Oodnadatta Track Holiday - Williams Creek to Oodnadatta

We are up to Day 8 of our holiday and on the way to Williams Creek we saw some Sculptures at Multonia Sculpture Park.

An example of a Sculpture with a Daisy one in the background.

Another couple

 We arrived at Williams Creek about 4 pm and I was surprised at the number of people here, at least 40 vans and a few motor bikers with tents etc. We saw some of  them on the way, at the first Lake Eyre stopover. The town of Finka every year holds a motor bike rally, considering the number of motorbikes on the road it must be popular.

Lake Eyre in the distance

 This is a township of 6 but the Caravan Park is very big, with lots of Gum Trees in rows.  The pub is a large Tin Shed and on the Caravan Park ground is a huge electric Generator, several water tanks, Lots of Showers/Toilets in one long bank, which had plenty of hot water. Plus Units and ensuites. Tourist  Buses use this for their stopovers, hence the number of  little units.

Pub Entrance

Apparantly the owner paid for this to happen.

The ceiling of pub  is loaded with cards.

Next day was our trip to Lake Eyre, a 2 hr. drive in 4 wheel only, then another 1 k walk to the water. By this time it was our 9th. day and we had travelled non stop 5 - 8 hrs a day and I was sick so I decided not to go. Instead used the opportunity to wash all our clothes, which I hung out, and sheets,towels etc in the dryers, washed the van floor and then rested with my knitting, by 1pm it was quite cold so glad for the heater.

Very Aussie as our daughter said.

Shower/Toilet Block

Units for the Bus tourists of those travelling without camping gear.

After all the hype on how difficult the road was out to lake Eyre John found it better than the gravel road we had been travelling. He has an excellent zoom lens also and only saw the water with it. Only way to see the lake is by air. Glad I didn't go. The rest did me good.

Zoomed in

2 people on the very muddy edge.

One of the many trucks on the road, parked at the Caravan Park.

Next day we did a trip to Coober Pedy another 2hr. trip on gravel but the turnoff into the town was bitumen Yeah!! Tourist Information Centre had free wifi also, so caught up on everything. Lots of opal shops here of course all competing. Mulloc heaps everywhere on the outskirts of the town. We visited two underground churches, shopped at an IGA, and coffee in an underground cafe. Underground mine tour was booked out due to three buses, which was disappointing.

Entrance

These were 2 of 6 tyres painted in a park where we got our bearings. 

Coffee in the underground cafe

Part of the hotel the cafe is in

Every where we go there seems to be a quilt.

Coober Pedy is famous for its underground housing,hotels and churches. Only way to beat the heat and they remain 25 degrees all year.

The underground Catholic church of St.Peter and St.Paul.

We climbed the tallest point known as The Big Rig.

View one side

Big Rig itself

First Tree in the town made of an old car.

Interesting use of using tyres for dirt banks.

We went to Umoona Opal the mining place for the tour, they had a bit of a fossil museum and history.

Noodling outside a shop

Shop area, they also had a tour through an underground tunnel to a house but we didn't have time.

Carvings done right into the walls.

You could spend several days in Coober Pedey enjoying the uniqueness of it.

Next day we were off to Odnadatta, with our first stop being the Algebuckina Bridge built in
 1878 - 91 and was the longest bridge in SA.

 

 

We had been travelling in what I consider in the middle of nowhere hardly passing a soul on the road and suddenly all these cars turned up. They weren't all travelling together either.

I will leave it there and next week start at the place of pink... Oodnadatta.

Till Next Time.