We had a very bumpy and dusty drive on the Oodnadatta Track. We drove 155km’s along the corrugated roads on the first day and pulled up stumps at the Beresford Railway Siding (the old Ghan railway line runs the length of the Oodnadatta Track). It was such a peaceful space to pull up for the night and I would highly recommend a stop here (you must be fully self contained for these type of locations). We had another campfire, enjoying the stars and each other’s company. No one else in sight. Lucky we like each other!!
The next morning we did some stretches on an old stone wall near our campsite. Travelling can be average on your back and hips and it was great to finally find somewhere to put the yoga mat down where it was not red dirt! It was also the first time in a while since we ate breakfast outside the van. The morning was not so cold, the sun was shining and it was the perfect spot for me to sit & do a bit of mindfulness (daily calm). All I do is sit with a cup of tea, look out at my surroundings and listen to what nature has to offer. I find this helps so much. It really is just making the time to stop, breathe, relax my shoulders and reset. You may think there is no stress in travelling but your nervous system impacts you wherever you are. It’s these little things that I have come to understand are helping me have growth with my mental health. Mind and body are so connected, something I never stopped to acknowledge when I was busy working, being a parent and dealing with whatever life throws at you. Give it a try wherever you are!
Our plans were to complete the whole length (620 km’s of unsealed remote driving) over about 4 days but we decided that we were happy with 2 days of driving and turned off at William Creek and drove on to Coober Pedy. We made a quick stop at William Creek to fill up the tank and visit the pub (for coffee). There is nothing else there in this remote outback town (population 12).
Whilst we enjoyed the track we were full of red dirt inside the van!! There were many choice words and neither of us were smiling. Lucky I de-stressed that morning before we took off!!! Prior to leaving Marree we had patched up some of the places we were able to reach to hopefully prevent the dust but unfortunately it found its way in big time. Check out the pictures and you will understand why we could have cried and why we had to spend 6 hours cleaning the van once we reached Coober Pedy. The cleaning was awful but it helped that Paddy surprised me with a bottle of champagne and a pizza so I got the job done in good spirits!! Looks like we will need to organise for the gaps to be fixed when we get in to the NT. A little bit of dust is expected but we can’t put up with it happening again and we have so many more remote dusty roads we want to travel.
Our last stop in our 5 months travel of South Australia was an overnight stay at Agnes Creek Rest Area, one of the best free camping spots we have experienced so far (another one I highly recommend if you are on the Stuart Highway near the NT border and are self contained). We farewelled South Aus with another campfire and made a few calls to some of our family. It’s always a great laugh with our kids when they are using AI changing their screens while we try to chat to them. I have added a photo of them on the photo gallery page (not below) of them to show you what I mean!
We crossed the border the next morning and have begun our Northern Territory adventures. I have never been to NT before and am so excited for what we are going to experience over the next couple of months. Bring it on!!
Paddy & Jen Adventures 
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