Painted Desert

Heading north east from the wonderful, if dusty streets of Coober Pedy, along gibber roads through country made famous in the Mad Max movies, a detour via Arckaringa homestead will take you into surely the most spectacular country in South Australia if not the entire outback.

The Painted Desert, just a few kilometres from Arckaringa features fantastic mountainous mesas and formations composed of colourful sands, pebbles and rocks that simply defy description. Photographers and painters will delight in the show of colour at sunset and dawn.

The road via Mt Barry and Arckaringa is far from boring, though it travels through some of the most featureless terrain on earth. The area where the Mad Max movies were shot was chosen because nothing could be seen for 360 degrees.

Here are in fact many interesting things to see along the way including Lollipop Lane and great areas of ground covered in large sheets of gypsum. Interesting geological formations in the Painted Desert and the country between there and Oodnadatta satisfy even the most jaded traveller.

Though it is possible to travel this route in a single day it would be a terrible shame to do so. The roads vary from well formed wide gravel to stony with occasional bulldust holes. The trek is relatively easy going even for 2 wheel drive vehicles but remote so carry sufficient water and spares.

Coober Pedy has all of the facilities of a modern centre, Oodnadatta is a good place to restock or do some repairs if necessary.

Environment

Around Coober Pedy and along the tracks to Oodnadatta the terrain is predominantly gibber plains intersected by Coolabah fringed creek bed. The moon like appearance of thee gibber plains were used to great effect in the Mad Max movies. The Painted Desert describes the area of the Arckaringa Hills which are composed of very soft and fragile but highly coloured rock-rock seems too harsh a word to describe these fragile soils.

During the summer months the temperatures may reach 45 to 50 degrees Celsius. Travel in the region between October and March is not recommended due to high temperatures

History

Coober Pedy
Fourteen year old Willie Hutchison, while searching for water, discovered opal on the 1st February 1915. The worst drought in the Statep@>s history, was responsible for Willies searching on behalf of an Adelaide Gold mining syndicate. Had it not been for the drought, the opal may not have been discovered until many years later.

Lack of water proved to be the main problem for Coober Pedy during itp@>s early history. The discovery of opal at the Eight Mile in 1945 by aboriginal woman Toddy Bryant, was a turning point that helped establish Coober Pedy's future prosperity.

Oodnadatta
The history of Oodnadatta is intertwined with the history of the great north-south connections, the Overland Telegraph Line and the railway line that came to be known as the Ghan. There is plenty of this history to explore at Oodnadatta and along the Oodnadatta track.

TrekID: 106

While this is a short trek by Australian standards, visitors should be aware that this is a very remote region. Four wheel drive vehicles are not required to traverse these tracks when dry, but may be necessary following rains. All of these outback treks in remote country require high level of vehicle preparation. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended and you should carry sufficient water for 4 days, at least one spare tyre and tyre repair equipment, as well sufficient fuel.

A UHF Radio with a repeater function will offer some degree of comfort to travellers, as there are numerous repeaters in the area that will allow contact with the outside world in the event of an emergency where reception is available.

This is remote area travelling and preparations for travel should take this into consideration. If your vehicle breaks down or you have some other trouble, stay with your vehicle.

Supplies
Restocking of supplies is possible at Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta. There is no opportunity to restock along the way. Camping and cabins at Arckaringa homestead would serve as a great base for those opting to stay for a while.

Permits

None required.

Fuel Usage

Diesel	ULP	LPG
4cyl 33 litres	4cyl 37 litres	4cyl 46 litres
6cyl 36 litres	6cyl 50 litres *	6cyl 41 litres
8cyl 36 litres	8cyl 38 litres

Best Time To Visit

The following video prepared exclusively for ExplorOz.com by Member - George Royter will you give some idea of the sights you can expect to see along the Painted Desert trek.

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

No Services & Supplies available for this trek

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