Oodnadatta, South Australia
An Antipodean travel company serving world travellers since 1983
Oodnadatta, South Australia
is a small and remote in with a big history as a trading stop and for the . This today is charaterized by the “Pink Roadhouse”. It is quite a place, on the edge of the . The Royal flying doctor service first hospital was established here in 1912.
The name is likely an adaptation of an Arrernte word utnadata meaning ‘blossom of the malga’. Prior to European settlement, the area around was inhabited by the Arabunna people. The was part of a network of trading routes existing for tens of thousands of years, as traders followed a path leading from spring to spring, enabling them to cross the harsh landscape aided by the at each .
The first settler to reach the area was John McDowell Stuart, the first European to make the journey from north to south across the Australian continent. Stuart followed the Aboriginal trading route, allowing him to successfully travel through the desert where other explorers had failed.
In the 1870s, the Aboriginal trading route used by Stuart was used to establish the Australian Overland Telegraph Line, connecting Port Augusta with Darwin, thus allowing Australia (through Java) fast connection with the rest of the world. Completed in 1872, the cable is regarded as one of the great feats of 19th century engineering and possibly the most significant milestone in Australia’s telegraphic history.
By the 1880s, the telegraph route was being used by camel trains, led by ‘Afghan’ cameleers (commonly known as ‘Ghans’) – who actually originated from all over British India, as well as Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey – who were hired by settlers to haul goods into central Australia. Though many ‘Ghans’ returned to their homelands in the early 20th century, a number settled in the area, often marrying Aboriginal women. Many Oodnadatta locals can trace their heritage back to the ‘Ghans’.
In the 1880s, was identified as a proposed terminus for an extension of the Great Northern . When the was built, a around the was established here, proclaimed in 1890. Though the Great Northern was extended to Alice Springs in 1929, remained an important government service centre and link into via a network.
In 1981, the Great Northern was closed, with ‘The ‘ – named in honour of the ‘Afghan’ cameleers – opening up to the west of the . Since then has declined in population. Today it has a population of 204, over half of whom are . The main industry in the is now tourism, thanks to travellers who follow along the traditional trading of the often combined with the , two iconic of the .
The unsealed , passing through the from Maree in the south-east to Marla in the north-west is popular with tourists as an leading to and from Alice Springs. Passing along the quintessential red sands of the Australian , you’ll be able to see remnants of the old and telegraph trail. But the of the is much more. This whether going South to link to the and to or North keeps close to and its including Curdimurka taking the traveller past , into the settlement of William and on through to Marla, where the track joins the or to Finke and Mt Dare hotel after the Dalhousie hot and springs that are part of the . The region was part of the trading routes, so deep history is close to the traveller, though it is the colonial history that is evident out here in with the of the and based beside the now a memory of steam and then diesel. The Pink Roadhouse at or Marree will give you the best advise on in this part of the including the and the outlook either before or after a rain event that puts on the track and closure.
Watch for the quirky Alberrie/Mutonia Sculpture Park, a collection of huge sculptures created in the by Robin Cooke, a local mechanic turned outsider artist. Made out of discarded metal, sculptures portray a giant ragweed, dogs, planes, and robots. Or stop about 130kms before Marree at to take the from the in this for just a couple of dollars.
If you’re interested in learning more about the South Australian outback, consider joining Odyssey Traveller’s Tour of the Flinders Ranges. Our tour begins in Adelaide, before heading to historic Port Augusta on the Spencer Gulf, where the sea meats the outback. We then head to the quirky opal mining settlement of Coober Pedy. From Coober Pedy we head to Lake Eyre National Park, taking a scenic flight to marvel at the scale of Lake Eyre.
From Lake Eyre, our trip heads south through the iconic Flinders Ranges. In the Northern Flinders Ranges, we visit the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. We then head into the main Ikara Flinders National Park. In Ikara Flinders we visit Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountains regarded as sacred to the local Adnyamathanha people. We also learn about the geology of the area on the Brachina Gorge Geology Trail. This walk may also give you the opportunity to see the elusive yellow-footed rock-wallaby! The Flinders Ranges National Park features a number of stunning gorges, including Bunyeroo Gorge, Parachilna Gorge (near the historic Prairie Hotel), and Alligator Gorge, in the Southern Flinders.
Finally, we pass through the Southern Flinders Ranges on our way back to Adelaide, where we have a final night’s accommodation. While our tour ends here, we encourage you to spend a couple of extra nights to explore the Adelaide region: including Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula, and the wine growing regions of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, which have given South Australia its global reputation for wine.