Oodnadatta Track Day 1

Today we head north travelling 185km from Lyndhurst via Farina and Marree then back on the dirt along the Oodnadatta Track to Curdimurka Railway Siding for the night. The Oodnadatta Track is 614km of unsealed road from Marree to Marla. It follows a traditional Aboriginal trading route which has numerous springs feeding water from the Great Artesian Basin. Due to the availability of water it was chosen for the original route for The Ghan railway.

We stopped and looked at a few points of interest on the route. Here is our day…

Not far out of Lyndhurst we looked at the Ochre Pits. It’s amazing to see all the different colours in so close proximity.

Of course we had to take a photo of the Oodnadatta sign 

… and one of the Gammon Ranges too on the otherside!

Next we strolled around the abandoned buildings of the historic township of Farina that has been preserved by volunteers. Having been established in 1878 it survived until the 1980’s and quickly deteriorated after the railway was closed. 

The variety bash came into town 

The war memorial next to the camp ground.

The cricket pitch 

The old railway 

It is also well known for its bakery that unfortunately is only open between May and July that still uses the original baking ovens. 

We couldn’t resist a photo of a rock sculpture of the explorer John Stuart who crossed here in 1861.

The Darling Pea.

The Poached Egg paper daisy

We top up with fuel ($2.90) in Marree and have a walk around. The old truck is the famous Royal Mail truck used by Tom Kruse along the Birdsville Track.

Just out of Marree the dirt starts but we are pleasantly surprised that the conditions are pretty good wth only a few corrugated sections. 

We see lots of railway bridges along the way of the old Ghan.

We stretch our legs with a walk around the quirky sculptures at Mutonia. 

Further along we get to see the outer reaches of Lake Eyre South and get to learn a bit more about the lake at a lookout. 

We decide to call it a day at the Curdimurka Railway Siding, apparently the best preserved on the old Ghan route. 

We got the drone up too…