Coober Pedy to Dalhousie Springs

After a couple of days in Coober Pedy being recharged and relaxed we felt we were ready to take on the track again. We were heading for the painted desert and then up to Dalhousie springs to camp out, which is very much in the Simpson Desert in the Witjira National Park.

The road out to the painted desert was really good not too many corrugations up until the homestead and the painted desert lookout. This is an amazing view across what looks like “an actual painted desert” sounds very cliche but the plains and hillsides looking out are a multitude of yellows, browns, and oranges quite spectacular and well worth the 80km deviation from the Oodnadatta Track. It’s funny the things you see in the middle of no where, whilst at the lookout a road crew of 2 people pulled up in a caravan and a road grader which is their job to maintain these dirt roads and tracks year round. Had a nice chat to them about their work and how they live in the caravan for 3 weeks at a time whilst grading the roads..

After viewing the desert we got back onto the Oodnadatta track and pulled into the famous Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta, we didn’t stay long as we still had quite a way to go before we reached Dalhousie Springs. The lady at the roadhouse assured us that the road was open although we should aim for at least 5 hours to cover the 270 km (aprox) .. Really we thought? Cant take that long?. As we turned off the Track onto the side road which goes up to Finke, the road was quite good until you see the signs that warn you of the road trains that use this road, you tend to be more cautious on the crests – luckily we didn’t see any oncoming Mack behemoths!

You reach the Hamilton homestead and think that was ok? Only 150 km or so to go, well this is where the fun started…Once you turn off from the homestead the road changes dramatically from nice smooth red dirt to very rocky corrugations, muddy soft sections, thick soft dirt, it was all over the place. The landscape seemed to change at every corner you would come over a crest and see for miles at the open expanse of the red earth and then you would be driving through thick bushy sections in very soft dirt at the next corner. At times we were doing 20kph in some sections as the sharp edged rocks and corrugations were just too much to risk going any quicker and as it was getting late we didn’t need any more punctures. It was beautiful terrain though and very picturesque although it just seemed to go on and on..
We finally arrived at Dalhousie Springs and I can see why it is so popular during the colder months, an oasis in the desert with its thermal springs, so well set up by the national park with toilets, showers and very well laid out.
We were the only ones there, no one else for miles! It was all quite surreal, eerie but absolutely beautiful. The kids were quite excited until they read the Dingo Safety signs, that seemed to get them going a little..we had dinner settled in to an amazing sunset and then woke to a morning swim at the springs, a very refreshing stay and well worth the rough roads to get there!