Oodnadatta to Finke
Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 15:06
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Ferg
Hi,
I am a freelance travel writer from New Zealand. I have done many trips in the Outback to research stories and in August this year I will be driving the
Oodnadatta Track northbound. I will be driving a Toyota Rav 4 and I hope to be able to continue from
Oodnadatta along the Old Ghan Route to Finke in the Northern Territory. From there I plan to head west to Lambert's Geographical Centre, then out to the Stuart Highway to return to
Adelaide.
Can anyone tell me what sort of road conditions I can expect on the
Oodnadatta-Finke section in August (7th - 16th), and if a RAV 4 is a suitable vehicle for this part of the trip.
Cheers,
Ferg Blakiston
PS anyone wanting to read some of my stories can visit my blog curseofthetraveller.wordpress.com My outback travel stories for the New Zealand Herald (two of which won awards at the recent Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards) can be read on the NZ Herald website. Just search my name (Fergus Blakiston)
Reply By: Les PK Ranger - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 15:59
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 15:59
Ferg, I came back that way from a NT trip some years ago, although we didn't have a chance to do the
Lambert Centre side trip (I believe it's a slow drive, about 12km / 30 mins each way).
Hopefully the Rav4 has some decent tyres (light truck grade AT's would be adequate), and if you deflate these to suit the roads / tracks you should have no issues taking it easy.
Provided it hasn't rained, of course :)
Maybe take a tyre plug kit too, and be outback prepared as you most likely are aware.
AnswerID:
534985
Follow Up By: Ferg - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 16:03
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 16:03
Hi Les,
Thanks for that. Aw
well as the usual spare fuel and water, I plan to take a plug kit and a PLB, just in case...
Ferg
FollowupID:
818813
Reply By: Member - mechpete - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:04
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:04
ferg
just come back from the Finke desert race ,
the road from
Hamilton Stn to Dalhousie an then to Mt dare is a shocker , its just gibba stone an
rock pot holes an corrugations ,its a bastard .
cheers mechpete
AnswerID:
534987
Follow Up By: Member - BUSH CAMPER - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:20
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:20
We did that trip 2 years ago ( Nissan Patrol and 17' off road caravan ), we had no trouble, lower tyre pressure and drive to conditions. Hope you have light truck tyres as this will help. Many spikes on the old Ghaun railway but shouldn't cause any problems, enjoy your trip.
You will see many other vehicals along that part of the road, you won't be on your own. Don't travel to heavy, usually there is plenty of fuel around.
Only poor weather may hold you up.
Regards Hugh
FollowupID:
818817
Follow Up By: mikehzz - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:35
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:35
If you don't go to Dalhousie then you miss most of the horrible rocks. There are a couple of ways from
Hamilton Station to Mt Dare.
FollowupID:
818818
Follow Up By: Les PK Ranger - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 19:10
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 19:10
Perdika Track is the rough one, and yes it's pretty corrugated and potholed.
It is however only 70km or so, if you haven't been to
Dalhousie Springs you propbaly want to go there . . . so just drop tyres to 20 and take it easy. (Remember those LT AT tyres ?)
You'll also see Perdika rail siding
ruins and Dalhousie
ruins on the way,
well worth it.
The other way is to go via
Eringa Waterhole (very nice campsites) and
Bloods Creek.
You can just go to
Dalhousie Springs from the north, and the
ruins are only a 17km return from that northern road.
You shouldn't have any problems wiht old rail spikes, unless you're heading north on the old Ghan from Finke (and pretty sure you're going west to Lambert, then the Stuart Hwy).
FollowupID:
818826
Reply By: 671 - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:49
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 17:49
Last year my wife and I spent two nights camping at the Bundooma siding
ruins north of Finke and about six 2wd cars drove by. They easily out numbered the 4wds that we saw.
The road up through Dalhousie and Mt Dare is very rocky and corrugated but we found a Subaru Forrester towing an off road van half way along it. They were getting along quietly at about 20 kph. They pulled into Bundooma while we were there still traveling at the same speed. They said they always drive like that in those conditions. They always get there and nothing breaks. We agreed with them but we were going a bit faster, about 21 kph.
You should get a Rav4 through there easily and on street tyres providing you are prepared to take it easy and take as long it takes. It is very hard to break a car at low seeds, even if it is over loaded.
AnswerID:
534990
Follow Up By: Ferg - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 18:09
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 18:09
Great advice...Thanks. I always travel slowly, not only for safety but as a writer and photographer I lke to dawdle along taking pics and making up stories...
FollowupID:
818822
Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 18:11
Reply By: Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 18:57
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 18:57
Fergus
It has been several years since I have done that trip (including Lamberts Centre) , but if you avoid
Dalhousie Springs, you will have no problems if you do it at a sensible speed, probably have tyres with reasonable tread life with pressures around 25psi and don't try and keep up with people in 4WDs and utes.
Of course a 4WD with LT AT tyres would be more "reassuring" but I have done worse travel many years ago in Falcons and Commodores.
Mark
AnswerID:
534997
Reply By: Member - Wildmax - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 21:58
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 21:58
Have just done the trip from
Coober Pedy out via
Painted Desert to
Oodnadatta, then on to Dalhousie and Mt Dare, from there up via the Binns Track to Old
Andado Station, and then to Finke and Lambert's Centre before going up the Finke track and into
Chambers Pillar before on to
Alice Springs.
It's a great trip - Dalhousie, Old
Andado and Chambers being the standouts -and driven sensibly and with the right tyre pressures etc you should have no problems. The road from Finke into
Chambers Pillar is currently very corrugated and uncomfortable after the Finke Desert race, but the
grader was working on the
Alice Springs end last week, so some of it should be much better now.
Enjoy, it's a great part of the country.
| Wildmax
2018 Hilux and Black Wolf 210 tent - for the outback tracks less travelled
Formerly an AOR Eclipse and a TVanMember
My Profile Send Message |
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535012
Reply By: Member - Michael John T (VIC) - Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 23:57
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014 at 23:57
Hi Ferg,
While you are in that area, just 70 km South of Alice on the Stuart Highway and then 15 Kms into
Rainbow Valley - a magic spot good camping and if you provide photos in your articles, this is the place to take them..
Now I'll have a look at your writings.
Regards,
Mike.
PS Its worth the rough Pedika Track just for the swim at Dalhousie.
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Reply By: cookie1 - Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 14:15
Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 14:15
I reckon everyones covered the main bits, the track into Lamberts is slow and quite sandy in spots and washed out in others when we went through last year.
It now has some new Long Drop
toilets and there was a Coles trolley there at that time but no Coles Shopping centre
cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Les PK Ranger - Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 16:01
Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 16:01
Is the Coke machine still there ? :)
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: cookie1 - Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 17:57
Thursday, Jun 26, 2014 at 17:57
Didn't see a Coke machine, but then again I think we had run out of spirits :)
cheers
FollowupID:
818884
Reply By: Ferg - Saturday, Jun 28, 2014 at 15:49
Saturday, Jun 28, 2014 at 15:49
Hi,
Thanks for all the great advice. Further to my earlier query, can anybody recommend any good campsites along the
Oodnadatta Track between
Marree and
Oodnadatta?
Ferg
AnswerID:
535139