Location of Oodnadatta
From
William Creek, 174.12kms NW (205kms, 5hrs 14mins driving)

From
Marla, 182.22kms E (256kms, 4hrs 38mins driving)

From
Finke (Aputula), 235kms S (581kms, 12hrs 30mins driving)

From
Marree, 345.2kms NW (411kms, 10hrs 26mins driving)
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Description of Oodnadatta
Oodnadatta is an unusal township with a checkered history. Located 1,011 km north of
Adelaide via
Coober Pedy, or 1092 km via
Marree and the
Oodnadatta Track Oodnadatta lies just south of Lake
Eyre on the edge of the Tirari Desert. With many summer temperatures reaching over 50 degrees Celsius, Oodnadatta is very close to being the hottest and driest town in
Australia. The town population of around 150 is 80 per cent Aboriginal, and its people have Aranda, Antakarainnja, Loritja and Pitjantjatjara family ties. The name of the town is probably an adaptation of an Aboriginal word 'utnadata' meaning 'blossom of the mulga'.
Every road leading into Oodnadatta is unsealed and today that means the passing trade is typically 4WD tourists. Oodnadatta however, was once an important stopover point on the Central Australian Railway - the route of The Ghan.
Significant early Eurpoean infrastructure occurred in the region in 1859 when explorer John McDouall Stuart's 1857 to 1862 routes was adopted as part of the Overland Telegraph Line route. During the 1870's the region was utilised extensively by pastoralists. In 1874 the explorer John
Forrest camped beneath a large box tree some 8km north of Oodnadatta at Angle Pool Waterhole on a branch of the Neales River. This was probably the start of significant early European discoveries of what the local aboriginals had known for thousands of years, that good quality artesian water was readily accessible throughout the region. The discovery of good water supply meant that Oodnadatta was the ideal railhead for the new Central Australian Railway upon which the famous Ghan train operated from 1891 for the next 90 years.
From this time on, Oddnadatta become rather cosmopolitan in much the same way as many townships in other parts of
Australia were suddendly populated on the back of the Goldrushes. Oodnadatta had Chinese, Afghans and attracted enterprising pioneers such as John Flynn who in 1911 designed the Oodnadatta Medical Hostel. In 1928 the railroad was extended further northward and Oodnadatta lost some of its former importance as a railhead. The decision to close the railway line and build the new
Tarcoola to
Alice Springs railway appeared to herald the end of Oodnadatta for European interests, however the local Aboriginal community were determined to retain the town as their home and still remain today.
Oodnadatta now consists of just one main street with the Transcontinental Hotel, the General Store and the
Pink Roadhouse on one side and the old railway line and the Railway Museum on the other side.
Images of Oodnadatta
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Places within 5km
Weather & Climate for Oodnadatta
Closest Weather Station
Oodnadatta at 10:30 08 Nov CDT
Distance from Oodnadatta 0.74km SW
| Temperature | Feels Like | Rel. Humidity | Dew Point | Pressure | Rainfall | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Gusts |
| 35.6°C |
28.2°C |
15% |
5.0°C |
1017.0hPa |
0.0mm |
NE |
33km/h 18knots |
43km/h 23knots |
Closest Climatic Station
Oodnadatta Airport
Distance from Oodnadatta 0.74km SW
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
37.7 | 36.6 | 33.7 | 28.5 |
23.2 | 19.9 | 19.5 | 22.0 |
26.5 | 30.2 | 33.8 | 36.4 |
| Mean Min. °C |
22.8 | 22.3 | 19.2 | 14.4 |
9.8 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 7.4 |
11.4 | 15.0 | 18.5 | 21.2 |
| Mean Rain mm |
24.6 | 32.2 | 12.3 | 11.2 |
12.8 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 7.8 |
9.3 | 14.1 | 11.3 | 16.5 |
What Others Say about Oodnadatta
Treks passing Oodnadatta
Mt Dare to Oodnadatta via Dalhousie
This trek provides an easy opportunity to access Dalhousie Springs, one of the main icons of the Simpson Desert without a significant detour if touring between South Australia and the Red Centre.
Oodnadatta Track
If you’re a history buff you’re going to go nuts crossing the Oodnadatta Track. The track follows the orignal Ghan line from Marla to Oodnadatta and then on to Marree. There's stacks of ruins, mound springs, excellent conservation park information & railway sidings/rubble.
[Feature Story]
Painted Desert
The Painted Desert has to be the highlight of the South Australian Desert experience. This trek from Coober Pedy takes as little as one day, but if you are a photographer or painter, you may choose to spend an entire week in the Painted Desert.
Recommended Reading for Oodnadatta
Natmap Digital Maps 2008
NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 is the next generation of Geoscience Australia's popular NATMAP Raster 1:250 000 scale topographic digital maps.
NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 are exact digital copies of Geoscience Australia's NATMAP topographic maps. They cover the whole of Australia at 1:250 000 scale, and are current to 2006.
SG5315 Oodnadatta
This 1:250K topographic paper map covers an area about 150km from east to west and 110km from north to south (1.5 degrees longitude by 1 degree latitude). The map contains natural and constructed features including road and rail infrastructure, vegetation, hydrography, contours (interval 50m), localities and some administrative boundaries.
Australia Aus Tour DVD
A must have for the long distance explorer. Here, Memory-Map teams up with Hema to bring you their acclaimed 4WD and regional maps together with 13 interactive Map Guides.The Map-Guides provide great information on each region, bushwalking, campsites and 4x4 tracks with text and photos.
Alice Springs - Oodnadatta
This map will help you to safely experience the adventure of exploration and the wonder of the outback with both detailed information and GPS readings.
Simpson Desert Trip Planning Map
This is the revised Simpson Desert Map designed for Trip Planning use. On one side is the map containing GPS points, whilst on the other is information about each point of interest, track information and services available.
Oodnadatta Track
This map covers the Oodnadatta Track from Lyndhurst to Oodnadatta via Marree, Lake Eyre, William Creek and Algebuckina.The Oodnadatta Track closely follows a major Aboriginal trade route, the Overland Telegraph Line and the Old Ghan Line.
South Australia
This double sided road map of South Australia features a comprehensive map of the state on one side and the Flinders Ranges and the South East on the other. This easy to read fully indexed map features national parks, places of interest plus more.
Great Desert Tracks of Australia Map Pack
This map pack includes the six Great Desert Tracks Maps, together with the Simpson Desert map, all packaged in a hard-cover folder with clear pockets.
This map pack is designed to offer an additional benefit to the constant map user by providing better value than buying the maps individually.
Important Notes
 | Whilst indicating location of water supplies, ExplorOz makes no recommendation with regard to the quality of water for drinking purposes. We strongly recommend that when travelling you take ample supplies of water from reliable drinking water sources. |