Old Ghan Track, NT

the road is pretty rough in places after the finke desert race, but let your tyre pressure down a bit an just plod along
mechpete

As Pete said, plus don't venture far off the main track or there's more risk of staking a tyre on an old rail spike . . . generally the track itself is pretty clear now.
It's a couple of hundred kms (not including the Chambers detour), so not a major time thing driving easy.

I drove that way a few years back - I left Dalhousie just after lunch, arrived in Finke late afternoon or early evening but there was a bad vibe about the place (I've never seen so many bars on windows, anything that could be locked down was) so I didn't want to risk spending the night anywhere near there so I pushed on to Chambers Pillar - I think I got there around 10pm from memory. I was taking it pretty easy and stopped a few times to look at some of the ruins from the Old Ghan Line and take photos here and there.

It was an interesting drive with a mix of sand and corrugations, sometimes both together, as well as some small 'dunes' (or jumps for the Finke Desert Race?) which meant slow going at times (unless you want to fly over them like the do in the races, and risk a similar 'drop out rate'!).

Although not recent ( 2 years ago), the Ghan track is normally pretty good, just keep your tyres down a bit from Chambers and you'll be right BTW there is no shortcut through Maryvale.

Check out Mt Dare website http://www.mtdare.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=23

It is a fantastic drive and one, done it twice, that I would do again.

cheers

Generally, that track is just dirt, not regularly graded, some corrugations and some soft sandy sections. But nothing too bad with tyre pressures of around 28psi. No difficulty for our Troopy but some in soft-roaders might whinge a bit.

Some people have made warnings about the danger of rail spikes on the track but in several trips, I have not seen a spike on the track nor spoken to anyone who has. The track runs adjacent to the old rail line, not along it where spikes can be seen. Nor are there any sleeper remnants on the track to cause corrugations or hazard.

Finke (Aputula indigenous community) is not a pretty town, not a favourite of mine and definitely no good coffee shops!

Hi Kathleen,
we travelled from Alice to Chambers Pillar few days before Finke Desert race. Road to Maryvale station was in good nick 80-90 kmh. From Chambers returning to Maryvale is about 45 km and took 1.25 hrs rough corrugated with sandy sections.
We did not go to Finke.
However later in our trip we travelled north from Cooper Pedy up to Dalhousie. This was 2 wks ago. Road from Cooper Pedy to Ooodnadatta excellent condition then from there to Hamilton station good condition with patches of corrugations and few bulldust holes to watch. From Hamilton HS to Dalhousie rough in places, some graded dry creek crossings,
small rocks. The grader driver said the most direct/shortest road from Dalhousie to Mt Dare was very rough. Check in at Mt Dare to see whether it has been graded.
All in all on our trip the road into Chambers Pillar was the slowest going we encountered BUT the spectacular colours of the pillar were definitely worth it. Plenty of photographic memories to cherish.
Hope this current info is of help.
Safe travels

Thanks for all the info and details, its most appreciated!

We were out that way a couple of weeks ago. Track from Dalhousie to Mt Dare was rough and rocky, so take it easy.
Mt Dare up to Old Andado via the Binns Track was a great drive, and Old Andado is definitely worth a visit. Track from there into to Finke and Lambert Centre was fine.
But we were just a couple of days after the Finke desert race and the section from Finke to the Maryvale station turnoff into Chambers Pillar was really badly corrugated; nothing insurmountable, just uncomfortable and hard on the vehicle. A bit rough into Chambers Pillar too, but well worth the journey.
Back into Alice was in excellent condition, and the grader was working on that section, so maybe it's been graded further down towards Finke now.
Enjoy, and look for the scones and jam and cream at Old Andado - really !!!