Woomera & Coober Pedy accommodation

Submitted: Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 21:49
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We're travelling up to the Alice in June and breaking the trip at Woomera & Coober Pedy....just wondering if anyone can comment on camping/motel accommodation in these towns? Also what are the sights around these areas?

many thanks

regards

Daryl
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Reply By: Motherhen - Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:01

Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:01
Hi Daryl

I can't comment on accommodation, but we spent a day at Woomera museum. Diary extract:

At Woomera, there is an interesting outdoor display of rockets and aeroplanes. Inside the museum the history of and the reasons for the rocket range are demonstrated, as well as stories of success and failures in rocket trials. There is a section dedicated to the memory of Len Beadell, the surveyor who found and surveyed the Woomera Rocket Range, as well as surveying and building the outback ‘highways’. I have all of Len’s sometimes amusing and delightfully illustrated books.

Motherhen
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Follow Up By: dusty oval - Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:13

Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:13
Thanks motherhen. I've reconsidered and may stay at Marla instead of CP and then head to Uluru first instead of the Alice.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Teege (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 07:46

Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 07:46
dusty oval
There is not much to see or do at Marla. It just a roadhouse with a motel and caravan park. Usually has the most expensive fuel in that part of the world. On each occasion I have been through there the fuel at Marla has been dearer than the fuel at Oodnadatta. I could only recommend it if you were in a real hurry to get somewhere and that was as far as you got before sundown. Don't skip Woomera or Coober Pedy just to give yourself more time later on. Just a word of warning, don't walk the streets of Coober Pedy after dark unless you are in a big group. But that aside it is a must see place, and as has been said, if you are a golfer, the golf course is a must do!!!

teege
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Reply By: Fatso - Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:40

Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:40
Coober Pedy is a fairly interesting sort of place. It is very contrasting.
There are a couple of good tours that take you around town & out to The Breakaways.
The breakaways are well worth a look & the road isn't too bad. The tours run out there in Coasters & Hiaces. So if you have a sedan it would be OK.
On our second visit we did a tour & found out a lot that we missed on our first visit.
If you are a golfer you have to play a round of golf.
There is a good tourist information centre at the council offices.
The water in Coober Pedy is the best drinking water in SA. Fill your tanks or bottles or what ever up there.
We stayed in units once at the first van park on the right hand side (somebody else will know the name) on the way into Coober Pedy once. They were OK.
AnswerID: 410585

Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 09:50

Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 09:50
You wont be thanked if you fill your water at one of the camps. Whilst it might be the best water around its also the most expensive being pumped some 70km to the town.

There is a tap in town for you to fill up for a reasonable charge.

All but one park dont have watered sites and that one charges
$5 a night extra for it

Stuart Range would be a good park to stay at in Coober Pedy


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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:41

Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 22:41
Daryl,
Stayed a couple of nights at Woomera caravan park last year. It's set amongst some of the defence force buildings - not your average caravan park but its OK. They have some rooms available in one of the buildings too. Sightseeing at woomera is great - a couple of museums, a park full of rockets, interesting cemetry, ten pin bowling, good pub, and a sports club that is good for a meal. Book in to a Roxby Mining tour - its only an hour up the road.

We've stayed at both Stuart Range Caravan Park and the one in the centre of town at Coober pedy and both were fine. But I think there is an underground caravan park you may want to sus out. Great restaurants in coober pedy.
AnswerID: 410587

Follow Up By: dusty oval - Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 23:01

Friday, Mar 26, 2010 at 23:01
Thanks heaps Fatso & Phil. Lots of good info there. The itinerary gets more fluid as the night wears on! Travelling up from NE Vic so have calculated 4 (easy) days driving to get to Uluru. The main attractions after that are the Mereenie Loop; West Macdonnells; The Alice and down to Chamber's Pillar. I think that's all we might get in in three and a half weeks. Who knows might even get further down to Finke then across to the black top?

cheers all
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Follow Up By: Fatso - Saturday, Apr 03, 2010 at 20:20

Saturday, Apr 03, 2010 at 20:20
Dusty, if you are going down to Finke you might as well go to the Lambert Centre. It is believed to be the most accurate calculation of the centre of the continent. The turn off is, from memory, about 27 km outside of Finke or Apatula or whatever it is, on the road to Kulgera. The road is pretty high quality. The federal governments intervention scheme maintains that road as the main access. From the turn off it is a fairly slow, but quite safe, 14 km in.
Happy travels
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Reply By: Member - Brian R (WA) - Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 01:21

Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 01:21
HI daryl
We stayed in Coober Pedy
for a couple of nights , about 10 years ago .....loved the experience, I forget the name of the park ....but we did relax and have a good look around.
I have to say that as I look through the FORUM that it seems people miss the whole idea of enjoyment of travel......hard to put to word.....take time to smell the roses

brianh
AnswerID: 410603

Reply By: Member - Heather G (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 06:33

Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 06:33
Hi Daryl,

We found Woomera to be very interesting - good display of rocket 'bits and pieces' in the museum and there is a caravan park in town which we didnt stay at so I cant comment as to the standard of accommodation.

If you get to Roxby Downs make sure you take a drive out to Andamooka. It is worth a look. We camped on the noodling grounds overnight for a very small fee (not sure whether it is still permitted) - but there is also a caravan park there.

Also Coober Pedy is fascinating with lots to look at both in town and in the surrounding areas - especially the Breakaways - which are a starkly beautiful landscape, and the 'dog' fence.
We stayed out of the town at Rebas Underground campground? where there were very limited powered sites (above ground) and some unpowered. Plenty of other van arks and other accommodation in the town

Writing about it all make me want to return!

Hope you have a great trip. If you can spend the time there is so much to see along the journey.

Regards,

Heather
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AnswerID: 410608

Reply By: Member - Mfewster(SA) - Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 06:41

Saturday, Mar 27, 2010 at 06:41
Around that part of the world, if we don't camp, we find Cadney Park is good for an overnight stay. They also do good meals, especially breakfasts. In Coober, John's Pizza place on the main street has excellent Pizzas at fair prices and is a pleasant spot to sit around and you can usually find locals or travellers if you want to chat. You won't have problems finding it, you will see the cars parked outside. We tend to prefer the caravan park down near John's as well, but there isn't much in it.
AnswerID: 410609

Reply By: Scrubrat6 - Saturday, Apr 03, 2010 at 10:45

Saturday, Apr 03, 2010 at 10:45
Try the ELDO Hotel in Woomera.Go to www.woomera.com.au for contact details.

Cheers

Gary
AnswerID: 411508

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