Oodnadatta to Finke

Submitted: Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:34
ThreadID: 42154 Views:2594 Replies:8 FollowUps:12
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Anyone got any info on nay of these tracks???

I am planning this as part of a mid year trip and cannot find anything on the treks page. I'm at work and do not have any maps of the area with me :-( I guess I should be doing work instead but its boring.

Cheers in advance

Toytruck
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Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:42

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:42
Been a long time since I was on the track and it was raining and the car was in a hell of a mess .but conditions I can't give you, but it's fantastic country, I love the area , you will go past the old home ruins of Sid Kidman, called Eringa . Have a good one mate ,wish I was tagging along.

Doug
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Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:51

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:51
Doug T,
thanks mate. I'm trying to establish a "Loop" trip. We are heading out to Yulara (where I used to live) via the old Gunbarrel and then back into Alice via Mereene Loop. The I intend to head down to Finke along the old Gann Track and see Chambers Pillar and onto Fink. Rather than heading back out to the highway I figured I might as well keep heading South if I can, I like to avoid the black stuff if I can:-)

Cheers
Toytruck
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Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:59

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 15:59
scuse thu spullin. im worken und typin ut thu sam tim.
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:44

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:44
The Old Ghan Rail Trail is great!
In fact you will enjoy the whole trip.
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Reply By: mfewster - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:16

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:16
The one section of the track you need to be careful of is the claypans, Not too far north of Oodnadatta. They can look rock hard and then you break through the crust and it is pure grease underneath. There are detours around the biggest pans and I have since done that track and taken them. We drove through them a couple of years ago towing an OR camper trailer and very nearly got caught. Had to gun the guts out of the car and sprayed mud in all directions for some distance. Having thought about it afterwards, I think it would have been much wiser to have stopped and dropped the tyre pressures of car and trailer and probably would have been OK. At the time, just felt us break through the crust, found the grease underneath and planted the foot to keep momentum up. Interesting because it was early February at the time, about 45degrees and hadn't rained in yonks so it didn't occur to me that there might be any prob with the apparent rock hard surface.
Great drive though.
If you are along that track, have a think about doing the drive from Mt Dare to Old Andado, Sensational.
AnswerID: 220830

Reply By: Member - Josef S (NSW) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:22

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:22
I did Marree to Williams Creek, then to Coober Pedy in a 12 year old falcon towing a big off road trailer. The Oodnadatta track can be excellent. I really regret now not driving all the way up to Oodnadatta . it is absolute fascinating country, even my teenage kids loved it.

Good luck.
AnswerID: 220833

Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 09:02

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 09:02
Josef S,
yep done the Oodnadatta more times than I can count and it is a great trip. I have also done the Finke and Chambers Pillar trip several times but have never been from Finke to Ood so will plan this one in. Having lived out there for a number of years I have seen my fair share of the middle but I now have three kids, 3 months, 5 years and 6, so its time to show them some of this great country.

I don't even have in car DVD, I make my kids read about Australian wildlife and my young bloke, 6, is even into Les Hiddins, bushtucker and Australian Explorers, he about the only one in his class that knows who Burke and Wills are.......I think its great.

Cheers

Toytruck
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Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:23

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 16:23
Yep Chambers Pillar is worth the trip alone , good camp spot there too, don't forget to shut the gates , and on the Finke track take your sea sickness pills , Hard to believe the Finke Desert Race off roaders do that in a little over 2 hours from Alice to Finke, they must spend more time in the air than on the track
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Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:36

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:36
DougT,
when I lived at Yulara I was 2IC at the local Emergency Services. During my time there we used to run the check point at Bundooma for the race so had a birds eye view. The guys on the bikes used to come past, on 2 stroke 500's, absolutely FLAT OUT. Being a bike rider myself I was still amazed at these guys, incredible.

Toytruck
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Follow Up By: Hairy - Monday, Feb 12, 2007 at 19:24

Monday, Feb 12, 2007 at 19:24
And they are down to a little UNDER two hours now too!!
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Reply By: Surf - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 17:16

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 17:16
We went from Finke to Alice Springs in 2004 along parts of the old Ghan track. Its certainly nice country, but the track was something else.

Parts of it cover the Finke Desert Race track so you have a choice of options. One is relentless corrugations and the other is endless undulations.

The corrugations were about a metre apart and nearly six inches high, bone jarring stuff and the undulations, or whoopties drove you insane. There was also the occassional dog spike sticking up to catch the unwary.

It took us several hours to get to Alice and when we got there the sound insulation under my mates bonnet had been torn loose and all our tinned food had lost their labels because the long life milk cartons had exploded. it was a lucky dip for meals after that.

When ever my kids play up I threaten them with the Ghan Track, stops them in their tracks. I'd do it all again tomorrow if I had the chance though.
AnswerID: 220849

Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 09:18

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 09:18
Surf,
Its a great track. I once did Alice to Bundooma at night in an Emergency Services vehicle towing a bloody great recovery trailer, that was fun. We were setting up the halfway point for the race and were trying to get there before it was toooo late. We had come from Yulara and had to drop in to the Headquaters at Alice so time was of the escence.......bloody luv it.

Toytruck
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Reply By: DesF - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 17:56

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 17:56
Hi , I dont have any latest road conditions, but we have been from Oodna to Finke a couple of times, then onto Alice. when you leave Finke you will head out to New Crown, then head for Mt Dare,usually pretty corrogated), we turn off at Charlotte Waters , the sign is to Abminga ( deserted) then on to Eringa ( lge permanent waterhole ) we camp there on the way up. then thru Hamilton Stn,( Slow Please) and on to Oodnadatta.
The road is graded to Charlotte Waters, then good driving on 2wheel tracks till you come out onto the Mt Dare road just before Eringa, then its graded to Oodnadatta.
Finke to Eringa 112Ks
Eringa to Oodna 157ks.
How far down are coming?
Cheers Des.
AnswerID: 220855

Follow Up By: DesF - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:00

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:00
Hi, Just forgot , if Fogarty's Lagoon looks a bit suss use the bypass ( on the western side ) it is only 3ks further. good trip "D"
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Follow Up By: DesF - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:05

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:05
Hi again, actually it's Fogarty's Claypan,and we will be going up again on the June long weekend for the Finke Desert Race. You can't travel from Alice to Finke on that weekend untill the race is over, we follow the rescue vehicles up, we are turning off to Chambers Pillar this year, "D"
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Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:30

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:30
DesF,
thanks for the info. During my time at Yulara I was 2IC for the local emergency services and we used to run the check point at Bundooma for the race so am very aware of what its like on that weekend. I have been along that track more times than I can count but have never been between Finke and the Ood.

Thanks for the info.

Toytruck
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FollowupID: 481618

Follow Up By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:53

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 08:53
How far South,
Adelaide. I am going to include Finke to Ood on the way back home so from Ood will probably come back down and have a look at Lake Eyre (again) and show the kids.

Toytruck
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FollowupID: 481621

Follow Up By: DesF - Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 18:18

Saturday, Feb 10, 2007 at 18:18
No worries .Toytruck, have a great trip, may see you on the road. Cheers Des.
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FollowupID: 481662

Reply By: Member - Fizz (NSW) - Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:37

Friday, Feb 09, 2007 at 18:37
Have a look at Trek 61 (Painted Desert). Before your trip, not after it!
AnswerID: 220866

Reply By: steve&anja - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 13:39

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 13:39
We have just finnised a family holiday that was going to include the Oodnadatta track but unfortunately the area had a 1 ln 50 year storm, (I mean the place has been a desert since time began and the day before we get there they have 150 mm of rain arh well you get that ) so we did the Finke track instead fantastic. Highlights Lamberts center of Oz a must camp there then chambers pillar camp on the ridge halfway from the homestead to the pillar the sun set was unbelievable. The old ghan track between Finke and Alice is to be taken seriously we nearly came unstuck once or twice just be careful. hope this helps
AnswerID: 222455

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