Leaving the Pink Roadhouse behind, I pushed further onto the Oodnadatta Track, hugging the ghost of the old railway line. It’s a surreal experience driving past the rusted remains of bridges and the crumbling ruins of old railway sidings—reminders of a time when this was the main artery of the continent.
Nature has been busy here lately; the stretch to William Creek was a bit of a challenge thanks to recent heavy rains. I had to navigate some pretty rough road conditions where floodwaters had carved their way across the track. Thankfully, after William Creek, the path smoothed out just in time for the big reveal.
Suddenly, Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre appeared on the horizon. Standing at 17 meters below sea level, this is the lowest point in Australia and its largest lake—at least on the rare occasions it actually fills up! I looked out across the shimmering white expanse and would have sworn I saw water, but the desert was playing tricks on me; it was just the sky reflecting off the vast salt crust. To the local Aboriginal people, this is a deeply significant part of their creation story, and looking out over that empty, white infinity, you can feel why.
The day ended in Marree, a town with a bit of an identity crisis. Until WWI, it was known as Hergott Springs, named after Joseph Herrgott, a German botanist who explored the area with John McDouall Stuart in 1859. The name was changed to “Marree” in 1918 to distance the town from its German roots during the war.
Marree was a massive crossroads back in the day. It was a vital stop for camel caravans, and it’s home to the ruins of Australia’s first-ever mosque, built by Afghan and Indian cameleers in the late 1800s. When the railway arrived in 1883, it became a bustling hub for loading cattle driven down from the northern stations. I finished the day at the Marree Hotel, which has been standing since 1883. Everywhere you look, there are remnants of the old railway that were simply left behind when the line closed in the 80s—giant iron skeletons slowly being reclaimed by the dust.
Next stop: Leaving the Oodnadatta Track behind and heading toward the southern ranges!
