Oodnadatta Track

The Oodnadatta Track is the outback gravel road most tourers cut their teeth on, and for good reason: it follows the old Ghan railway and the string of artesian mound springs from Marree up to Marla, with fuel and a cold drink never more than a couple of hundred kilometres apart. It is graded, it is public and in the dry a well-sorted off-road van will handle it. But do not mistake graded for gentle: the corrugations out here have shaken plenty of rigs to bits. ## The route From Marree the track heads north-west past the Lake Eyre South lookout, the mound springs at Wabma Kadarbu, and the old railway sidings that mark the original Ghan line. Coward Springs and William Creek make natural first and second nights, and William Creek is the launch point for a Lake Eyre scenic flight. If the lake has water in it, take the flight, because there is nothing else like it in the country. From there it is a longer leg into Oodnadatta and the famous Pink Roadhouse, then a final gravel run out to bitumen at Marla on the Stuart Highway. All up it is around 620 kilometres of gravel. ## Can your rig do it This is a rig-rating 3 track and one of the few genuine outback runs a real off-road van can do without heartbreak. The key words are off-road van — a coastal or on-road van with light chassis and unsealed-road-only suspension will rattle apart on the corrugations. If your van was built to tour the Great Ocean Road, this is not the place to find out its limits. Our [rig-rating explainer](/articles/can-my-van-do-this-rig-rating-explained) sets out where the line sits, and if you are weighing up a purchase for trips like this, [how to choose an off-road caravan](/articles/how-to-choose-an-off-road-caravan) is worth a read first. Most of our team still prefer a 4WD and off-road camper here simply for the ease, but a proper van is fair enough. ## Fuel water and comms Fuel is at Marree, William Creek, Oodnadatta and Marla, gaps of roughly 200 kilometres, which is comfortable, but prices are steep and hours vary, so top up at every chance. Carry your own drinking water; the bore water along the track is artesian and warm, and while Coward Springs and the roadhouses have supplies, you should be self-sufficient. Mobile coverage is patchy to non-existent between towns, so carry a satellite phone or PLB. It is a well-trafficked road in season, but you should never rely on someone else coming along. ## Permits and closures You do not need a permit for the Oodnadatta itself, which is a public road. You will only need a Desert Parks Pass if you detour into an SA desert park like the Simpson. The big issue is rain: the track closes hard after any decent fall, and driving it wet is both illegal and a great way to get badly bogged. Check the current SA road condition line before you go and again along the way, and treat any closure notice as final. Conditions shift quickly out here, so verify rather than assume. ## When to go April to October is the sweet spot — the heat of summer out here is brutal and dangerous, and the risk of a road-closing rain event is lower in the cooler months. We aim to travel the longer legs in the morning while the surface is firm and the light is kind. Air down to take the sting out of the corrugations; our guide to [tyre pressures for corrugations](/articles/tyre-pressures-for-corrugations) covers the numbers, and lower pressures plus lower speed will save your rig and your fillings. ## Camps along the way Coward Springs is the pick — a restored siding with a little artesian tub, shade and a real sense of history. William Creek and Oodnadatta both have simple campgrounds behind the pubs and roadhouses, and there are informal spots along the way for the self-contained. The Oodnadatta links neatly into the [Birdsville Track](/trails/birdsville-track) via Marree to make a bigger loop, or forms one leg of [the big lap](/itineraries/the-big-lap). Take your time, respect the closures and it will reward you.