Sunday, 2 August 2026
With some of our companions taking flights over Lake Eyre this morning, it was a very relaxed start. We didn’t actually know exactly what time we were due to leave because we didn’t find everyone at the campfire last night. To be on the safe side we aimed for 9.00am, but thought that we were more likely to be leaving about 9.30-10.00am. As Bernie was loading stuff into the truck, Joedi told him she thought that we were due to muster at 9.00am for a 9.30am departure. Gosh, just as well we were ready to head over to the mustering area before 9.00am.
I walked over and there were only two other vehicles looking ready to go. Bernie joined me with the truck soon after to make three vehicles ready to go. In the daylight Bernie had spotted where the other Dingos camped last night. They were sort of hiding behind a couple of sheds so no wonder we couldn’t spot them in the dark, ha, ha. We wandered back into the campground to find three cars being worked on. The guys were trying to sort out a radio, a car battery and a spare tyre fixing. It’s only day two and the running repairs are in full swing.
Finally … finally, all the vehicles were in the mustering area and we headed back out onto the Oodnadatta Track at about 9.50am. Now that we’ve been on the road for a day, and have chatted with all our travelling companions, it seems timely to record all their details. In addition to the Dingo Crew of John, Helene, Ross and Magda we have:
Nelson and Jo from NSW in their Isuzu DMAX
Mark and Ann from NSW, friends with Nelson and Jo, in their Isuzu MU-X
Joedi and her son, Rory, from Victoria in their Mitsubishi Pajero
Dezi and Lorna from Victoria in their Toyota Landcruiser
Don and Myf from NSW in their Toyota Hilux Explorer Motorhome
Lutz and Mal from NSW in their Toyota Hilux
Jon and Meg from NSW in their Toyota Landcruiser
Steve and Di in their Toyota Landcruiser
Bruce and Tracy from Victoria in their Toyota Prado
Ashley (call me Fester) and Tracey in their Toyota Landcruiser
And, of course, us, Bernie and ANOTHER Tracey in our Isuzu MU-X
I still can’t quite believe that amongst 10 women, three of us are called Tracey/Tracy. Tracy and me worked out quickly that we were born in the same year, when it was a very popular name, but I think the third Tracey may be quite a bit younger? Maybe my name enjoyed a resurgence in the popular names stakes a decade or so after I was born?
We motored along without incident until just after 11.00am, when tail-end Charlie started to experience some electrical problems. We all pulled up nose to tail by the roadside and all, well most, of the guys got their heads into the engine bay to discuss the problem. Eventually we got back on the road with tail-end Charlie promoted to Dingo 2 and another driver taking on the role of sweeper. We also had some comms problems with radios cutting out and messages having to be relayed through the convoy.
Despite these minor difficulties we made it to Algebuckina Bridge in time for a lunch stop. The construction of the bridge took place between 1878 and 1891. This bridge, which spans the Neale River, showcases the engineering expertise that was required to extend the old Ghan Railway to Oodnadatta. Up to 352 men were employed to build the bridge through a combination of daily work and piecework. Costing £60,000, the bridge consists of nineteen 31-metre spans and is the largest single span bridge in South Australia. I’m not sure if that actually makes sense but that’s what the interpretative board said!
The bridge was officially opened for rail traffic in January 1892. It was originally planned to be opened a year earlier, but delays in the delivery of ironwork to the worksite made this impossible. The bridge was strengthened in 1926 to accommodate heavier rail traffic and more recently it has been listed on the Register of the National Estate as well as the State Heritage Register.
After this stop we headed back out onto the Oodnadatta Track to cover the remaining 55 Ks to Oodnadatta. We made our way into town and pulled up at the Pink Roadhouse. Some pulled in to queue up at the bowsers for fuel, while others decided that they did not need to top up. At the beginning of the day the plan was for a brief stop at Oodnadatta, before continuing to a bush camp. These plans came undone with the lead vehicle experiencing difficulties with its power steering. It was decided that we would stop in Oodnadatta so that calls could be made to try to organise parts for repairs to be undertaken when we reach Mount Dare.
Everyone queued up to book campsites and, in our case, yet another night in a cabin. We ARE going to have to camp eventually. We made our way to the Gibber Cabin and, maybe, we sort of wished that we had unpacked the swag?? On the downside, the cabin does not appear to have seen a vacuum cleaner in about a decade! However, on the plus side, we do have an ensuite for nocturnal toileting needs AND a shower in the morning. One more day before we have to break out the water wipes for our ablutions. As we were settling into our cabin the roadhouse cat came to make our acquaintance, going so far as to attempt entry to our room. I petted it out on the deck but we did not let it into our room, even though it seemed to have quite the expectation that we would. We think some visitors must let it into the rooms?
The campground is much more compact tonight, so we could see where those who had decided to camp were setting up. Before long a campfire was being built, so we broke out our camp chairs and headed over to join the circle. With some wanting to cook on the campfire it was damped down to make coals to cook on. Potatoes went into the coals to be baked, a grill plate was put in to cook steaks, a frypan went in to cook a boerewors sausage and a spatchcock chicken was put on a tray, covered with foil and suspended above the coals. Some of these people really know how to prepare camp tucker!!
We had been going to be lazy again and eat in the roadhouse. However, we had defrosted our waygu beef burgers and had those and some coleslaw in the fridge. In the end, with nearly everyone else preparing their own meals, we decided that we should cook our meal too. We asked if we could use the grill and were given the go ahead, so we made ourselves burgers, coleslaw and boiled potatoes for dinner. We topped that off with the Beerenberg Roadhouse Steak Sauce that we bought to try. Yum, we’ll be buying that again.
After the cooking was finished, the campfire was built up so that we could all sit around watching a bit of bush TV. There are few things more relaxing than watching a campfire burn.
William Creek to Oodnadatta – 201 kilometres
