Day 1

Marree is a town just at the start of the Oddanatta Track. So we decided to stay here one night after driving from Flinders Ranges Nationalpark. They don’t have drinkable tapwater here, so bring your own or buy bottles at the General Store. The General Store has a very limited selection of groceries and they are expensive, so bring some of these as well.

Marree was our first experience with the ‘outback life’. Its definitely a special experience staying in such a small town and being surrounded by dust, desert and dirt, having a shower in water that smells like egg, feeling even dirtier after the shower, and not being able to drink tapwater. But, at least we had reception with Optus. After we arrived we had a beer at the hotel and then we went to buy groceries in the General Store and two freshly baked loafs of bread. Their bread is really good, so try that!

Day 2

The next day we drove around 2,5-3 hours to reach Coward Springs Campground. On the way, we stopped to check out Lake Eyre South Viewing Point, but the water hasn’t reached the lake down here, so there was not much to see. We walked out pretty far, and still didn’t see much salt either.

Coward Springs Campground is a nice little campground with a warm mineral spring pool, showers with the water heated by firewood and toilets (better than in Marree). Even here we had reception with Optus, even better than in Marree. If you’re just a day visitor you can also use the toilets and the mineral spring for a small entry fee. We payed $15 per person to stay overnight. You have to pay by putting cash into a letter and then into a box, and they’ll come around later to check you payed. We didn’t have any cash, so we were lucky that we could transfer money by bankaccount, when a guy came around.

There are LOTS of flies here, remarkably more than in Marree, so make sure you bring a net for your head. Boy, did I regret that I didn’t buy one. Paul did though. So he was happy.

Day 3

From Coward Springs Campground we drove to William Creek, which took only 1 hour. We had a quick lunch, put on some fuel and then decided to drive to Halligan Bay Point, where you could supposedly see a bit of water from Lake Eyre. We booked two nights online to sleep just right next to the lake and off we drove. The track to Halligan Bay Point is recommended for 4wd only, but as we drove onto it, we didn’t find it as bad as we thought it would be. However, during the 60 km it did get worse and was very corrugated.

It went really well with driving there. Until our car decided not to work any longer just 7 kms from the bay. So there we were. Stuck in the desert, not with a blown tyre, which was the only thing we had worried about having, but with a car that wouldn’t start any longer. My first reaction was to laugh. How typical is it that it happens to us. And then just before we reach our goal.

Luckily, a lot other people decided to go to and from Halligan Bay that day, so a few cars stopped to see if they could help us. Nothing helped though. Well, it did help a little on our mood, that a few people said it wasn’t that spectacular and special going to Halligan Bay. They said the water was still super far out and showed us pictures. So that helped a little.

However, we ended up getting the car running on the little bit of gas we had left and then we drove 40 kilometers back and the last 20 kilometers a nice elderly couple towed us behind them to William Creek and onto the campground. Here they have toilets and showers and again, reception with Optus!

Stuck in William Creek

So, we found ourselves a little stuck in William Creek. Which by the way has no groceries at all. They do have a lovely restaurant at the hotel, but eating there everyday and for every meal is not affordable for us. Luckily, we still had food to cook and there were so many nice people offering us groceries, to cook for us and one couple even insisted on taking us for dinner at the restaurant – thank you so much Gayle and Danny! For a few hours it felt like we had Aussie parents that cared for us. The food on the hotel is definitely recommendable – I had an excellent veggie burger and some good coffee.

Next day I called our insurance, National Warranty, that provides towing through National Roadside Assistance. But, they only cover 50 km, and we needed to be towed 160 km to the nearest town with a mechanic, Cooper Pedy. We figured the cheapest way to get towed would be by waiting for the grocery truck that comes once a week, every friday, from Cooper Pedy to William Creek. This company wanted $550, so thats what we went for considering our insurance would probably have wanted double that price.

So we ended up being towed to Cooper Pedy, not even having seen what we drove that long way for, Lake Eyre.

If you find yourself in William Creek or Marree, they offer scenic flights over Lake Eyre. We didn’t get a chance to go on one, since they were fully booked 1 week ahead and they are a bit expensive. For $300 you get a 1 hour flight from William Creek over the lake and the pilot will also give you stories and information. So if you get there or to Marree, I definitely think you strongly should consider doing it. Then you spare yourself the risk of blowing a tyre or breaking down on the Oddanatta Track. Ofcourse driving on the track itself, which is one of Australias most remote, is an experience in itself as well.