Old Andado Track

The route traverses fascinating terrain that includes mountain ranges, rocky gibber plains, desert sand dunes and floodplains. It truly is a breathtaking experience and one that you will not expect to see in Central Australia. You can extend this trip to include Dalhousie Springs or Finke, and it joins up nicely with the Simpson Desert trek notes. The Old Andado Track is recommended for 4WD's only.

Permits need to be arranged in advance if you wish to enter Aboriginal Communities (no permit is required to traverse the main tracks however).

Take special note that although this route does not look far on maps, you will need to allow at least 2 days to do this trip, and you will need to be prepared for anything to occur. It is very remote country so vehicles must be well equipped for emergency situations. You will need to take sufficient Fuel, Food and Water as there is no-where to stop and get supplies. As with all 4WD trips, you will also need Recovery Gear as well as a form of long distance Communications such as HF Radio, UHF Radio, Navigation equipment and it might be handy to look into a Satellite Phone.

Mac Clarke Conservation Reserve

One of Australia's rarest trees, the Waddy Tree (Acacia Peuce) is found in this reserve. It can only be found in 3 isolated stands on the edge of the Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory and in Queensland. The other 2 locations are on the Bedourie Road and near Montague Downs, QLD. Each site has up to several hundred trees, scattered over a few square kilometres. Even though the tree may live to over 500 years old, there are little signs of regeneration at the Andado and Birdsville sites. The waddy tree has a very dense hard wood and was used by aboriginals for weapons and early surveyors used the timber as miles markers when making state boundary surveys in the 1880's.

The Old Andado Homestead was built in the mid 1920's by the McDill Brothers, Robert and George. They erected the original two room section as an addition to the earlier mud brick living quarters on the occasion of George's wedding. The iron and other materials used in the house were carted to Andado on a camel team from Oodnadatta by the then carriers Bagot and Marsh. The materials were dismantled from the house of Mrs McDill, Robert and Georges' mother.

Andado changed hands a number of times and in 1955 Mr H Overton, a part owner of Clifton Hills station formed a partnership with Mac Clarke, forming the Andado Pastoral Company. In 1958, the first of several new residences built 16kms west of Old Andado were completed forming the new and now Andado Station. Members of the Clarke family remained in the old homestead and in 1969; the Clarke family acquired the station outright, securing Freehold Lease no 778.

Mac Clarke died in 1979 and Molly stayed on to manage the property. Because of Molly's age, she no longer lives at her much loved homestead, but does continue to fly in from time to time to keep an eye on things.

The most important other bit of history to take place at Old Andado was that Dr Cecil Madigan started his 1939 Simpson Desert Scientific Expedition from Old Andado.