Cooper Creek Ferry 2025
Submitted: Monday, Apr 21, 2025 at 14:00
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Member - Warrie (NSW)
In 1990 the ferry was needed during the massive May floods. It operated again in 2010 and 2011. Operation is controlled by Transport SA via its contractors. Currently the ferry is in a yard in
Marree where it has sat for the last two years. This YouTube link will show how it was removed on a low loader from being stored up on blocks beside the Cooper.
Ferry move
Link to
Cooper Creek Ferry on this site in
Places.
Visit the Wrightsair or Arid Air sites to see all the latest pix of the 2025 Cooper flood or use Facebook at Outback Floods 2025
Water only advances down the Cooper at 3 km per day as it has to fill many lakes, swamps and soak into all that sand.
It reached
Walkers crossing on the 13/4/2025 and with 200km or more by river to the to the ferry that's still nearly 3 months to get there, based on flow rates in 2010. This years flood is 24 days later at the
Cullyamurra Waterhole near Immanincka. ie. hit on 3/4 2025 v 10/3 /2010. The water arrived at the
Birdsville Tk at Cooper Creek on 1/6/2010 and the ferry began on 8/6/2010. Thus it took 12 weeks to arrive. So, will this years flood take the same time? The water volume as of today is equal to the whole of 2010 at 8.5cubic km and will no doubt increase. But it is flooding over much drier ground then 15 years ago so this may slow it down. Time will tell.
Reply By: RMD - Monday, Apr 21, 2025 at 17:00
Monday, Apr 21, 2025 at 17:00
G'day Warrie.
In 2010 I was in
Marree, and got talking to an Aboriginal local who was making his last moves before going with his cousin to operate the Ferry at
Cooper Creek. 15 Years later he probably is heading off with the Ferry to do the same again. Later we took a flight with Wrightair, over the
Lake, unfortunately, in the oldest, noisiest, I mean NOISIEST, and most DUNGER looking poorly maintained plane I have ever seen. I took photos out of
the gap at the corner of the NON CLOSING LH door. Everyone on board was ILL from the noise except myself and
the Pilot girl! It seems anything goes with Wrightair and there is NO level of safety or checking of airworthiness ever performed by AUTHORITIES. If it was, that plane would NEVER be allowed to fly.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Warren H - Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 16:00
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 16:00
Maybe it was the legendary phantom silver plane of
Oodnadatta?
I flew with them in 2016 and 2019. The aircraft seemed in good shape on both occasions. Tried to book a flight with the door off for better photography on the 2016 trip, but that aircraft was being used for mustering. The winds were so strong on that trip that the little Cessna had a ground speed of over 400 knots.
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Follow Up By: RMD - Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 17:21
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 17:21
Warren. Do you really think you were travelling at 740kmh relative to ground? A Cessna 172 has a top speed of 300kmh , 740 is WAY more than double that speed! 400K H + winds , are you sure it wasn't Cyclone Albanese you were caught up in?
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Follow Up By: Member - Warren H - Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 18:10
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025 at 18:10
Well maybe it was kph, it was eight years ago. Certainly
the pilot thought it was noteworthy enough to call back to base. It was at higher altitude during the leg between
the Painted Hills and
Lake Eyre so not at the lower
lake observation height. It was extremely windy at ground level. We pitched the tent in the
camp kitchen and still had a decent quantity of sand blow in when we were taking it down.
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Reply By: Member - Warrie (NSW) - Saturday, Apr 26, 2025 at 09:28
Saturday, Apr 26, 2025 at 09:28
How's the Cooper going? Answer - slowly. Graph is self explanatory. I will update it to match 2010 dates. Starting at Cullyamurra WH this years flood is 24 days later. Yes, it is a bigger volume but flowing over much drier ground than 2010 so more will soak in.
Marree raingauge is faulty reading zero for last 5 months which doesn't really matter since it is too far south. Moomba which had falls of 54mm in December and 31mm in March will be of negligible consequence to the flow. It's evaporated away in the heat
Better book your Ferry ticket soon, although at the moment the ferry is still up on blocks in
Marree. Possibly an ex
Murray River ferry will be shipped up, big enough to fit a cattle truck. The bypass track has been graded, We're all just waiting for the water to arrive. I wonder if Dick Smith will be there to refresh his ferrymasters licence. LOL PS the ferry is ticketless and free. Lets hope that the
Birdsville Track is opened for tourists to catch the ferry so as to travel
Marree to BV or vice versa.
Cooper flow dates 2010 v 2025
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