Oodnadatta - Cadney Homestead Road

Submitted: Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 15:20
ThreadID: 137103 Views:4023 Replies:10 FollowUps:7
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Has anyone recently - or at any stage - travelled the Oodnadatta to Cadney Homestead road via the Painted Desert?

What did you tow - if anything?
Thank you.
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Reply By: qldcamper - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:19

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:19
Is that on the same track as the Arkaringa homestead? If so we were there a couple of months ago towing a 7 by 4 off road trailer.

Why do you ask?
AnswerID: 620620

Follow Up By: Gary T1 - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:25

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:25
I am planning a trip for early 2019 and was keen to give it a go. I will be towing an Ultimate camper so from all replies it sounds as if all should be fine. Thank you to all replies.
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Follow Up By: qldcamper - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:41

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:41
Defiantly wouldnt recommend arkaringa as a camp spot, it has been let go very badly, would be the worst camp site we stopped at in the 6 week trip.

The road between arkaringa and the hills of the painted desert was badly corrigated but pretty good other than there.
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Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 21:04

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 21:04
Gary T1
You should be ok with an Ultimate. We went through with a F250/Bushtracker.
As with any open surface outback track, check first wrt recent and forecast weather. Could be v hot in early part of the year.
Re Arkaringa Stn, maybe check Wikicamps as almost all comments are positive. We stayed there - all fine.
While many view the Painted Desert Hills at sunset, we did both sunset and sunrise. Without a doubt sunrise was the best, getting out to the eastern lookout well in time for the soft purple pre- dawn light on the hills gradually changing until they had the direct rays from the sun.
Enjoy
Andrew
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 07:30

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 07:30
Hi Gary

Seeing that you have an Ultimate, it will literally go anywhere and the only limiting factor will be the vehicle that you are towing it with.

Like and outback road conditions will change for many reasons, but generally it is a dead easy good drive........and yes we have towed our Ultimate through there.

As Andrew has replied above we also stayed at Arkaringa Station and had no issues at all. Seeing that this is all station country, if you intend to camp near the Painted Desert, Arkaringa in the only place where you can camp anyway.



Cheers



Stephen
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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:21

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:21
We went as far as Arkaringa HS in company with a 200 Toyota towing a 23ft caravan in September 2016.
We have travelled it several times prior to that and there has never been an issue.
It is just another gravel road.
The road to the right is the turn off to the Painted Desert.




AnswerID: 620621

Reply By: Ozi M - Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:21

Friday, Aug 10, 2018 at 16:21
I did that road 2 years ago, I did not tow anything.

I left Cadney Homestead just on daylight to get to the Painted Desert while the sun was on an angle to the side of the hills.

All worked out OK, road was narrow in parts but reasonable, not graded very often but not much traffic either.

As often happens a lot of the road is unfenced and at the time there was a lot of stock so I had to take it steady as I was driving into the sun a bit as well.

If it suited my trip I would be happy to go through there again.
AnswerID: 620622

Reply By: KevinE - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 08:46

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 08:46
Dual cab Ute, with 4 adults on board, towing a soft floor CT; beautiful scenery.

The actual road has no difficult aspects at all when its dry. It's just another outback gravel road. Wet weather changes everything for the worse!

I'd do it again, just for the scenery!
AnswerID: 620629

Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:15

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 11:15
Travelled this road last year towing a 2.5 T full off road van from Cadney Park to the Oodnadatta. The section from Cadney Park is pretty rough in places, with a couple of deep bull dust holes. Other than that, it is a fairly reasonable road.

Macca.
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Reply By: Member - nick b boab - Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:03

Saturday, Aug 11, 2018 at 15:03
We did it 3 weeks ago, found around the painted desert & archaringa station was heavily corrugated to a point where it snapped the UHF antenna in 3 bits Lol .... the rest was fine , as said much like most out back road but wouldn't do it again for the scenery unless it was necessary to travel that way .
Painted desert was very pretty .
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Reply By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 14:34

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 14:34
Meander through the Copper Hills area.......stunningly beautiful
AnswerID: 620663

Reply By: Mike & Kendra Prado 2 - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 22:49

Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 22:49
We were there a month ago with our Prado and off road camper. The track from Oodnadatta is rough but ok, the section into the homestead is very corrugated in sections but manageable. Well worth the visit, camp site is open but ok - the caretakers dogs are nuisance though ! Painted desert - absolute must see!
AnswerID: 620673

Follow Up By: qldcamper - Monday, Aug 13, 2018 at 07:26

Monday, Aug 13, 2018 at 07:26
The dog thing is a problem we encountered a lot.
We travel with a small dog and many camps are near properties with male dogs that just love to come for a sniff and piss on your gear.
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Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Monday, Aug 13, 2018 at 17:51

Monday, Aug 13, 2018 at 17:51
I think you have nailed it qldcamper.
A lot of working dogs have remarked about what a pita it is too come back late in the afternoon after a hot and dusty day out in the paddocks only to find some little blow in carrying on in a high pitched yap like it owns the place.
They reckon a bit of marking and a grownup growl usually fixes things ok though.
LOL
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Follow Up By: qldcamper - Tuesday, Aug 14, 2018 at 07:26

Tuesday, Aug 14, 2018 at 07:26
Yep, and some people think they are above other dog owners too.
Was set up at William creek when a group pulled in late in the afternoon and while the guys were setting up the woman went round to all the dog owners she could find, us included, to make sure our dogs were on leads, but it turns out it was just to make sure her little dog could wander about and mark its territory safely.

Was tempted to leave my own wet patch just outside their annex door.
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Reply By: Michael D24 - Saturday, Aug 18, 2018 at 13:03

Saturday, Aug 18, 2018 at 13:03
We did this road(?) just 7 days ago - Prado with Cub off road camper trailer.

Oodnadatta to Arkaringa is not too bad although there were a few stretches of rough corrugations.

Arkaringa Stn campground is basic & very open to weather - but adequate.

Arkaringa through to the border with Evelyn Downs Stn was pretty rough, a lot of rock, some corrugations, 20 to 40k's an hour at best, plus a lot of cattle on the roadside for us. But the scenery in this stretch is fabulous, stunning stuff!

From the Evelyn Downs turn-off there is/was a road plant operating & the road conditions were good.

Around the Copper Hills area the road was still ok but there were a few bulldust holes to watch out for.

Overall an enjoyable drive!
AnswerID: 620761

Reply By: ChrisVal7 - Monday, Sep 03, 2018 at 21:43

Monday, Sep 03, 2018 at 21:43
We have travelled it 12 months ago, in a Landcruiser rowing a 19 foot (3.5 tonne) off-road caravan. It was in fine shape, and gave us no concerns whatsoever.
AnswerID: 621006

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