So, its down the tracks we go! Our route for this blog is in red on the map.
We end up travelling south on the Birdsville track (E-F) which extends roughly 520 kilometres from Birdsville to Maree in South Australia; and figure we’re on a roll now so why not continue on the Oodnadatta Track (F-G) from Maree to the town of Oodnadatta, roughly the same distance as the Birdsville track. These tracks are all gravel, in some of the most arid country in Australia. Oh.. and we cross from Queensland to South Australia.
Originally, these tracks were important Aboriginal trade routes following the waterholes of the Diamantina River, then it became an important lane for drovers who walked sheep and cattle down the track bound for markets in Adelaide and Melbourne where herds of 1000 head were commonplace. Then the tracks became transport corridors for supplies, wool and mail and laboriously carted by various means – camel, donkey or bullock teams… and more recently, by motorized vehicles.
On the surface the terrain seems inhospitable, however underneath the surface lies an ancient water source that sustains the economy in this area. The Great Artesian (GAB) is one of the largest groundwater basins in the world underlying 22% of the Australian continent. Overlying the GAB is another basin- the Lake Eyre Basin, which covers approximately 1/6th of Australia with long stretches of dry salt lakes. This is the part visible from the Oodnadatta track.
Our half way stop on the Birdsville track is at Mulgarannie pub. The new owners are relaxing a bit after a busy summer. We enjoy a few drinks and meet up again with fellow campers Gary & Tracie who we met at Birdsville.
Our next stop for the night at Clayton’s bush camp, set up on Claytons station. An honesty box is in place to assist with the upkeep of the toilet and shower facilities and as an bonus, an artesian ‘spa’ direct from the ground.
As we reach the end of the Birdsville track, we cross the Dingo Fence, erected to keep Dingos out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they have largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland and South Australia. It is the longest man made structure in the world at 5,600 kilometres long.
We reach the end of the Birdsville track at the small town of Marree. Its not much to look at now, but in its heyday, this was a key stop for workers building and maintaining the Ghan railway. Marree became known as ‘little Asia’ thanks to the large population of Afghan cameleers.
The Afghan cameleers who came to Maree were part of a group of men who migrated from Afghanistan and the provinces of modern-day Pakistan and India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They brought camels with them and worked as transporters, guides, and explorers in the Australian outback.
Maree was one of the towns where the cameleers established their base and formed a community; they the first Australian mosque made of mud and timber and had a distinctive dome and minaret.
The cameleers faced discrimination and exclusion from the white population, who saw them as a threat to their livelihood and culture. They were often restricted to live on the outskirts of towns, in camps known as Ghantowns. They were not allowed to bring their wives and children from their homelands, so many of them married Aboriginal women. With the introduction of road and rail transport in the 1920s and 1930s, many of them returned to their countries of origin, while others stayed and adapted to new occupations and lifestyles.
Then, onto the Oodnadatta track – we’re excited to follow this track that follows the route of the original old Ghan railway from Adelaide to Alice Springs.
We head north towards the town of Oodnadatta, stopping a night at Curdimurka , the last significant station yard dating back to 1886 that is still intact on the Ghan line. We stop for the night and watch an amazing sunset.
Another camping spot is the Algebuckina waterhole, the largest in this area, and has never dried up in living memory. The height of the bridge shows the extent of possible flooding.
The Pink Roadhouse is our next stop at Oodnadatta. Its an institution in the area. Another important town in its day… but now reduced to under 100 population. When we go in, the owner tells us that the tourists have dropped right off for the season so that’s it until about March/April next year.
We travel down the road heading west to see the Painted Desert and it’s a feast of color and well worth the sidetrip. The colors across the hills are a result of millions of years of erosion.
The next day we head toward Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world. There is just one main road, with lots of opal shops and tourist attractions… kind of reminded me of a town scratching out an existence to survive. The next day we hit Stuart Highway and tarmac as we head to Woomera and Port Augusta.
As we continue our journey south, we reach the salt lake of Lake Hart, an amazing vista of white. We stop and have a look around and walk on the ‘crunchiness’ of the lake.
Our next and last stop before hitting the coast is the town of Woomera – a town created back in the 1950s as a secret base for English-Australian rocket and weapons testing. The Brits chose this sparsely populated area in the arid desert of South Australia. The project lasted for 34 years and was one of the most secret allied establishments during the Cold War. Today, Woomera is still an Australian Defence Force facility used to evaluate military and civilian aerospace and systems.
So, for the time being, this brings us to the end of our ‘outback’ adventure. What’s next you may ask – we decide to travel down the Yorke peninsula and discover the coast – so stay tuned for the next blog!
Quite the adventure!!