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Outback

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The South Australian outback stretches from the Flinders Ranges right up to the Northern Territory border. There are several routes which you can take, with the most direct being the sealed Stuart Highway which travels all the way to Darwin. Three other tracks, which are slightly more interesting, but are also unsealed, dusty tracks, include the Birdsville Track, Oodnadatta Track and the Strzelecki Track. Both the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks lead into Queensland, whilst the Oodnadatta Track joins up with the Stuart Highway.

When driving along these roads you have to be well prepared, as there are limited stopping places where you can get food, fuel and water. For a lot of the journey you will be travelling through desert including the Great Victoria Desert, the Simpson Desert and the Sturt Stony Desert. Heading along either the Oodnadatta or Birdsville Track, you will also pass the vast Lake Eyre that only fills with water occasionally after rain. When it does rain although the landscape is refreshed, many of the roads are blocked and flooded.

Heading along the Stuart Highway from Port Augusta, you will come across Woomera. Woomera is a unique outback town and large rocket research area. Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) covers a vast 127,00km of land and was used to test long range missiles and rockets during the Cold War. Woomera Village is loacted to the south east. On arrival visitors are recommended to visit The Woomera Heritage Centre and Visitor Information Centre where you will find the Heritage Museum containing interesting displays about the history of Woomera.

You can drive east from Woomera to the mining towns of Roxby Downs and Andamooka. Roxby Downs produces copper, gold, silver and uranium in the Olympic Dam Mine, while Andamooka is an opal mining town. Between April - October there is an interesting tour which takes you around the Olympic Dam Mine.

The next town along the Stuart Highway before you reach the large opal mining town of Coober Pedy is Glendambo. Glendambo is a good stopping place along your journey, and is also the last fuel station before you get to Cooper Pedy. Further north at the Cadney Homestead you can either head east along dirt tracks to join the Oodnadatta Track, passing the gorgeous Painted Desert on the way, or continue a little further north to Marla. Marla is a regional centre along the Ghan railway line, and offers fuel and accommodation. From here you are on your own until just past the Northern Territory border.

Taking the main route through the Flinders Ranges from Port Augusta you will come to Lyndhurst, which is the turning point for the Strzelecki Track. The track leads through the Strzelecki Regional Reserve along the Strzelecki Creek, until it reaches Innamincka on the Southern Queensland border. Make sure you top up with fuel and supplies at both Lyndhurst and Innamincka as between the two places you are alone. Innamincka is where the 1860 Burke and Willis expedition tragically ended, and there are memorials here to mark that. You can also see the Dig Tree (just over the Queensland border) where the team set up camp.

Heading further north along the highway through the Flinders you will come to Maree, which used to be a centre for the Afghan Camel Trains. It is well worth taking a scenic flight over Lake Eyre and if you are lucky you will even see the Maree Man which was etched into the sand in 1998. From here you can either take the Oodnadatta Track or the Birdsville Track. If you want to go to Northern territory here is the point where you should head west along the Oodnadatta Track, whereas for Queensland head east.

The first place along the Oodnadatta Track is Coward Springs where you will find a small camping ground and a warm water spa. However, for fuel and provisions you will need to continue further to William Creek. Before reaching Marla on the Stuart Highway you will also pass through the town of Oodnadatta, where the old Ghan railway used to run. The Pink Roadhouse is a friendly place, and also the cause of many of the highway signs throughout the desert. You can get camping permits from the roadhouse as well as the key to the museum. There is also a small pub and general store where you can get supplies.

Alternatively take the Birdsville Track, which takes you to Birdsville over the Queensland border. The only place to stop along the track is at the Mungeranie Roadhouse which is nearly half way between Maree and Birdsville where you can get fuel, as well as have minor mechanical repairs undertaken. Further along the road is Clifton Hill where the road divides, with the main section heading around the eastern side of Goyders Lagoon. Make sure you take plenty of supplies with you as the road is very quiet, and also ask about current road conditions and the best track to take.

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PLEASE NOTE: The South Australia travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for South Australia Holidays can be found on the main South Australia Holidays location guide.