DAYS 102 - 104 OODNADATTA TRACK

9 – 11 June 2008


DAYS 102 - 104 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

OODNADATTA TRACK

We hit the Oodnadatta Track once more
Marla to Marree the direction we took once more
Twenty seven years later minus kids in tow
Along a road spun with memories you know


Then it was a landrover with trailer towed
Four adults, five kids and all the gear you need to stow
We spent the cold night in tents on the gibber plain
“Just the thought of them makes me feel them sticking in my back in pain”
Hubby murmurs as we travel back through the gibber plain.



Now it is a well graded track
To Oodnadatta from Marla’s flat
Saltbush and gibber plains
Some mulga too along the plains
As the track merges into the plains
A cow or two wanders by
And the odd bird flutters by




Repeater stations appear to grow
At equal distance they appear you know
Make you feel safe as you travel so
.

Till the same pink roadhouse emerges from the dust
A solid puff of pink surrounded by the dust
But no painted door on its side
And oh so different on the inside


We spent some time in this little town
So much more it has to sound
There’s a museum to be proud
And cleaned up a lot it has in the time


Past Angle Pole and many sidings
And railway sleepers off the tracks








Till we hit the Algebuckina Bridge
And the mangled car that flipped from the bridge




Old Ghan history passes by
Together with Painted Hills on the side
On the track to William Creek
Past many other dried creeks
But strange as it may seem
There is water to be seen


The road’s just opened it would seem
From William Creek to Bopeechee
As manna from heaven arrived you see
In the form of rain rare to be seen
So we slid and skated through mud churned tracks
Wheels covered in mud with no tracks


We stopped to camp for the night
But clouds gathered for the night
To maybe dish out more manna tonight
So on we went to beat the rain
Through mud and slush through dark terrain
Past Bopeechee till we decided to stop
Where the road came good
And the ground kept firm under foot



It did rain as we slept
Though warm inside the van we kept
Nicely rested we got up
To see where we ended up
To find ourselves outside the sculpture park




Enjoyed the sculptures in the park
Planehenge and cars nicely parked



Then through the drizzle we made our way
To the end of Oodnadatta Track Marree way






The Oodnadatta track is an extraordinarily interesting track. It is scenic, it has history and it has characters along the way.

There are many side trips one can do. Until we got to Oodnadatta after camping at Olarinna Creek we had no idea that the track had been closed from Oodnadatta to Marree for three days and had just reopened. We were suspicious of the road as we found more and more water on the road as we progressed.

The same rains that hit Alice Springs caused havoc here. However, they were expecting more unsettled weather.

As we travelled on the clouds got more and more ominous. We decided not to take the side trips but just keep going. After pulling up for the night at Margaret Siding we changed our minds and decided to keep moving in case it rained. It was looking more and more likely that it would. The track past William Creek was really badly churned up and still very wet in places. It would not have needed much rain to make it nearly impassable. It was hard driving through this stuff as our wheels often had no traction because of the mud sticking to them.

We stopped for the night just outside Mutonia Sculpture Park. During the night three motorcyclists who had passed us during the day went passed. We expect the rain woke them and they decided, as we did, to get out past the really bad section of road in case it got much worse.