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Destinations > Outback Oddyssey
Outback Oddyssey
Issue: September 2009
Words and Photos by Robert Pepper
If you've got three weeks to play with how far can you go from a capital city?
You could start with a long day behind the wheel at the beginning and end of the trip, on the basis anywhere within a day's drive is achievable over a long weekend if you want to see it. For example, out of Melbourne your first real stop could be the magnificent Flinders Ranges.
The Flinders has fantastic scenery, mountain ranges, walks and it's all relatively close to major settlements. It really needs a dedicated trip, but you can still enjoy it as you pass through. The Moralana Scenic Drive north of Hawker is good if you're en-route elsewhere, but we had more time so we diverted via the Bunyeroo Gorge which is, well, gorgeous, before rejoining the main road north. The drive was two hours moving and 100km from Hawker to Brachina via Bunyeroo. An alternative is the drive from Wilpena to historic hamlet of Blinman, offering some beautifully expansive vistas via of bitumen. Then you'll have a half-hour run through some windy dirt roads to Parachilna, pleasant but not the best of the Ranges.
Continuing north you could take a break at Parachilna, which has excellent Aussie animal tucker and a swimming pool. Then there's Leigh Creek, the last "big" town for a while. The Quandong Café at Copley is recommended, before continuing up the highway again to Lyndhurst. That's the last of the bitumen, and it's time to drop the tyre pressures which is best done a couple of klicks up the road at the ochre pits on the left
A little further north is Maree, where the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks meet. Maree has a playground, Internet access and some shops, and is the start of the legendary Oodnadatta Track with its many historic sights. There's Lake Eyre; just a small bit of it, but 'small' is a relative term. The Bubbler and Blanche Springs are part of the 'string of springs' and are certainly worth a stop. We also recommend the beautifully maintained Coward Springs as a campsite. It's an easy day to get from Lyndhurst to Coward Springs.
Alongside the road runs the ruins of the old Ghan line, and there are any number of ruins to look at, many of which have information signs. The Beresford Ruins, an old station house next to a waterhole, is a good for a refreshment break.
William Creek offers fuel, accommodation, phoneboxes and scenic flights. You could split off here and head for Coober Pedy, but we continued north. The big attraction on this section is the Algebuckina Bridge, and we're always amazed at the effort required to construct it all those years ago. There are plenty of ruins to visit but pull off well away from the road.
The interesting part of the track ends in Oodnadatta, home of the Pink Roadhouse. There you can get supplies replenished, and there's now a free 'mini-Simpson' self-drive 4WD track. Allow an hour, and if you have any difficulty at all with the track you'd better re-evaluate your tyre pressures and techniques because the Simpson proper is no easier. Aside from the Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta has other stores, a hotel, a playground and a museum, but it doesn't quite have an ambience that invites a traveller to stay.
From Oodnadatta you can follow the main road to Marla, but the old track through Lambina is no longer publically accessible. On this occasion we travelled north again, heading for Dalhouise Springs, stopping at the awesomely large Fogarty Claypan. It takes around 90 minutes to get to the Hamilton junction from Oodnadatta on a good dirt road.
To get to Dalhouise you can either go via the Perdika Track or the longer way via Eringa. The Perdika is shorter, but has horrific corrugations and took us 3.5 hours with stops to do the 72km. The alternate routes are slightly better, but also badly corrugated. The Perdika ruins aren't worth a stop, but the Dalhouise ruins near the end certainly are. There are imported date trees, remnants of the time when settlers tried agriculture in the region, and you almost feel ashamed of your easy journey in a modern 4WD. If you opt to avoid Perdika you'll go via the Eringa waterhole, a good campsite and home to large yabbies.
Dalhouise is a busy campsite with showers and toilets, dingoes, mozzies and lots of people. It's the last (or first) stop over the Simpson depending on your travel direction, and the main attraction is the huge, warm (38 degrees) hot pool for bathing with little goby fish. If you aren't crossing the Simpson or don't particularly want to try the pool if you've been to others then you may decide to give Dalhouise a miss.
One place you do want to visit is the Mt Dare homestead, some 90km from Dalhouise which took us 2.5 hours along a poor road. Here you'll find meals, fuel, a newly redeveloped open bar and restaurant and information on surrounding roads, and a vehicle recovery service.
Departing north you'll pass by New Crown within two hours, which has no facilities, despite what some maps say. Then there is the settlement of Finke a further 20 minutes west, which is a dry town and known for the desert race. Although it has accommodation and fuel it is not a popular stopover.
Lambert's Centre of Australia is a major attraction and another 20 minutes down a good dirt road, then it's half an hour along an easy 4WD track to the centre itself. It's a great campsite but no facilities, only wide open bush, suitable for big groups.
If you continue north you'll backtrack to Finke, and then up Old Ghan Railway Heritage Trail. This track starts with the sandy Finke River, and then the road is largely follows the old Ghan line. It's a great drive; the scenery changes from creek beds to cuttings to all sorts of terrain, the Race route follows close by, and there are a number of historic sights to view along the way. Plan around 3.5 hours to get to Rodinga with stops, and then another 20 minutes to get to Maryvale.
Titjikala (Maryvale) has a pleasant Outback station which offers basic supplies and camping with facilities, plus local artwork. But for most travellers it's a brief stop on the way to Chamber's Pillar, a 90-minute drive over roughish roads with the last few kilometres over sand hills but these present no problem as they are clay capped. There's a large hill with good views but again nothing vaguely 4WD will have any problem with it at all, even towing.
At Chambers there is the awesome Pillar, and the magnificent Castle Rock. There are sunset and sunrise viewing areas, you can partially climb the Pillar and the campsite has toilets but few campspots. Do make an effort to see the rocks at sunset and sunrise and walk around the formations.
After Chambers the next major attraction is the Ewaninga Rock Carvings, about an hour north of Rodinga, which are ancient Aboriginal etchings in rocks and worth taking the time to admire.
Half an hour later you're into Alice Springs. Plenty of attractions; the old Telegraph Station is a fascinating look into olden-day communications, but the Desert Park didn't offer much beyond what most of us could see in local zoos.
Out to the east of Alice there's the East MacDonnells, and to the west...the West MacDonnells, easily accessed via a quick bitumen arterial road so you can do day trips and still see a lot. You could start at Glen Helen Gorge, then work your way back in via Ormiston Gorge (the favourite by consensus), Serpentine and the others. These are gorges with various natural features that have particular scenic or historic value, and in some of them swimming is permitted. Probably better to spend some time at a couple of them rather than try and see the lot. While you're there, it's definitely recommended to look at the ochre pits between Ormiston and Serpentine.
read on below advertisement
Out of Alice, heading into the East MacDonnells along the Ross Highway there is Trephina Gorge after 45 minutes - beautiful, but similar to those in the west. Ndhala Gorge has some Aboriginal carvings and while beautiful doesn't offer much beyond what we'd already seen. Ross River Resort has the last fuel for a while.
Less than an hour from Ross River is Arltunga, rich in the history of goldmining. If you intend to venture into the Ruby Gap Nature Park you must register here, which takes a while but it's well worth it because the park is sensational. Allow two hours for the journey, and more if you camp well inside. It's best to get there early and/or leave late to make the most of the beautiful surroundings, which are based around a creek bed. The 4WDing is slow but not difficult and a well-driven soft roader could manage it. Trailers are not recommended but a medium 4WD with an off-road trailer will cope.
Camping at Ruby is as picturesque as it gets, and there are no facilities at all. The 4WD track extends past a 'not recommended' point to a 'prohibited' point. We suggest experienced drivers only past the 'not recommended' point, which brings you out a few hundred metres short of a fantastic gorge.
The only way out is to backtrack to Arltunga, and then you can continue north via Cattlewater Pass. This is a 4WD track, but off-road trailers are permitted. It's another great drive of around 3.5 hours, the scenery varies from wide open plains to hills to narrow overgrown creek beds.
Cattlewater ends at the Plenty Highway, which isn't so named because there is plenty to see and do. Forty minutes of boredom should see you at Harts Range (Atitjere) where you can camp for the night. After asking a local, we found the campsite at 23° 02' 17" - 134° 55' 15", signposted to the Races campsite, but don't try and enter the Race campsite. Keep going along the road for another couple of kilometres and you'll find the general public campsite. This is free, and there are showers but no water as it's only really used during the race season.
Back on the Plenty and the only point of note are the giant termite hills around Jervois station, where you can get fuel for cash only. The Plenty is not particularly well maintained and you'll become acquainted with bulldust, corrugations and every other hazard you find on an Outback road. Two hours east is Jervois station, which has cash-only fuel and a very small shop.
Tobermorey Station near the Queensland border is three hours and used to host travellers, but no more. Past Tobermorey you're into Queensland and the road markedly improves as it becomes the Donohue Highway. Corrugations become a memory, but there is nothing of interest till you're about 4.5 hours down the road and rolling into Boulia which is a tidy Outback town with a good set of services. Turning south towards Bedourie and Birdsville you will be on the Diamantina Developmental Road, in excellent condition with many stretches of bitumen.
Bedourie is another pleasant Outback town 2.5 hours south, with a newish playground, so ideal for a lunch stop. There is also a tourist information centre with internet access.
More excellent road on another 2.5 journey to Birdsville, always busy with people just wanting to visit what is perhaps the definitive Outback town. You can get lots of things fixed in Birdsville, and for entertainment there is the Birdsville Working Museum for a wallow in esoteric history. There is a comprehensive information centre, library the kids will love, a bakery and an art gallery, so more than enough to keep you entertained, but not so much it loses the Outback feel.
One attraction close to Birdsville is the Simpson Desert. You don't have to cross it to experience it, just fill your tanks and go for a day trip. The dunes start with Big Red, half an hour out of Birdsville, so if you leave in late afternoon you have time to drop the pressures and do a short out-and-return cruise before ascending Big Red to watch the sunset.
When it's time to leave Birdsville the famous Birdsville Track beckons. We took the Inside Track, a three-hour cruise and everything an Outback track should be; nicely maintained, scenery varying from windy creek beds to open plains to grasslands to dunes (clay capped, so no problem getting over them) and finally gibber plains. The main track is recommended if it's open.
Halfway down the Birdsville Track, and about 2.5 hours from the Inside Track is Mungerannie Hotel, where we planned a quick stop and go, not expecting much more than a station. As it turned out we pretty much had the best time of the trip there. Firstly Phil and Pam are fantastic hosts and we enjoyed propping up the bar with them. The camping is brilliant, being right next to a man-made waterhole that is teeming with life. You can watch kites circle and all sorts of other birds feed, fight and fly. Just beautiful, especially in such an otherwise arid landscape. Then there's the thermal hot pool, which has apparently been host to many a late-night party. If you can, it is worth recommend planning an early arrival and late departure.
Continuing down the Birdsville the loop is closed at Maree, 3.5 hours driving after Mungerannie, and also now this story, which can never be long enough to do justice to the experience.
Important Numbers
Mt Remarkables
www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/mountremarkable/index.html
Flinders Ranges
www.flindersoutback.com, www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/flindersranges/index.html
Wilpena Visitor Centre
08 8648 0048
Parachilna Prairie Hotel
www.prairiehotel.com.au
08 8648 4844
Mt Dare Hotel
www.mtdare.com.au (lots of good info)
08 8670 7835
Maryvale Station
08 9560 0989
Parks and Wildlife, NT
www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/
08 8951 8290
Information packs about E&E MacDonnells and other NT attractions.
Mungerannie Hotel
08 8675 8317
www.mungeranniehotel.com.au
SA Road Conditions & Restrictions
www.transport.sa.gov.au/quicklinks/northern_roads/northern.asp
NT Road Conditions & Restrictions
www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/roadreport/
Desert Parks Pass
Required for Dalhouise, Simpson, other SA parks
www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/visitor/passes.html
Maps
Hema Flinders Ranges, Edition 2
Hema Great Desert Tracks, various sheets
Westprint Maps, various sheets
Outback Travellers Series 2, Oodnadatta to Alice Springs (usefully detailed route notes and distances, use in conjunction with the conventional maps)
Words and Photos by Robert Pepper
If you've got three weeks to play with how far can you go from a capital city?
You could start with a long day behind the wheel at the beginning and end of the trip, on the basis anywhere within a day's drive is achievable over a long weekend if you want to see it. For example, out of Melbourne your first real stop could be the magnificent Flinders Ranges.
The Flinders has fantastic scenery, mountain ranges, walks and it's all relatively close to major settlements. It really needs a dedicated trip, but you can still enjoy it as you pass through. The Moralana Scenic Drive north of Hawker is good if you're en-route elsewhere, but we had more time so we diverted via the Bunyeroo Gorge which is, well, gorgeous, before rejoining the main road north. The drive was two hours moving and 100km from Hawker to Brachina via Bunyeroo. An alternative is the drive from Wilpena to historic hamlet of Blinman, offering some beautifully expansive vistas via of bitumen. Then you'll have a half-hour run through some windy dirt roads to Parachilna, pleasant but not the best of the Ranges.
Continuing north you could take a break at Parachilna, which has excellent Aussie animal tucker and a swimming pool. Then there's Leigh Creek, the last "big" town for a while. The Quandong Café at Copley is recommended, before continuing up the highway again to Lyndhurst. That's the last of the bitumen, and it's time to drop the tyre pressures which is best done a couple of klicks up the road at the ochre pits on the left
A little further north is Maree, where the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks meet. Maree has a playground, Internet access and some shops, and is the start of the legendary Oodnadatta Track with its many historic sights. There's Lake Eyre; just a small bit of it, but 'small' is a relative term. The Bubbler and Blanche Springs are part of the 'string of springs' and are certainly worth a stop. We also recommend the beautifully maintained Coward Springs as a campsite. It's an easy day to get from Lyndhurst to Coward Springs.
Alongside the road runs the ruins of the old Ghan line, and there are any number of ruins to look at, many of which have information signs. The Beresford Ruins, an old station house next to a waterhole, is a good for a refreshment break.
William Creek offers fuel, accommodation, phoneboxes and scenic flights. You could split off here and head for Coober Pedy, but we continued north. The big attraction on this section is the Algebuckina Bridge, and we're always amazed at the effort required to construct it all those years ago. There are plenty of ruins to visit but pull off well away from the road.
The interesting part of the track ends in Oodnadatta, home of the Pink Roadhouse. There you can get supplies replenished, and there's now a free 'mini-Simpson' self-drive 4WD track. Allow an hour, and if you have any difficulty at all with the track you'd better re-evaluate your tyre pressures and techniques because the Simpson proper is no easier. Aside from the Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta has other stores, a hotel, a playground and a museum, but it doesn't quite have an ambience that invites a traveller to stay.
From Oodnadatta you can follow the main road to Marla, but the old track through Lambina is no longer publically accessible. On this occasion we travelled north again, heading for Dalhouise Springs, stopping at the awesomely large Fogarty Claypan. It takes around 90 minutes to get to the Hamilton junction from Oodnadatta on a good dirt road.
To get to Dalhouise you can either go via the Perdika Track or the longer way via Eringa. The Perdika is shorter, but has horrific corrugations and took us 3.5 hours with stops to do the 72km. The alternate routes are slightly better, but also badly corrugated. The Perdika ruins aren't worth a stop, but the Dalhouise ruins near the end certainly are. There are imported date trees, remnants of the time when settlers tried agriculture in the region, and you almost feel ashamed of your easy journey in a modern 4WD. If you opt to avoid Perdika you'll go via the Eringa waterhole, a good campsite and home to large yabbies.
Dalhouise is a busy campsite with showers and toilets, dingoes, mozzies and lots of people. It's the last (or first) stop over the Simpson depending on your travel direction, and the main attraction is the huge, warm (38 degrees) hot pool for bathing with little goby fish. If you aren't crossing the Simpson or don't particularly want to try the pool if you've been to others then you may decide to give Dalhouise a miss.
One place you do want to visit is the Mt Dare homestead, some 90km from Dalhouise which took us 2.5 hours along a poor road. Here you'll find meals, fuel, a newly redeveloped open bar and restaurant and information on surrounding roads, and a vehicle recovery service.
Departing north you'll pass by New Crown within two hours, which has no facilities, despite what some maps say. Then there is the settlement of Finke a further 20 minutes west, which is a dry town and known for the desert race. Although it has accommodation and fuel it is not a popular stopover.
Lambert's Centre of Australia is a major attraction and another 20 minutes down a good dirt road, then it's half an hour along an easy 4WD track to the centre itself. It's a great campsite but no facilities, only wide open bush, suitable for big groups.
If you continue north you'll backtrack to Finke, and then up Old Ghan Railway Heritage Trail. This track starts with the sandy Finke River, and then the road is largely follows the old Ghan line. It's a great drive; the scenery changes from creek beds to cuttings to all sorts of terrain, the Race route follows close by, and there are a number of historic sights to view along the way. Plan around 3.5 hours to get to Rodinga with stops, and then another 20 minutes to get to Maryvale.
Titjikala (Maryvale) has a pleasant Outback station which offers basic supplies and camping with facilities, plus local artwork. But for most travellers it's a brief stop on the way to Chamber's Pillar, a 90-minute drive over roughish roads with the last few kilometres over sand hills but these present no problem as they are clay capped. There's a large hill with good views but again nothing vaguely 4WD will have any problem with it at all, even towing.
At Chambers there is the awesome Pillar, and the magnificent Castle Rock. There are sunset and sunrise viewing areas, you can partially climb the Pillar and the campsite has toilets but few campspots. Do make an effort to see the rocks at sunset and sunrise and walk around the formations.
After Chambers the next major attraction is the Ewaninga Rock Carvings, about an hour north of Rodinga, which are ancient Aboriginal etchings in rocks and worth taking the time to admire.
Half an hour later you're into Alice Springs. Plenty of attractions; the old Telegraph Station is a fascinating look into olden-day communications, but the Desert Park didn't offer much beyond what most of us could see in local zoos.
Out to the east of Alice there's the East MacDonnells, and to the west...the West MacDonnells, easily accessed via a quick bitumen arterial road so you can do day trips and still see a lot. You could start at Glen Helen Gorge, then work your way back in via Ormiston Gorge (the favourite by consensus), Serpentine and the others. These are gorges with various natural features that have particular scenic or historic value, and in some of them swimming is permitted. Probably better to spend some time at a couple of them rather than try and see the lot. While you're there, it's definitely recommended to look at the ochre pits between Ormiston and Serpentine.
read on below advertisement
Out of Alice, heading into the East MacDonnells along the Ross Highway there is Trephina Gorge after 45 minutes - beautiful, but similar to those in the west. Ndhala Gorge has some Aboriginal carvings and while beautiful doesn't offer much beyond what we'd already seen. Ross River Resort has the last fuel for a while.
Less than an hour from Ross River is Arltunga, rich in the history of goldmining. If you intend to venture into the Ruby Gap Nature Park you must register here, which takes a while but it's well worth it because the park is sensational. Allow two hours for the journey, and more if you camp well inside. It's best to get there early and/or leave late to make the most of the beautiful surroundings, which are based around a creek bed. The 4WDing is slow but not difficult and a well-driven soft roader could manage it. Trailers are not recommended but a medium 4WD with an off-road trailer will cope.
Camping at Ruby is as picturesque as it gets, and there are no facilities at all. The 4WD track extends past a 'not recommended' point to a 'prohibited' point. We suggest experienced drivers only past the 'not recommended' point, which brings you out a few hundred metres short of a fantastic gorge.
The only way out is to backtrack to Arltunga, and then you can continue north via Cattlewater Pass. This is a 4WD track, but off-road trailers are permitted. It's another great drive of around 3.5 hours, the scenery varies from wide open plains to hills to narrow overgrown creek beds.
Cattlewater ends at the Plenty Highway, which isn't so named because there is plenty to see and do. Forty minutes of boredom should see you at Harts Range (Atitjere) where you can camp for the night. After asking a local, we found the campsite at 23° 02' 17" - 134° 55' 15", signposted to the Races campsite, but don't try and enter the Race campsite. Keep going along the road for another couple of kilometres and you'll find the general public campsite. This is free, and there are showers but no water as it's only really used during the race season.
Back on the Plenty and the only point of note are the giant termite hills around Jervois station, where you can get fuel for cash only. The Plenty is not particularly well maintained and you'll become acquainted with bulldust, corrugations and every other hazard you find on an Outback road. Two hours east is Jervois station, which has cash-only fuel and a very small shop.
Tobermorey Station near the Queensland border is three hours and used to host travellers, but no more. Past Tobermorey you're into Queensland and the road markedly improves as it becomes the Donohue Highway. Corrugations become a memory, but there is nothing of interest till you're about 4.5 hours down the road and rolling into Boulia which is a tidy Outback town with a good set of services. Turning south towards Bedourie and Birdsville you will be on the Diamantina Developmental Road, in excellent condition with many stretches of bitumen.
Bedourie is another pleasant Outback town 2.5 hours south, with a newish playground, so ideal for a lunch stop. There is also a tourist information centre with internet access.
More excellent road on another 2.5 journey to Birdsville, always busy with people just wanting to visit what is perhaps the definitive Outback town. You can get lots of things fixed in Birdsville, and for entertainment there is the Birdsville Working Museum for a wallow in esoteric history. There is a comprehensive information centre, library the kids will love, a bakery and an art gallery, so more than enough to keep you entertained, but not so much it loses the Outback feel.
One attraction close to Birdsville is the Simpson Desert. You don't have to cross it to experience it, just fill your tanks and go for a day trip. The dunes start with Big Red, half an hour out of Birdsville, so if you leave in late afternoon you have time to drop the pressures and do a short out-and-return cruise before ascending Big Red to watch the sunset.
When it's time to leave Birdsville the famous Birdsville Track beckons. We took the Inside Track, a three-hour cruise and everything an Outback track should be; nicely maintained, scenery varying from windy creek beds to open plains to grasslands to dunes (clay capped, so no problem getting over them) and finally gibber plains. The main track is recommended if it's open.
Halfway down the Birdsville Track, and about 2.5 hours from the Inside Track is Mungerannie Hotel, where we planned a quick stop and go, not expecting much more than a station. As it turned out we pretty much had the best time of the trip there. Firstly Phil and Pam are fantastic hosts and we enjoyed propping up the bar with them. The camping is brilliant, being right next to a man-made waterhole that is teeming with life. You can watch kites circle and all sorts of other birds feed, fight and fly. Just beautiful, especially in such an otherwise arid landscape. Then there's the thermal hot pool, which has apparently been host to many a late-night party. If you can, it is worth recommend planning an early arrival and late departure.
Continuing down the Birdsville the loop is closed at Maree, 3.5 hours driving after Mungerannie, and also now this story, which can never be long enough to do justice to the experience.
Important Numbers
Mt Remarkables
www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/mountremarkable/index.html
Flinders Ranges
www.flindersoutback.com, www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/flindersranges/index.html
Wilpena Visitor Centre
08 8648 0048
Parachilna Prairie Hotel
www.prairiehotel.com.au
08 8648 4844
Mt Dare Hotel
www.mtdare.com.au (lots of good info)
08 8670 7835
Maryvale Station
08 9560 0989
Parks and Wildlife, NT
www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/
08 8951 8290
Information packs about E&E MacDonnells and other NT attractions.
Mungerannie Hotel
08 8675 8317
www.mungeranniehotel.com.au
SA Road Conditions & Restrictions
www.transport.sa.gov.au/quicklinks/northern_roads/northern.asp
NT Road Conditions & Restrictions
www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/roadreport/
Desert Parks Pass
Required for Dalhouise, Simpson, other SA parks
www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/visitor/passes.html
Maps
Hema Flinders Ranges, Edition 2
Hema Great Desert Tracks, various sheets
Westprint Maps, various sheets
Outback Travellers Series 2, Oodnadatta to Alice Springs (usefully detailed route notes and distances, use in conjunction with the conventional maps)
