In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
Around 1,580 km through South Australia’s outback: from Port Augusta via Woomera and the salt pan of Lake Hart to the underground opal town of Coober Pedy, then on gravel along the old Ghan railway to the edge of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and on to Marree and Copley – a journey on which the road report, the fuel plan and your water supply decide the day every morning.
The spirit of the route
Beyond Port Augusta, South Australia stops being green. Saltbush and bluebush crouch in the wind, the road becomes a ruler, and suddenly a white mirror gleams on your left all the way to the horizon – Lake Hart, across which the Ghan rolls in the evening. In Coober Pedy people live underground, among thousands of mullock heaps and churches carved from sandstone; out in the Breakaways the mesas glow ochre-red and chalk-white. Then the gravel begins: gibber plains where the stones shine in the sun as if varnished, bridge piers and station ruins of the old Ghan, artesian springs where date palms and reeds grow out of nowhere. From the open sliding door you see dust plumes that hang in the air for kilometres, and at night a sky without any stray light. This route rewards preparation and humility: full jerrycans, a suitable vehicle – and the willingness simply to wait a day after rain.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Port Augusta to Woomera (approx. 178 km)
- The drive
- Port Augusta is just a springboard here: through the roundabouts at the Spencer Gulf bridge – clockwise, with traffic already on the roundabout having right of way – onto the Stuart Highway (A87) heading north-west. After a few kilometres flat grazing land with saltbush begins, later long straights with views of salt pans; hardly any climbs, plenty of truck and road-train traffic heading north. At Pimba the short spur road to Woomera turns off. Around 2 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Arid Lands Botanic Garden on the northern edge of Port Augusta: loop walks through plants of the dry country – a good introduction to the landscape of the coming days, most pleasant in the early morning.
- Woomera Missile Park (Rocket Park) in the town centre: rockets, aircraft and launchers from the era when British and Australian rocket tests took place here, freely accessible in the open air.
- Woomera Heritage and Visitor Information Centre: exhibition on the history of the test range, on space travel and on the consequences of the atomic tests for the Anangu communities to the west. Check opening hours beforehand.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Woomera Travellers Village in town: powered and unpowered sites, amenities, coin laundry, camp kitchen and dump point; arrange late arrivals in advance; in Woomera the shop and café are small and the choice limited. Alternatively, basic sites at the roadhouse in Pimba right on the highway, handy for a late start.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Woomera is an open town, but it lies on the edge of the Woomera Prohibited Area, a military restricted zone: between Pimba and Glendambo, do not leave the highway on side tracks to the north without knowing their status. Do not free camp in the town itself; use the park instead.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Port Augusta do your big shop, fill all tanks and jerrycans, swap or refill your gas bottle and read the road report for the outback tracks (the Outback Road Report of South Australia’s transport department, online or by phone) for the first time – from here on it becomes a daily routine. If you don’t know the Flinders Ranges yet: they are described in the CampingSpirit guide from Adelaide via the Barossa Valley to the Flinders Ranges.
2Stage 2: Woomera to Coober Pedy (approx. 372 km)
- The drive
- Back to Pimba and along the Stuart Highway to the west and north-west. Shortly after Pimba the road runs along the northern shore of Lake Hart, followed by long straights through gibber plains and low mulga to Glendambo. Between Glendambo and Coober Pedy lie around 250 km without a fuel station and without a settlement – the loneliest sealed stretch of the trip. A good 4 hours of pure driving time, a full day with breaks; be in Glendambo by early afternoon at the latest.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Lake Hart: from the rest area on the highway a short path leads across the railway line down to the salt crust. When dry, a white band to the horizon; after rain, a mirror. Don’t step onto soft, wet surfaces and cross the tracks only at the designated spot.
- Glendambo: roadhouse settlement with hotel and fuel station – the last fuel stop before the long emptiness.
- First mullock heaps before Coober Pedy: kilometres before the town the pale heaps of the opal fields appear, with warning signs about open shafts in between.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Coober Pedy has several caravan parks, such as the Oasis Tourist Park near the centre (powered and unpowered sites, amenities) and Riba’s Underground Camping and Caravan Park on the edge of town on William Creek Road, with underground sleeping areas for tents and drive-through sites for motorhomes. Because the water is treated bore water, showers and water are sometimes rationed or charged for; check facilities and prices beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The rest area at Lake Hart is popular with travellers as an overnight spot; in South Australia an overnight stay at rest areas on highways is tolerated as a rest break, stays of more than 24 hours are not welcome; observe the signs on site. Expect freight trains in the night and no water, with only a basic toilet. Do not free camp within the town of Coober Pedy or on the opal fields.
- Insider tip for campers
- Fill up in Glendambo even if your tank is still half full: there is no other fuel station before Coober Pedy, and headwinds push a camper’s consumption up considerably. Don’t drive at dusk – kangaroos, emus and free-roaming cattle cross frequently on this very stretch.
3Stage 3: Coober Pedy to Coober Pedy (Breakaways and Dog Fence) (approx. 70 km)
- The drive
- A day in the opal town with a loop drive in the afternoon: around 30 km north into the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park, on to the Dog Fence and back across the Moon Plain. The loop is an unsealed track that can be closed for days after rain or open to 4WD only. For hire campervans whose contract excludes gravel, the guided tours from Coober Pedy are the right choice.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Underground churches: the Serbian Orthodox church with vaults cut into the sandstone and the Catacomb Church are among the best known; there are also underground homes and museums you can visit – inside the rock it stays pleasantly cool even when it is hot outside.
- Kanku-Breakaways: mesas and escarpments in ochre, red and white, owned by the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara and managed jointly with the town of Coober Pedy and South Australia’s environment department. The lookouts are most beautiful in the late afternoon; book the vehicle permit online in advance with the Coober Pedy council.
- Dog Fence and Moon Plain: the dingo fence, one of the longest fences in the world, protects the sheep country to the south; beyond it lies an almost bare gibber plain reminiscent of a lunar landscape.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Second night at the same park in Coober Pedy. If you’d like to sleep underground once, you’ll find several underground lodgings and campsites in dugouts in town – pleasant on hot nights.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Don’t plan an overnight stay in the Breakaways reserve; after sunset head back to town promptly in the last light. The opal fields around Coober Pedy are no place for free camping: thousands of shafts, many unsecured and unmarked.
- Insider tip for campers
- Enter opal fields only on tracks and never walk backwards or step back while taking photos – open shafts are often 20 m deep or more, and the ground collapses at the edges. Hold children by the hand and don’t fly drones over claims. If you want to search for opal yourself, use the designated public “noodling” area in town; prospecting on the Precious Stones Field requires a permit. The Breakaways permit is per vehicle; the reserve announces partial or full closures on its Facebook page – also check the Desert Parks Bulletin.
4Stage 4: Coober Pedy to Marla (approx. 235 km)
- The drive
- Continue north-west on the Stuart Highway, through gibber plains and wide depressions with mulga and acacias. About halfway lies the Cadney Park roadhouse, after which the road climbs gently towards Marla. Little traffic apart from road trains and coaches heading to Uluṟu. Around 2.5 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Cadney Park: roadhouse with fuel station and sites – a track branches off here towards the Painted Desert on Arckaringa Station. You can reach the coloured hills of ochre, white and rust-red only by 4WD over long stretches of gravel; with a motorhome, leave it at a mention or a guided tour.
- Gibber plains along the highway: stop briefly to look at the stones, polished to a shine by wind and sun – stop only in parking bays, not on the soft shoulder.
- Marla: small settlement at the turn-off for the Oodnadatta Track, the starting point for all tracks to the east.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Caravan area at the Marla Travellers Rest roadhouse: powered and unpowered sites, amenities, fuel station, small shop and restaurant. Basic, but the right place to prepare vehicle and supplies for the gravel.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the Stuart Highway between Coober Pedy and Marla there are several rest areas where an overnight stay is tolerated as a rest break, unless signs say otherwise. West of the highway, north of Marla, the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands begin: entry by permit only; do not drive on side tracks.
- Insider tip for campers
- This is the decision point: if you are travelling in a motorhome or camper not approved for unsealed roads, don’t drive the Oodnadatta Track; instead book a scenic flight or a guided 4WD tour from Coober Pedy (such as the tour that travels with the mail truck via Oodnadatta and William Creek) and return via the Stuart Highway. If you want to continue north, the CampingSpirit guide to the Red Centre Way covers the onward route to Uluṟu; the Stuart Highway beyond Alice Springs is described in the guide to the Explorers Way to Katherine.
5Stage 5: Marla to Oodnadatta (approx. 210 km)
- The drive
- From here on only with a suitable vehicle: high-clearance 4WD with all-terrain tyres, and a rental agreement that expressly permits the Oodnadatta Track. The track (D95 on some maps) is unsealed and alternates between firm gravel, corrugations, sharp-edged gibber stones and sandy creek crossings that become impassable for days after rain. Keep your speed at 60–80 km/h and brake hard before crests and floodways. 3–4 hours with breaks.
- Highlights & must-sees
- First creek crossings and floodways: the wide, flat creek beds show how much water can flow here after a thunderstorm – never drive through flowing water.
- Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta: for decades the bright pink roadhouse has been the meeting point, fuel station, map supplier and information exchange for the track.
- Oodnadatta railway station: the old sandstone station of the former Ghan line tells of the time when Oodnadatta was the railhead and cameleers took over onward transport to the north.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: At the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta there is a camping area as well as a fuel station, shop, workshop and post office. The roadhouse is now run by new operators – check opening hours, fuel and the camping area’s facilities by phone beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Oodnadatta Track crosses pastoral leasehold land (cattle stations): the road is public, the land beside it is not. Stay overnight only at known, tolerated spots or at roadhouses; do not camp at stock watering points or bores, and leave gates as you found them.
- Insider tip for campers
- Before leaving Marla, check the Outback Road Report and the Desert Parks Bulletin: if the track is closed, it is closed – even if it looks dry, and driving on closed tracks is punished with heavy fines in South Australia. Lower your tyre pressure slightly for gravel (as specified by the manufacturer), carry a compressor and raise it again before the bitumen.
6Stage 6: Oodnadatta to William Creek (approx. 200 km)
- The drive
- The track now follows the old Ghan alignment to the south-east: railway embankments, bridge piers and ruins of stations and water stops line the track. After around 55 km it crosses the Neales River at the Algebuckina Bridge, followed by wide gibber plains and isolated mesas. Firm but often corrugated gravel with sandy sections. 3–4 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Algebuckina Bridge: at almost 590 m, the iron railway bridge over the Neales River was South Australia’s longest bridge until 2014; birds rest at the waterhole beneath it, and in the evening the spans are reflected in the water. Do not walk onto the bridge.
- Ruins of the Ghan line: stone buildings of former railway stations and remains of track beside the road, with information boards – stop briefly, but don’t climb on the ruins.
- William Creek: South Australia’s smallest town, with a hotel pub, fuel station and airstrip on the land of one of the largest cattle stations in the world.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Campground at the William Creek Hotel: powered and unpowered sites, showers, toilets, pub with meals, fuel station. In high season (May to September) and when Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre holds water, William Creek is busy – arrive early.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): At the waterhole by the Algebuckina Bridge many travellers stay overnight on tolerated, unsurfaced areas without any facilities. Keep your distance from the bank, no soap in the water, fires only when there is no fire ban and with your own wood, take everything away with you. After rain the ground can become a trap.
- Insider tip for campers
- Scenic flight over Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre from William Creek: only from the air can you see how vast the salt lake is and whether it holds water. Flights depend on the wind – reserve a morning or evening flight a day in advance. A flight is also the sensible way to see the lake if your vehicle isn’t up to the 4WD track to Halligan Bay.
7Stage 7: William Creek to Marree (approx. 205 km)
- The drive
- Continue south-east along the southern shore of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, again beside the embankment and bridge remains of the Ghan. Around 70 km after William Creek lies Coward Springs, followed by the mound springs and the lookout over Lake Eyre South. Towards the end the first hills of the Flinders Ranges come into view, and in Marree the gravel ends. 3–4 hours of pure driving time plus a swimming break.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Coward Springs: an artesian-fed pool in a timber frame among palms and reeds – after hours in the dust, the finest break on the track. The private campground charges a fee.
- Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs (Blanche Cup and The Bubbler): spring mounds of the Great Artesian Basin where water pushes up from deep below; a significant place for the Arabana. Stay on the paths and keep out of the water.
- Lake Eyre South: from the lookout on the track you gaze across a salt flat to the horizon; driving or walking on the lake bed is not permitted.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Marree has caravan parks with powered and unpowered sites, showers and waste disposal, plus the historic Marree Hotel. If you’d rather stay overnight on the track: the Coward Springs Campground with toilets, wood-fired showers and pool, fee payable.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): From the track near William Creek only a 4WD track leads to Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park, to Halligan Bay Point (closed every year from 1 December to 15 March): book vehicle entry and camping online in advance, self-registration no longer exists; dogs prohibited, no wood fires, generators only during the day. The Desert Parks Pass is not required here, but it does cover entry and camping.
- Insider tip for campers
- Fill up in William Creek: Coward Springs has no fuel, and the next fuel station is not until Marree. If you don’t want to rush to the finish, make the swimming break at Coward Springs a fixed part of the plan. The Marree Man, a giant figure in the desert ground west of Marree, has faded badly and can only be seen from the air – not a reason for a detour on the tracks.
8Stage 8: Marree to Copley (Leigh Creek) (approx. 113 km)
- The drive
- From Marree head south on the sealed Outback Highway (B83), between gibber country to the west and the first foothills of the northern Flinders Ranges to the east. After around 55 km comes Farina; at Lyndhurst the Strzelecki Track begins to the east (not part of this route). Then through hilly country to Copley and Leigh Creek. Around 1.5 hours of driving, half a day with Farina.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Marree: this is where the Birdsville Track begins; a replica of the mosque made of mud and date-palm timber recalls the Afghan cameleers who carried traffic in the outback before the railway.
- Farina: ghost town with church, bank and hotel ruins, restored by volunteers; only for a few weeks in winter (roughly late May to late July) do volunteers run the underground bakery – check opening days in advance.
- Ochre Pits near Lyndhurst: a short walk to coloured ochre walls that Aboriginal people have used for thousands of years; look only, take nothing.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Copley Caravan Park: powered and unpowered sites, amenities, laundry. On the grounds is the Copley Bush Bakery with the Quandong Café and baked goods made from desert fruits. In Leigh Creek, a few kilometres south, there is a supermarket, fuel station and further accommodation.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): At the Farina campground, a simple site on station land by the creek with toilets and showers, you stay overnight for a fee in the quiet of the ghost town; the station has changed owners, so check that the campground is operating beforehand. Otherwise the usual rules apply at the Outback Highway rest areas: one overnight stay as a rest break, unless signs say otherwise.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Leigh Creek restock supplies, fuel and gas and clean the dust off your vehicle and radiator – check the air filter. From Copley the bitumen leads via Parachilna and Hawker back to Port Augusta; this route and the Flinders Ranges themselves are covered by the CampingSpirit guide from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- South Australia has no general right to free camp. Rest areas on highways such as the Stuart Highway may be used overnight for rest; stays of more than 24 hours are not welcome and signs take precedence; truck-only bays are reserved for road trains. In the towns (Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Leigh Creek) council by-laws govern sleeping in vehicles – use caravan parks or designated sites there.
- Along the Oodnadatta Track the land is almost entirely pastoral leasehold: the track is public, the land beside it is not. Stay overnight at tolerated spots (such as Algebuckina waterhole) or at roadhouses and campgrounds such as William Creek, Coward Springs and Farina; never camp at stock watering points, bores or mound springs.
- Protected areas: Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre (4WD only, Halligan Bay closed from 1 December to 15 March) and Kanku-Breakaways require a vehicle permit booked online in advance (Kanku-Breakaways via the Coober Pedy council); camping in SA parks is generally booked in advance. The Desert Parks Pass is mandatory only for Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert) and Witjira east of Dalhousie; however, it covers twelve months of entry and camping (up to 21 consecutive nights) in seven desert parks, including Kati Thanda.
- Restricted areas and Aboriginal land: the Woomera Prohibited Area (military) borders the Stuart Highway to the north, the APY Lands to the west north of Marla – don’t drive side tracks into them without a permit. Respect sacred sites, mound springs and ochre pits, and observe bans on photography and drones.
- Apps and sources: WikiCamps and CamperMate for sites, rest areas, water and dump points with user reports; the Outback Road Report of the SA transport department (online and by phone around the clock) and the Desert Parks Bulletin for closures; check the Country Fire Service’s fire bans (Total Fire Ban) daily. Save maps offline.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Fuel: Port Augusta, Pimba, Glendambo, Coober Pedy, Cadney Park, Marla, Oodnadatta, William Creek, Marree, Leigh Creek. The longest gaps: Glendambo–Coober Pedy (around 250 km), Marla–Oodnadatta (around 210 km), Oodnadatta–William Creek (around 200 km) and William Creek–Marree (around 205 km) – consumption rises considerably on gravel. Roadhouses have fixed opening hours; never drive on with less than half a tank, and carry a 20-litre reserve jerrycan for the track.
- Water: in Coober Pedy the water is treated bore water and costs money; at many points on the track there is only untreated or artesian, highly mineralised water. Allow at least 7–10 litres per person per day, plus a reserve for several days of waiting in case of a breakdown or closure.
- Dump points: at the caravan parks in Port Augusta, Coober Pedy and Marree and at larger roadhouse sites; not reliable on the track itself. Empty your cassette in Coober Pedy or Marla before the gravel, never into drop toilets or the landscape.
- Gas: Australian bottles today mostly have an LCC27 valve, older ones a POL fitting; European bottles are not refilled. Swaps or refills are reliable in Port Augusta and Coober Pedy, not reliable along the track – start with two full bottles.
- Shopping: supermarkets in Port Augusta, Coober Pedy and Leigh Creek; in between only roadhouse shops with a small selection and high prices. Plan a cool box and supplies for at least four days.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Driving on the left: overtake on the right; roundabouts (such as in Port Augusta) are driven clockwise, and traffic already on the roundabout has right of way. After every stop at a roadhouse, consciously pull away on the left side of the road.
- Speed limits in South Australia: mostly 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h outside them, 110 km/h only where signposted (for example on long sections of the Stuart Highway). When passing emergency vehicles with red/blue lights and breakdown assistance with yellow lights, 25 km/h applies. There are no toll roads. Blood alcohol limit 0.05 BAC; mobile phone only in a cradle.
- Unsealed tracks: the Oodnadatta Track, the Breakaways loop and all access routes to Kati Thanda are gravel, sand and gibber. Most rental agreements for campervans and motorhomes exclude them – insurance cover is then void entirely. Drive the track only in a 4WD approved for it; otherwise take a scenic flight or a guided tour.
- Closures after rain: just a few millimetres of rain make the tracks impassable; closures apply until officially lifted, and driving on closed roads is severely punished and destroys the track. If it rains, stay where you are – with water and supplies for several days.
- Animals and road trains: kangaroos, emus, cattle on unfenced pastures and wild camels cross mainly at dusk – don’t drive then. Road trains of more than 50 m in length create suction and, on gravel, flying stones and walls of dust: stop or pull far to the left and let them pass slowly, lights on.
- Heat and emergencies: from November to March temperatures above 45 °C are possible, and many tours and campgrounds close or are shut then; the best time to travel is roughly April to September. Mobile coverage exists only in and around the towns. In a breakdown always stay with your vehicle – it is much easier to spot from the air than a person – and carry satellite communication and an emergency beacon.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Satellite messenger or personal locator beacon (PLB), ideally plus a UHF radio: there is no mobile coverage between the towns, and roadhouses and truck drivers listen in on UHF.
- Two full-size spare wheels, a tyre repair kit and a 12 V compressor with pressure gauge: sharp-edged gibber stones slash tyres, and tyre pressures differ on gravel and bitumen.
- A 20-litre fuel jerrycan and at least two 20-litre water jerrycans – for the gaps of more than 200 km and for days when a closure keeps you stuck.
- Head fly net and fly screens for doors and windows: bush flies are everywhere on the track during the day.
- Dustproof boxes or bags and masking tape for sealing door gaps and storage lockers – fine track dust creeps into every crack.
- Sturdy shoes with thick soles and ankle protection for the opal fields, gibber plains and the salt crust at Lake Hart.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
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