The Olga’s traditional name Kata Tjuta are an absolute must visit. We visited them and it was an awesome unbelievable mesmerising experience of epic proportions. Yeah sure that was a whole lot of superlatives in one sentence that probably doesn’t make any sense but I was just trying to encapsulate the feeling of being there.

Dave And Amanda At Kata Tjuta Dunes Viewing Area

Accessing The Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park

You need a parks pass to visit the Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park. You can get one at the gate or you can get one online. They are available at a cost of $38 per person for a three day pass. I reckon they represent great value.

Kata Tjuta The Olgas Valley Of The Winds Walk

Getting to The Olga’s – Kata Tjuta From Yulara

We stayed at the Yulara Resort at Yulara so accessing The Olgas was very easy for us. Leave Yulara and head west on Kata Tjuta Road. It’s about 53km to the start of the Valley Of The Winds walk. It will take you about 45 minutes. You will have to stop at the park boom gates to either scan the pass you bought online or to buy a parks pass. A three day pass is only $38 per person.

Kata Tjuta The Olgas Dunes Viewing Area

Walks At The Olgas

Walpa Gorge Walk

There is a lot of animal and plant life in Walpa Gorge, which is a desert refuge. In this area, they can find relief from the hot desert sun. Due to the refreshing winds that pass through the gorge, Walpa means windy. From the rocky path, a small track leads to a spearwood tree grove, passing rare plants. There may be a small stream running through the landscape depending on the weather. A sacred men’s site, Walpa Gorge is part of Kata Tjuta. Take plenty of drinking water and allow yourself at least an hour to complete the walk.

Kata Tjuta The Olgas Walpa Gorge

Valley Of The Winds Walk

Valley of the Winds is a must-see attraction for many people visiting Kata Tjuta – The Olga’s and it was for us. On the walk you can see Kata Tjuta’s formations from two lookouts. We made it as far as the first lookout.

On the Valley Of The Winds walk you’ll find yourself far from everyone and everything. Unless like us there are two tourist coaches there at the same time! Bring lots of drinking water, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a hat. For people’s safety the parks people close the walk after 11 am if the temperature reaches 36 degrees Celsius. The Valley of the Winds walk is best done early in the morning, especially in summer. As a bonus for early risers it’s more likely that you’ll see kangaroos early in the morning.

Kata Tjuta The Olgas Valley Of The Winds Walk First Lookout

Agnes Creek on the Stuart Highway is one of the best free camping sites we have camped at. It’s well back off the road with loads of room and firewood. There is also abundant birdlife if that’s your thing.

Free Camping Alongside Agnes Creek

We were originally going to stop in for the night at Marryat Creek Rest Area however after reading a lot of unfavourable reviews we decided against it. After spending the night free camping at Agnes Creek on the Stuart Highway and then driving past the Marryat Creek rest area the next day we are very happy we made the choice to camp at Agnes Creek instead. Marryat Creek rest area is just a roadside rest area with a fence around it and not much to look at. Marryat Creek does have drop toilets however we are self contained anyway so a toilet is not a necessity for us.

Stuart Highway Free Camping At Agnes Creek

This is a free campground. It is dog friendly. It is accessible to motorbikes, RVs, camper trailers, caravans and big rigs. Camping in tents is allowed.

Jayco All Terrain Free Camping

At Agnes Creek, there is a mile of space for camping. It does not have any services, that is, no toilets, no showers, no potable water. The only water is from the creek and it’s not a permanent source. It was dry when we camped there – you’d have to treat it before use. Dogs are allowed. There is no mobile reception. Fires are allowed and there is plenty of firewood around if you don’t mind going for a walk to find it.

Free Camping Alongside Stuart Highway

What is available at the Agnes Creek free camp on the Stuart Highway is a sense of freedom and complete tranquility. You can see millions of stars at night under bright, clear skies. This is all completely free of charge.

Night Sky Free Camping At Agnes Creek

Free camping in Coober Pedy is the way to go. We camped for three nights on The Commons at Coober Pedy. The Commons at Coober Pedy is a free camping area just out of town. It is a huge area with enough space to easily fit a couple of hundred vans, motorhomes or camper trailers.

Free Camping In Coober Pedy On The Commons

There are no services at The Commons Free Camp at Coober Pedy so you must be self sufficient however there were no signs or information saying that you have to be self contained.

Free Camping On The Commons At Coober Pedy

Potable water is available near the Stuart Highway end of town next to the tourist information service. The water isn’t free of charge as it is bore water that has to be treated. It’s cheap enough though at on $1 per 30 litres. You pay inside the tourist information centre. There is also a public dump point near the water filling station.

Loads Of Room On The Commons At Coober Pedy

We had absolutely zero security problems at the Coober Pedy Free Camp despite what we’d been told and had read. This was even with us and one other van being about the only vans there each day and night. We happily left the vans at the commons each day and went out and explored. As always when free camping we take simple security precautions. We put our chairs, table and BBQ away inside the van. We make sure the vans toolboxes and hatches are all closed and locked. Any valuables such as computers and iPads come with us in the car.

Things To Do In Coober Pedy

Go To The Drive-In Movies

This was a truly unique experience. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the drive in. Never thought I’d go to one in Coober Pedy! The Coober Pedy Drive-In is the last operating drive in left in SA. It was a pretty good night. We thought we’d sit outside and watch it but it was a bit chilly Willy so we got back in the cars. We saw Black Phone – not the greatest of horror movies but it did make Amanda jump a couple of times.

Coober Pedy Drive-In Movies

The Big Winch

We drove up the hill to check out The Big Winch in Coober Pedy. It’s a massive bucket on the end of a winch. They also have an old truck up there with a blower setup fitted to the back of it that you can check out. The blowers are used like a giant vacuum cleaner to extract dirt and rock from the underground mines as it is being dug. It’s a great view from up on the top of the hill at the big winch and you can pretty much see all of Coober Pedy from up there. They have a restaurant and a coffee bar and they also show a movie about Coober Pedy. Enjoy a 360° cinematic experience at Coober Pedy. An Outback Cinematic Journey unfolds upon Australia’s first permanent Circlevison experience. we didn’t stay to watch the movie as we had a lot of things to do in Coober Pedy.

Views Over Coober Pedy From The Big Winch

The Old Timers Mine

We went in and had a look at The Old Timers Mine in Coober Pedy. It was quite well put together and very educational as to how they used to dig opal and live underground in Coober Pedy. We’ve been down quite a few opal mines over the years in different places and this was as good as any of them.

• Explore an underground opal mine from 1916
• Wear a hard hat and see the natural seams of opal and fossils
• Go through one of the first working mine
• Enjoy the museum full of the history of Coober Pedy
• Discover the original underground home from the 1960’s
• Try your luck by noodling in the pits
• Underground gift shop
• Opal jewellery
• Large range of souvenirs

Old Timers Mine Coober Pedy

John’s Pizza Bar

We’ve been to Coober Pedy before and had a feed at John’s Pizza Bar and it is bloody good! we went there again on this trip and it did not disappoint.

They do an Outback Range of pizzas and one of them features a Coat of Arms pizza, a popular, original fusion of sweet cranberry preserve and savoury Australian game meats, with the subtle flavours of asparagus and camembert cheese acting to balance the overall taste sensation. Basically you get to eat every animal on the Australian Coat Of Arms all on one pizza. Pretty cool.

Great Pizzas In Coober Pedy At Johns

The Breakaways At Coober Pedy

We drove out to a place called The Breakaways about 30 minutes north of Coober Pedy to watch the sunset. The sunset was a fair bit above and beyond spectacular! I fully understand why there were at least another 20 cars out there admiring the views. You need to buy a pass from the visitors centre in Coober Pedy to access the breakaways or you can do it online. For $11 it is well worth the price of admission.

The Breakaways Near Coober Pedy

The Old Cemetery

We called in and looked over the old cemetery in Coober Pedy. It’s one of the things we love to do in old or remote towns. It was very interesting and times must have been tough in Coober Pedy in earlier times and not many people managed to make it in to old age.

Old Cemetery In Coober Pedy

We spent the night free camping on the Oodnadatta Track at Algebuckina Bridge. This is an iconic free camping spot on the Oodnadatta Track that runs alongside the old Ghan Railway.

Camping At Algebuckina Bridge

Travelling From Beresford Siding To Algebuckina Bridge On The Oodnadatta Track

We travelled from our overnight free camp site at Beresford Siding to Algebuckina Bridge along the Oodnadatta Track. Distance covered was about 195km and included a stop for lunch in the pub at William Creek. The Oodnadatta Track from Beresfield Siding to Algebuckina Bridge was in great condition apart from a bit of damage from recent rain events to some of the dry creek crossings. There was also a creek crossing with water to a depth of about 45cm near the Algebuckina Bridge turnoff.

Leaving William Creek

William Creek

William Creek is a very quirky little town. It consists of a Hotel. An airfield where you can get general charter flights as well as a range of sightseeing flights. There’s also a caravan park.

William Creek Hotel

About The Algebuckina Bridge

58 kilometres south of Oodnadatta you will find the complete and intact Algebuckina Bridge. A wrought iron bridge it once carried the former Alice Springs narrow gauge railway across the flood plain of the River Neales. No train has passed over after the new standard gauge route was opened from Tarcoola. Algebuckina Bridge still exists today and it has a unique and interesting history.

Algebuckina Bridge On The Oodnadatta Track

In 1890, government workers began sinking the cast iron piers, and by the time wrought iron arrived for the superstructure, most of them had been completed. A considerable amount of progress was made during the first half of 1891, and according to the Public Works Report for the period ending 30 June, the pier cylinders had been sunk except for two or three at the northern end, and eleven spans of the superstructure had been completed. On 8 January 1892, it was completed and opened to traffic.

Warrina – Oodnadatta railway section was scheduled to open on 7 January 1891, but delays in delivery of ironwork to the Algebuckina site prevented this. In the meantime, a temporary causeway over the river bed was built to accommodate construction trains during June 1889, and it was during this period when the only floodwaters ever cut the line.

Algebuckina Bridge Alongside The Oodnadatta Track

This occurred for the first time on 5 February 1890, when the track was shut down for sixty hours. Another occurred on 8 April of the same year and lasted 168 hours, while a third took place during the ensuing year, but in this case, no trains were delayed. Following the bridge’s opening, the track across the causeway was laid within six months.

There are 19 spans on the Algebuckina bridge, each 101 feet 6 inches (30.9 metres) long; the total length is 1,928 feet 6 inches (587.8 metres), which is 51 feet 6 inches (15.7 metres) shorter than the Murray bridge; and the girders are 10 feet (3 metres) deep. Also, the clear road width on the Murray bridge is much wider than that on the Algebuckina bridge.

Algebuckina Bridge Free Camping

There is a mile of room to camp at Algebuckina Bridge. There are no services available whatsoever, no toilets, no showers and no potable water available. The only water is from the river and it’s not a permanent source – you’d have to treat it before use. Dogs are allowed. There is no mobile reception. Fires are allowed however bring your own wood as there is no firewood available at Algebuckina Bridge.

What is available at Algebuckina Bridge is a sense of freedom and complete tranquility. Bright clear skies at night and you can see millions of stars. And all that is available completely free of charge.

Free Camping At Algebuckina Bridge On The Oodnadatta Track

We camped for the night at Beresford Siding – an awesome free camp on the Oodnadatta Track. It used to be a siding on the Ghan Railway. The old Beresford railway siding was one of about four sites along the line which had water softeners built to treat water for steam locomotive on the Ghan Railway.

Camped At Beresford Siding

Travelling The Oodnadatta Track To Beresford Siding

We left Farina and headed off on the Oodnadatta Track. We pulled in at Marree and fuelled up and grabbed a few groceries from the general store. We also took a few minutes to air down our tyres on the van and car. We went down to 25psi as we have found that generally works well as a starting point.

We had a bit of rain and the track was a bit wet. Not soft at all but it was throwing up mud all over our the car and van as we travelled. The road from Marree through to Beresford Siding was in decent condition with only a few corrugated stretches. It was a bit rough in patches around the mound springs.

The Oodnadatta Track Was A Bit Corrugated In Places

Oodnadatta Track Sculpture Park

We called in at the sculpture park for a look around again. It’s a really cool thing. I love the two planes standing together with wings stretched out like intertwining arms.

Oodnadatta Track Sculpture Park

Lake Eyre Viewing Platform

It was well worth pulling in to the Lake Eyre viewing area this time as water was visible not far away. Last time we were there the water (we think we saw water) was at least a kilometre from the shoreline.

Lake Eyre Viewing Platform

The Mound Springs

The mound springs are another place to call in for a look around. It’s amazing to see the water bubbling to the surface in the middle of the desert. If you stop and have a look at the mound springs make sure you take the time to read the information boards describing the dreamtime stories of why and how the mound springs on the Oodnadatta Track came to be. One other tip – the road in off the Oodnadatta Track to the mound springs is about 4km long and extremely corrugated so make sure to unhitch your caravan at the start if you are towing one.

Beresford Siding

Beresford Siding is about 50km SE from William Creek when travelling towards Marree. It’s on the left hand side of the Oodnadatta Track when heading towards Marree. Water used for the engines on the Ghan Railway wasn’t drawn from the mound springs but was pulled from underground bores. At the Beresford Siding you can see water softener tank built to remove harmful minerals from the bore water that caused scaling in the boilers of the steam engines.

Beresford Siding Water Treatment Plant

Free Camping At Beresford Siding

You can free camp pretty much anywhere at Beresford Siding. There are no facilities at all. Water isn’t available. You can have a fire if you can find some wood, if you can bring your own with you that would be the safe bet. The area where you camp is absolutely massive and you have your pick of spots. We camped out the front of the siding building. There was another van behind the old siding building and there was a young bloke in a rooftop tent down by the water tank.

Beresford Siding Station Building