Family Trip - Melbourne - Coober Pedy - Oodnadatta Track

by Tammy
(Melbourne )

Hi, I am very excited to be planning a trip accross S.A, Coober Pedy and then Marla down to Marree. Our Kids are rather young, 5 and 4 at the time of travel (they have done a few car holidays ) But not to this extent.

I have been constantly for 3 or so weeks looking on your web site. I have found it most helpful in every way possible. I was hoping that you may be able to help with a few questions..

We Plan to travel mid September 2010, will Lake Eyre still have water in it ...LOl.? As this is my main objective for my kids and us to experience (otherwise we will go to Alice Springs)

And how can I find out about the cost of fuel to get an understanding of the expence that trip may cost?

Is it safe to camp along the Oodnadatta track with young kids ?

I have found a few camp sites from your web site which seem to be ideal for us, so thank you .
Can u also please give me some idaes for sleeping as i am not sure ! We wanted to get a camper trailer , but want to save the cost on fuel, and the way we have so far planned the trip it is really going to bed hard with the kids to set up a big tent for an over nite stay !

I realy hope you can help with some of my questions and thank you in advance .. Keep up the awsome 'work on this web site. I love it .

Tammy

Rita's Reply

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for your kind words about my website, I am pleased that you find it helpful.

Well, how much water will be in Lake Eyre in September? I reckon nobody can predict that. On my Lake Eyre page is an info box "current lake status 2010" with two links, check those pages during the next months, they get updated quite frequently.

Whether or not you'll see water from the shore is uncertain. Everyone says you can best see the vastness of the lake from the air.

The caravan parks along the Oodnadatta Track are mostly basic but it is definitely safe to stay there. Sure you need to keep an eye on the kids as these places are often very busy in the afternoons and mornings when people come in or leave.

I understand that you don't want to set up a tent each night so there is also basic cabin accommodation available. I imagine that it might be busy along the Oodnadatta Track in the coming months, so if you decide for cabin accommodation you'll better ask if you should book ahead. You'll find some phone numbers on this page.

During the day you'll see very few cars on the Oodnadatta Track, and I was always surprised to see the CPs fill in the afternoon. We broke the Oodnadatta Track into 3 legs, so we arrived quite early and could choose the best site for the night.

As for the fuel costs, sorry I can't say much about that. It's been a while since I was in the Outback, and you know that fuel prices go always up and down (usually up, unfortunately). I read somewhere that fuel in the NT is usually more expensive than elsewhere in the Outback, but I don't know if this is always the truth.

Watch this page, perhaps another reader can give you some info about current fuel costs out there.

Have a great trip, and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Rita