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Port Augusta Town Hall
Park in Woomera
Overlooking Coober Pedy
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THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK
Coober Pedy, Oodnadatta, Marree, Pimba, AndamookaRoxby Downs, Arkaroola, Leigh Creek.
The outback also is not anywhere as dry as you might consider. The Great Australian Artesian Basin, one of the largest underwater basins in the world, lies below the harsh landscape, here and there bubbling to the surface in mound springs or elsewhere tapped by bores to provide sustenance for the millions of head of cattle and sheep, and native animals which congregate around the water sources.
Getting to the outback is easy, though it is not a short journey. In the 1980's the Stuart Highway between Adelaide and Alice Springs was completed as a bitumen surface and it is an easy trip these days to take a conventional vehicle to Ayers Rock in Central Australia. The journey is around 1500 kilometres one way and there are few stops along the way so you need to plan your trip before you go, but it is a comforatble and exhilarating journey.
Stark mountain ranges and extensive desert areas make the state one of the most interesting you can visit. Along the way you will pass giant saltpan lakes which fill to capacity after heavy seasonal rains. You will pass through the opal mining town of Coober Pedy which must be one of the most unusual in the world. To beat the heat residents construct magnificent underground homes as they search for the precious stones and they need to be seen to be believed. At Pimba, the turn off to nearby Woomera, you will see where rockets regularly blast off into space as an ongoing programme to explore the universe continues. You will see kangaroos and emus and unusual reptiles and small creatures who thrive in the outback conditions. It is a trip not to be missed and one that will reward you well
There are other roads leading north for the more adventurous. The Birdsville Track, the Strzelecki Track and the Oodnadatta Track are legendary in their challenge and beauty. Dirt surfaces crossing massive river beds and winding through spectacular countryside are what the outback is all about. It is nothing for outback station owners to travel several hundred kilometres to visit their neighbours for a chat and a cup of tea, or to get to the local dance or race meeting.
The outback is not just a geographic area, it is a way of life. Massive cattle stations measured in square kilometres rather than acreage, some of them as large as the state of Tasmania; dusty towns where the general store and the local pub are the meeting place for locals and travellers to tell their stories and exchange news, vast expanses which offer brilliant skies at night and fabulous photographs at sunset and sunrise, and most of all the individual beauty of an area untamed or harnessed by man. A trip through the outback by car, rail or coach is a must in your Australian travel plans.
SIMPSON DESERT TURNOFF:
11 km. south of Clifton Hills the turn-off to the K1 Line track over
the Simpson Desert, which connect with Rig Road. (See Map) Another route leads
across the north-west edge of Goyders Lagoon and on to Birdsville.
WARNING:
Do not attempt to use these routes unless equipped with 4WD vehicle, deatiled
maps and adequate supplies and preparation. A Desert Parks Permit is required
if entering the Conservation Park or Regional Reserve.
SIMPSON DESERT CONSERVATION PARK (692,680Ha.)
Remote Outback Park with spectacular spectacular red dunes.
Access to the park is from Ooodnadatta via the Dalhousie Springs, from Birdsville in Queensland via
Poeppels Corner ( the junction of the NT, SA and QLD borders), from Clifton Hills on the Birdsville
Track or from the Northern Territory via Finke and Andado Station.
FACILITIES
There are no facilities in the park, howver 70 km. north of Dalhousie Spring the Mount Dare Station
provides fuel, accommodation, camping, takeaway food, an hotel and emergency mechanical repairs.
Mount Dare also has an airstrip. Telephone: 08 8670 7835. Hosts: Phil and Rhonda Hellyer.
ABOUT THE PARK
Located in the heart of the Simpson Desert in the far north of the state on the Northern Territory
border, this park is mainly continuous red sand dunes with occasional mound springs, and plaka or
salt lakes, and sprinklings of gidgee trees with scattered spinifex grass.
In Spring, or after heavy rains the park becomes a blanket of colour as wildflowers spring into
life. These include yellow-tops, the Sturt Desert Pea and many paper type flowers which lie dormant
in the sandy soil until water reaches them.
Many birds and marsupials will be found including budgerigars, zebra-finches, eyrean grass-wrens and
Australian bustards or 'bush-turkeys'. Hopping mice, marsupial moles and many species of reptiles
will also be found.
Access should be attempted only by 4WD vehicle and there are several tracks across the dunes. A good
regional map is essential and provisions for several days should be carried when entering the park.
A Desert Parks Pass is required for camping, and there is little wood for fires in the area. Either
bring your own, or use a fuel stove.
CROSSING THE SIMPSON DESERT
Birdsville to Oodnadatta
Crossing the Simpson Desert is becoming more and more popular as 4WD vehicles proliferate and there
have been several successful crossing on foot. This journey is not however to be attempted by the
normal bush-walker. The most notable of these are Warren Bonython and Charles McCubbin in 1973 and
Denis Bartell in 1984.
To cross the desert you will need
Despite all this, the trip is a most rewarding challenge and one of the most spectacular remaining.
SIMPSON DESERT REGIONAL RESERVE 2,964,200Ha.
This regional reserve under the control of the National Parks and Wildlife Service is an
extension of the Conservation Park and comprises most of the Simpson Desert. It is similar in
terrain to main park.
Details are elsewhere on the | Oodnadatta Track and Birdsville Track