Dalhousie Springs

"planning on taking the family to Dalhousie Springs this July........ We have a 19ft off road caravan."
Gaday Harry. It would need to be a proper offroad van with a capable tow vehicle not just one jacked up with some aluminium chequerplate down the sides as the roads around Dalhousie can often be in very poor condition. Given recent local rain or even a forecast of such I would not suugest towing anything that large/heavy in there.
Cheers Craig..............

Hi Harry,

I just got back from Dalhousie Springs an hour ago & the roads at the moment are in reasonably good condition, but that will change by the time you get out here.

I don't think that you will have too many problems getting your van out there & back if you drive VERY carefully & check with us before heading out.

You have a couple of choices on routes into Dalhousie Springs, Oodnadatta - Hamilton Station - Pedirka (rough) - Dalhousie Springs. Oodnadatta - Hamilton Station - Bloods Creek - Dalhousie Springs (longer but less rough & you get to visit Eringa waterhole).

When you come back up to Mt Dare Go back out through Bloods Creek & turn right, the track through Christmas bore is very rocky & slow.

The other option is that you leave the van at Mt Dare & do a day trip down to Dalhousie Springs.

We repair a lot of trailers from the cheep garden variety right up to the Baroma's & Bushtrackers so they will all break even if treated gently so take care whatever you decide to do.

Hi Harry

Like the others above, the most critical factor will be tyre pressure - keep them low for the corrugations and lower on the van and go slow. The track is in very good condition until just past Hamilton Station and then it goes down from there. When we went through in August last year, just after doing the Anne Beadell, I can quite confidently say that the track once inside the National Park Boundary from Bloods Creek through to Dalhousie was the worst conditions that we have ever seen the track in and worse than the Anne Beadell. I think that it is about time that the Department of Environment and Heritage look seriously duty of care for the condition of the tracks - they do not mind taking your $110 for a Desert Parks Pass, the money of which is stated in the pass goes back into the maintenance of the Parks, well not the tracks anyway.

The only reason that we went that way was the usual way through Pedirka was closed to the Public. The Pedirka way can be a little rough, but is the quicker way to go. If you plan on staying at Eringa Waterhole, make sure that you take in your wood for a camp fire, as the place has been stripped of dead timber and the usual half wits have resorted to chain sawing green timber for a fire...say no more.

Same as before you get to Dalhousie, you will see that there are designated areas where you can collect timber for a fire at Dalhousie. Make sure that you don't forget the aeroguard, as you will not have a good weekend...LOL

The water in Dalhousie is unreal and make sure that you get up before sunrise, for two good reasons, to see the steam mist rising in the cold morning temperatures and a very refreshing early morning swim.

Have a great time.


Cheers


Stephen