here, raise a family and sometimes only to eke out a subsistence living, have also left their mark along the Track. I have also spent over 15 years recording and researching the lonely graves along the Oodnadatta Track. Many of my mates have also “helped” in the exploring, usually by finding the perfect campsite for a drink and a yarn. I was lucky enough to be on the Track when Lake Eyre South was in flood. We walked out a long, long way until the water was deep enough to float in. The water was so salty we were able to float with our lower legs and arms out of the water. Don’t try this though unless you have plenty of water back at camp to wash off the salt! I spent a very uncomfortable couple of hours until I was able to have a shower at Marree. If you do walk out on the dry salt crust of Lake Eyre, look for the unusual salt formations. An old trick here is to hang something such as an animal skull, just above the salty surface. After a couple of months the object will be encrusted with beautiful coarse salt crystals and can be preserved by spraying with a clear sealant. Watch for the sign to Brolga Bore down the Marree part of the Track. Last time I was there the bore head was leaking and irrigating a small wetland. True to its name there were Brolgas there, dancing and displaying their elegant plumage. There are enough other ways and other places to enjoy along the Oodnadatta Track, to keep me adding pages to this site for a long time yet. Be sure to break your trip at William Creek. Call into the pub for a few cold beers and stroll across the “street” for a meal at Dingo's restaurant. Mind out for Trevor Wright’s aeroplanes as you cross the road! Trevor will take you on a flight over Lake Eyre or you might even be one of the first to see his newly discovered “Painted Hills”. A visit to the Pink Roadhouse is essential. Adam and Lynnie have spent a good part of a lifetime exploring, documenting and guiding tourists around their favourite part of Australia. For a down to earth look at the area look up Phil Gee's "Outback Camel Safaris". Phil is an authoritative Track historian. Have a refreshing soak at the Coward Springs spa in water that could be thousands of years old. A visit to the Marree pub is usually good value. My mates and I have had some good times there. In fact my mate Brent is probably the only person to fall backwards out of the bar window without dropping his stubby! He and I are also probably the only visitors to get lost in the pub on the way to our rooms. We were sleeping in the corridor when "The Kid" found us.
Stone wall at Peake Telegraph ruins
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