Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
OUTBACK
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
INFORMATION
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
BIRDSVILLE
TRACK
Springs railway siding. You can soak your-
self silly in a natural ̈hot-spring ̈tub (per
person$2) made from old rail sleepers, or
take a six-day camel ̈trek (per person$1500)
to Lake Eyre from here.
Next stop is the lookout over Lake ̈Eyre ̈
South, which is 12m below sea level. For a
Lake Eyre water-level report, see http://www.lake
eyreyc.com. About 60km from Marree is the
Mutonia ̈ Sculpture ̈ Park (h24hr) F,
featuring a jaunty car-engine hitchhiker and
several planes welded together with their tails
buried in the ground to form ‘Planehenge’.
Marree (population 100) was once a vital
hub for Afghan camel teams and the Great
Northern Railway, and is the end (or start)
of both the Oodnadatta Track and Birdsville
Track. The big stone 1883 Marree ̈ Hotel
(%08-8675 8344; www �marreehotel�com �au; Rail-
way Tce; unpowered sites free, pub s/d $90/110,
cabins$110/130;as) has decent pub rooms,
brand new en-suite cabins and free camp
sites! Marree is also a good place to organise
scenic flights (1½ hours around $270): try
GSL ̈Aviation (%1300 475 247; wwwgslaviation�
com �au) or Aus ̈Air ̈Services (%08-86758212;
www �ausairservices�com �au).
From the air you’ll get a good look at Mar-
ree ̈Man, a 4.2km-long outline of a Pitjant-
jatjara Aboriginal warrior etched into the
desert near Lake Eyre. It was only discovered
in 1988, and no-one seems to know who cre-
ated it. It’s eroding rapidly these days.
From Marree it’s 80km to Lyndhurst,
where the bitumen kicks back in, then 33km
down to Copley at the northern end of the
Flinders Ranges.Birdsville Track
This old droving trail runs 517km from Mar-
ree in SA to Birdsville, just across the bor-
der in Queensland, passing between the
Simpson Desert to the east and Sturt Stony
Desert to the west. It’s one of Australia’s clas-
sic outback routes. For road conditions see
http://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/OutbackRoads (...a 4WD
is the best way to go, regardless).Strzelecki Track
Meandering through the sand hills of the
Strzelecki ̈Regional ̈Reserve (www�environ
ment �sa �gov �au), the Strzelecki Track spans
460km from Lyndhurst, 80km south ofMarree, to the tiny outpost of Innamincka.
Discovery of oil and gas at Moomba (a town
closed to travellers) saw the upgrading of
the road from a camel track to a decent
dirt road, though heavy transport travelling
along it has created bone-rattling corruga-
tions. The newer Moomba–Strzelecki Track
is better kept, but longer and less interesting
than the old track, which follows Strzelecki
Creek. Accommodation, provisions and fuel
are available at Lyndhurst and Innamincka,
but there’s nothing in between.Innamincka
POP 130
On Cooper Creek at the northern end of the
Strzelecki Track, Innamincka is near where
Burke and Wills’ ill-fated 1860 expedition
expired. The famous Dig Tree marks the ex-
pedition’s base camp, and although the word
‘dig’ is no longer visible you can still see the
expedition’s camp number. The Dig Tree is
over the Queensland border, though memo-
rials and markers − commemorating where
Burke and Wills died, and where sole survi-
vor King was found − are downstream in SA.
There’s also a memorial where AW Howitt’s
rescue party made its base on the creek.
Cooper Creek only has water in it after
heavy rains across central Queensland, but
it has deep, permanent waterholes and the
semipermanent Coongie ̈Lakes, which are
part of the Innamincka ̈Regional ̈Reserve
(www�environment�sa �gov �au). Prior to European
settlement the area had a large Aboriginal
population, so relics such as middens and
grinding stones can be seen around the area.
The Innamincka ̈Trading ̈Post (%08-8675
9900;www �innaminckatp�com �au; SouthTce; h9am-
4pm Mar-Nov, 10am-3pm Dec-Feb) sells fuel,
Desert Parks passes, camping permits and
provisions, including fresh bread and rolls.
The old-fashioned Innamincka ̈ Hotel
(%08-8675 9901; www �theoutback�com �au/in
naminckahotel;2SouthTce; s/d $130/155;a) has
decent motel-style rooms and hefty counter
meals (mains $20 to $30, serving noon to
2pm and 6pm to 8pm).
There are plenty of shady bush ̈camping ̈
sites (per car $25) along Cooper Creek − In-
namincka Trading Post sells permits, or you
can use a Desert Parks Pass. You can use the
hot shower ($2) and toilet outside the Trad-
ing Post.