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PINK ROADHOUSE OODNADATTA
This iconic place owned by our friends Pete n Jen Moore....call in sometime! 🥰🙈Well to say we are having a ball is an understatement, we are enjoying the outback so much and the people you meet along the way make it even more of an adventure. We headed off from Coward Springs 10ish on Tuesday and drove the 275klm to Oodnadatta, all gravel, roads not great, lots of corrugation but we did make it! Only a couple of mishaps before we left Coward Springs had a very slow leaking puncture so John plugged that its going OK. Then when we stopped for lunch enroute to Oodnadatta found the contents of my freezer on the floor, thought the lock was good but obviously not, rattled open but don't think that will happen again, John had some extra strong tarzan velcro, well thats well and truly all over the fridge and freezer! Also had lost two anderson plugs, just become unplugged and hitting the ground just snapped off! John fixed all that when we arrived at Oodnadatta.... you kind of have to have a decent toolbox and spares... lucky he is a handyman! Stopped in at William Creek for a beer, lots of people around, was served in the bar by a gorgeous Danish boy who
PINK ROADHOUSE
Out front soaking up the atmosphere is working there with his girlfriend! Met a couple with three kids been on the road for 12 months and home schooling, parents very capable and they are STILL enjoying what they are doing! Fuel there $3 litre but we waited until Oodnadatta. Arrived Oodnadatta about 2ish and pulled into the iconic Oodnadatta Pink Roadhouse and were met by Pete and Jen's smiling faces, they have now been up here for 3 years and I think Jen has just about had enough, the hard work and remoteness takes its toll on everyone. Our American friends you will remember Pete and Jen from the Royal Mail Hotel in West Melbourne and their Roadkill nights, we loved those nights! Jen and Pete had a mate flying in to stay the night so we all joined up at Jen and Pete's home for a delicious local rump steak.... it was yummy! Graham their friend owns Mt Dare Hotel which is on the Simpson Desert quite remote and close to Dalhousie Springs so over a few wines and Pete's assurance we could make it, we decided to go up and check out his place after unhitching our van and leaving it at the Oodnadatta
WILLIAM CREEK PUB
Remember flying in here about 15yrs ago Roadhouse. Loaded up with extra water, food etc we headed off about 10ish to make the 200 odd klms on dirt tracks, the first 100klm was great going but after that it turned to a very rough track with lots of washouts, wheel ruts etc as they did have some rain about three weeks ago and there was water over parts of road at some points. John was sick of my commentary "shit" "crap" "OMG" "you don't want to get stuck in that"..... anyway we arrived in once piece and was very impressed with our Touareg, it handled all conditions like a dream! A beer was awaiting us on the bar at Mt Dare Hotel.... it is an oasis in the desert and these people out here put a lot of city cousins to shame, lovely food prepared by the team and a comfy bed to get a good nights sleep..... all served by smiling and welcoming faces! I must admit it was a bit eerie to wake up at 3am to the sound of howling dingoes! We were only a few klm from the NT border. Four greek guys from Sydney who were in Oodnadatta the night before were
WILLIAM CREEK PUB
Another iconic outback pub...called in for a beer 11am there too, such nice guys and they were going onto Finke and Alice Springs on desert tracks. Also met 4 boys from Wagga Wagga who were riding their bikes across and into the Simpson Desert, the Simpson Desert is closed at the Birdsville end because of flooding of the Eyre Creek so instead of doing the whole crossing they can only do loops of the Simpson and have to come out again at Mt Dare. No internet out here at all, we had to leave our Elon Musk Disc in Oodnadatta as its now attached to the van. Great night meeting all these people travelling all over the country. Up early Thursday and Shaynee (Graham's daughter) and her crew served us up great latte and egg and bacon sandwich perfect to get us on the road over to Dalhousie Springs in the Witjira National Park on the western edge of the Simpson Desert. Its just unbelievable to find this amazing spring system out here! We had a half hour dip in the huge springs which is about 37 degrees celsius and home to unique species of fish such as the Dalhousie hardyhead and other rare aquatic life found nowhere else
in the world, we had heaps of tiny fish coming up nibbling at our hair/skin, was something else to experience this! Then back on the track back to Oodnadatta.... this side trip of 500klms was not planned but we thoroughly enjoyed it and other than quite a few cows we only saw a couple of emus and a big green lizard! Met up with Pete and Jen at their newly renovated pub down the street from the roadhouse (it just reopened in April after being closed for three years) for a few drinks on our last night, had a great night and met a few of the locals, Mark was having some trouble with fixing a piece of his machinery so John promised to meet up with him the next morning before we left and fixed his problem, Mark was very grateful but everyone helps each other out this way! Though we had a ball here I understand how the remoteness effects everyone! It costs a fortune to get stuff shipped out here, Jen and Pete have to pay $300 a pallet on anything delivered up here, water, flour whatever its $300 a pallet and thats in a big semi
OODNADATTA TRACK
Lunch spot when I found all my freezer on the floor 🙄 so loads of pallets! So no wonder prices are loaded as they have to pay so much to get it there. Back on the road Friday to head south Coober Pedy!
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