South Oz Odyssey

Steve,
Wife and myself have travelled the Border Track many times.You could travel Renmark to Bordertown in two days but you would be too busy driving to enjoy. Much better to spend a week travelling and exploring the area leisurely. South of Renmark you have the Murray Sunset National Park, many side tracks and nice places to camp [bush]. Our favourite area is south of Pinnaroo. The best map of this area is free at the BP roadhouse at Pinnaroo, it is called Big Desert State Forest 4WD TOURING MAP.Also available from Dept. of Natural Resources & Environment 136 186 www.nre.vic.gov.au alternatively if you pop into Murrayville, turn up the street with the pub on the corner and go to the newsagent, the fellow in there has a map and knows all that area like the back of his hand. Only too happy to give you info and help. Many tracks well sign posted in this area and many great camp sites with brick fireplaces, some with toilets, some have fresh water.very easy to spend a week just in this area of the Border Track. Condition of track is reasonable, with some nasty corrugated areas mainly soft sand with some clay patches which can be very interesting after heavy rain. Some challenging dunes in the mid section, Red Bluff camp site is a very nice place to stay for a day or three. Go and have a good look around, you wont be disappointed.
Peter

Steve,
What time frame do you have??
Without the benefit of knowing that, try this suggestion:

Go east from Hawker/Wilpena region & through Waukaringa down to Yunta. It's a good dirt road - 4wd not required.
Get the RAA maps of the Flinders Ranges, and the other regions.

Then through south along the Barrier highway to Burra. Stay here. Turn east to Morgan, and follow the river from Morgan to Renmark.
Head to Mildura & turn south & travel the Sunset Country. Stay 1 night here, minimum. It's 4wd.

Then head on the Rosy Pine road, south west of Pinnaroo, into Ngarkat National Park. Head to Red Bluff, staying 1 night minimum in this park. It also is 4wd. You can exit the Park north of Bordertown, or Keith. Try Australian Geographic map of N-W Victoria, or trek notes from back issues of 4WD magazine, or Brian Sheedy's book about discovering the Mallee. Unless there has been recent rains(which make the ruts in the swales very greasy and they hold lotsa water), it's an easy-ish drive.

From there it is an easy run to Robe. Stay there - the drive along the coast is only short - easy day trip - definitely 4wd.
Enjoy.
Cheers,
Rick

Peter,

thank you for your information. It was invaluable.

Sincerely,

Steve