22nd to 28th November 1999 (Week 47)

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Again a fair deal of driving in front of us this week. We started from Erldunda down the Stuart Highway to Marla. Here we replenished our groceries and supplies and started our journey on the Oodnadatta Track. It was a lonely drive for the next 3 days thru the driest inhabited area of Australia. Oodnadatta is the city in Australia with the least rainfall. Per year an average of about 14 mm of rain. The landscapes were absolutely beautiful. The coulour richness in the surroundings from white over yellow, all kinds of browne tones through to red and even black along the coastline of Lake Eyre. The Oodnadatta Track follows the tracks of John MacDouall Stuart who led the first expeditions to cross Australia from South to North. Basically along the footsteps of his expeditions the intercontinental telegraph line was built as well as the Old Ghan Railway from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The Old Ghan line suffered a lot under the influence of bad weather. Therefore a new, more direct line was built in the 1970's.

Along this route as well the biggest salt lakes of Australia can be visited. Lake Eyre is filled approximately every 8 years and will the hold up to around 3 meters of water. This water evaporates usually within the next few months. All that remains are the salt crystals. The salt layer can rech a thickness of up to 50 cm.

Further south we diverted into the Gammon Range Nationalpark to Arkaroola. Arkaroola is a holliday resort offering stunning landscapes, demanding 4WD tracks, a lot of beautiful walking trails many historic sites dating back to the first settlers and not to forget a divers flora and fauna. especially to mention the Yellow footed rock wallaby.

From here we drove further south into the Flinders Range Nationalpark. Brachina Gorge features a very interesting Geological Trail explaining how these ranges came into existence. We ended this Week by travelling through the Park to arrive Sunday evening in Wilpena.

Special Road Safety Advertisement Oodnadatta Track: Landscape just out of Oodnadatta Oodnadatta Track: Auto parts made into a creative Lizard Oodnadatta Track: Landscape after passing through Oodnadatta Oodnadatta Track: Remnants of the Old Ghan Line
Oodnadatta Track: Ruins ofone of the many Fettlers Cottages along the Railway line Oodnadatta Track: Staying overnight at the Mossie ridden Angebuckina Waterhole Oodnadatta Track: Landscape just outside of Williams Creek Oodnadatta Track: The Williams Creek Hotel Oodnadatta Track: Almost got stuck on our way to Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre
Oodnadatta Track: Track to Lake eyre Oodnadatta Track: Landscape near Lake Eyre Oodnadatta Track: Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre Oodnadatta Track: Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre Oodnadatta Track: Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre
Oodnadatta Track: Abandoned Truck Oodnadatta Track: The Blanche Cup Artesian Well Italowie Gorge at the Gammon Range Nationalpark Gammon Ranges: Your friendly Lizard Arkaroola: Landscape
Arkaroola: Landscape along the Echo Camp 4WD Track Arkaroola: Batteling steep Slopes of up to 35% steepness Arkaroola: Landscape towards Nooldoo Nooldoona Arkaroola: Bolla Bollana Copper Smelter from 1870 Arkaroola: Bolla Bollana Springs
Arkaroola: Views from Spriggina Lookout Arkaroola: Arkaroola from Coulthards Lookout Arkaroola: Mt. Painter Arkaroola: Split Rock Arkaroola: View from Sillers Lookout
Mt. Chambers Gorge Mt Chambers Landscape along the Scenic Glass Gorge Drive Admiring the Scenery Landscape along the Scenic Glass Gorge Drive
Flinders Ranges: Great Wall of China with brewing Storm Flinders Ranges: Thunderstorm in full swing Flinders Ranges: Emu pictured through the Windscreen
Special Road Safety Advertisement
Oodnadatta Track: Landscape just out of Oodnadatta
 
Oodnadatta Track: Auto parts made into a creative Lizard
Oodnadatta Track: Landscape after passing through Oodnadatta
 
Oodnadatta Track: Remnants of the Old Ghan Line
Oodnadatta Track: Ruins ofone of the many Fettlers Cottages along the Railway line
 
Oodnadatta Track: Staying overnight at the Mossie ridden Angebuckina Waterhole
Oodnadatta Track: Landscape just outside of Williams Creek
 
Oodnadatta Track: The Williams Creek Hotel
Oodnadatta Track: Almost got stuck on our way to Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre
 
Oodnadatta Track: Track to Lake eyre
Oodnadatta Track: Landscape near Lake Eyre
 
Oodnadatta Track: Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre
Oodnadatta Track: Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre
 
Tanami Road: About 600 km from Halls Creek
Oodnadatta Track: Abandoned Truck
 
Oodnadatta Track: The Blanche Cup Artesian Well
Italowie Gorge at the Gammon Range Nationalpark
 
Gammon Ranges: Your friendly Lizard
Arkaroola: Landscape
 
Arkaroola: Landscape along the Echo Camp 4WD Track
Arkaroola: Batteling steep Slopes of up to 35% steepness
 
Arkaroola: Landscape towards Nooldoo Nooldoona
Arkaroola: Bolla Bollana Copper Smelter from 1870
 
Arkaroola: Bolla Bollana Springs
Arkaroola: Views from Spriggina Lookout
 
Arkaroola: Arkaroola from Coulthards Lookout
Arkaroola: Mt. Painter
 
Arkaroola: Split Rock
Arkaroola: View from Sillers Lookout
 
Mt. Chambers Gorge
Mt Chambers
 
Landscape along the Scenic Glass Gorge Drive
Admiring the Scenery
 
Landscape along the Scenic Glass Gorge Drive
Flinders Ranges: Great Wall of China with brewing Storm
 
Flinders Ranges: Thunderstorm in full swing
Flinders Ranges: Emu pictured through the Windscreen
 
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Last Updated : 28th of November 1999


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