The Red Centre of Australia is a favourite winter escape for southern travellers — but as Miriam Blaker’s road trip shows, getting there is half the fun.
The Red Centre of Australia has always been a popular winter escape for southern caravanners but, as we discovered, the road trip to get there can be just as exciting.
We left Melbourne on a cold, grey day which gradually turned sunny as we approached Mildura, a popular destination on the Victoria/New South Wales border, especially in winter with its semi-Mediterranean-like climate. There are many caravan parks and free camps scattered along the Murray River. On our first night heading north, we were graced with a magnificent sunset over the water at the Apex RiverBeach Holiday Park.
A Murray River sunset in Mildura
It’s about four hours from Mildura to Burra, SA, with our next overnight stop at Red Banks Conservation Park — a free camp 14km from town. Redbanks has many walking trails amid a stunning landscape, but we arrived late in the day under gloomy, threatening skies, so we were content to bunker down for the night.
From there the ancient, magical landscape of the Flinders Ranges beckoned, and there’s no shortage of remote station stays, each with their own unique appeal. On previous trips we’ve stayed at Rawnsley Park — a popular base to explore Wilpena Pound and surrounding areas. There’s plenty of spacious powered campsites and great facilities. On site the Woolshed restaurant is a must visit for happy hour drinks and a fine dinner.
The magical Flinders Ranges
This time we stayed at Edeowie Station on the western side of the Flinders Ranges, about 300km from Burra. Edeowie Station is a 69,000ha working sheep and cattle station which offers historic shearers quarters, Edeowie House, Brachina Hut and secluded bush camping. We opted for power and enjoyed three peaceful, star-filled nights with crackling campfires outside and blissful warmth inside our van.
One of the highlights of a stay is a self-guided 4WD 23km loop drive on the property. A mud map was provided at check in which, along with a small fee, gave us exclusive access to the Bunyeroo Gorge and the station tracks. We didn’t see another soul while out there, it’s a fantastic, safe way to experience outback Flinders.
On another day we visited the ruins of the old Edeowie township, established back in 1875. It was awe-inspiring to see remnants of crumbling history, magnificent in the late afternoon light, with those stark, majestic mountains in the background.
Exploring the ruins on Edeowie Station
From the Flinders to Farina
From Edeowie it’s about 170km to the outback town of Farina, a ghost town that’s slowly and lovingly being resurrected from stones and red dust. Signage around town describes its history and the Great Northern Railway that arrived in 1882, making Farina the end point for supplies for remote stations and outposts.
By the time the railway arrived the town had been renamed Farina meaning ‘flour’ in Latin, echoing hopes that wheat farming would become important. At its height in the 1890s Farina had a population of 600 with two hotels, a church, a school and a fully operational bakery. However, a visit to the cemetery tells you this wasn’t an easy life.
As we walked through old streets that house the ruins of hotels, the school and post office, we got an idea of how harsh life once was. Prolonged drought and dust storms, mine closures and railway relocation led to its eventual decline, but it’s fascinating to read the stories of this once thriving pastoral town.
Farina is a must-visit destination
A night in Farina is memorable
Farina was abandoned in the 1980s but today is slowly coming to life again. In 2008 Tom Harding — a former tag-along tour operator from Victoria — together with station owners, Kevin and Anne Dawes, established the Farina Restoration Group. Now, each year during the winter months, carpenters, stonemasons, builders and other tradesmen converge to donate their skills and time to preserve and restore these beautiful stone buildings.
Soak up the atmosphere by staying at the station campground overnight. It’s a short walk to town and an oasis out of the dust. There’s a donkey water heater, decent showers and toilets, firepits, tables and chairs and firewood available. Caravanners have plenty of space and no bookings are required. It’s a basic but beautiful campground with spectacular sunsets, prolific birdlife and a peaceful atmosphere.
Then there’s the town’s ‘centrepiece’ — the famous underground bakery. It’s Australia’s most remote pop-up underground bakery and only open eight weeks each year and, lucky us, we timed it perfectly. Having already checked out the historic bakery underground, we were lured to breakfast in the cafe next door. The aromas of freshly baked bread, egg and bacon pies, apple turnovers and buns from the wood fired oven, served by enthusiastic volunteers, would have anyone stopping. All proceeds raised goes back towards the restoration of the town.
In 2025 the bakery will be open from 24 May until 20 July. However, even if you don’t make it to Farina during these dates, an overnight stay in this atmospheric red earth town is worthwhile.
Enthusiastic volunteers at the bakery in Farina
Three nights on the Oodnadatta
One of the most iconic outback drives — the 670km Oodnadatta Track — runs from Marree to Marla, alongside the former route of the Old Ghan Railway. Depending on the time of travel, traffic, weather and how recently it’s been graded the Oodnadatta can be heavily corrugated so, like any outback driving, preparation is key and it’s important your vehicle is mechanically in A1 condition.
Starting the Oodnadatta Track
In Marree, at the junction of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks, we refuelled and rechecked our supplies. We topped up the water, lowered tyre pressures and prepared for the next three days. Conditions were ideal when we travelled with warm dry days and cooler nights, and we’d heard sections of the track had recently been graded.
Our first stop was 50km west of Marree, where you’ll find one of the most surprising sights on the track, two silver Beechcraft Baron light planes standing upright with their tales buried in the ground. It’s dubbed ‘Plane Henge’ and not far away is a ‘Rust in Peace’ sign. It’s all part of the quirky Mutonia Sculpture Park, created by a mechanic turned local artist Robin Cooke. Perhaps inspired by Mad Max, the art collection has been dubbed ‘recycladelic’ with many weird and wonderful pieces to check out.
(If you're interested in a Mad Max tour of Australia, check out this travel guide.)
Plane Henge on the Oodnadatta Track
Mutonia Sculpture Park is well worth a stop
Next stop was the lookout to the vast and dazzling salt plains of Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre. Barely 40km away, Coward Springs is a popular stopover for caravanners, an oasis by a natural wetland, boasting its own artesian spa. However, it’s busy and the thermal spa was crowded when we visited so we continued.
Close by is Beresford Siding Rest Area, another of the Old Ghan Railway stops. Here we spent a wonderfully peaceful night, complete with a warm campfire and the company of galahs. As night fell, we walked to the dam and checked out the old railway buildings, beautiful in the glow of the sunset.
Beresford Siding Rest Area along the Oodnadatta Track
The Oodnadatta Track might be long but it’s far from boring. It offers a glimpse into the past with Old Ghan Railway tracks and bridges and ruins of railway holdings scattered along the track which alternates between long, straight stretches to dips and floodplains with pockets of green and red amid the dry landscape.
If towing a caravan, make sure you secure everything inside, slow down and take the dry river crossings carefully. There can be washouts, jaw-rattling corrugations and potholes around any corner so drive to the conditions.
Peaceful camping along the Oodnadatta Track
It’s always exciting to hit civilisation and a bit of mobile phone reception. Pulling into the William Creek Hotel at midday was a chance to make phone calls, refuel and grab a bite of lunch. It’s a friendly welcome with cold drinks and plenty to check out inside this quirky, iconic pub. You can book a scenic flight over Lake Eyre here and you can also camp across the road, but we had our sights elsewhere.
Algebuckina Bridge is about 145km away, and the site of the most significant bridge on the Old Ghan Railway. It’s certainly an impressive structure and we were thrilled to find a flat spot to set up close to the water. Built in Scotland and shipped to Adelaide, then to be transported to the Oodnadatta more than 100 years ago, this amazing bridge spanning 600m was an engineering feat. No train has passed over it for many years, but it remains the largest single bridge in South Australia.
Sunset over Algebuckina Bridge
Day three on the track saw us reach the iconic Pink Roadhouse. This one-stop shop has everything in it and it’s another great place to refuel, as well as enjoy a drink, a meal and catch up with the outside world. Not surprisingly, prices aren’t cheap due to its remoteness, but it’s a must stop.
At Oodnadatta you can detour to the stunning outback oasis of the Painted Desert and to Australia’s opal capital: Coober Pedy. We continued to our last campsite on the track at Kathleen Springs, just 54km past Oodnadatta. It’s a gem of a find with peaceful shady spots on both sides of the river and lots of birdlife. The next day, after nearly 620km of red dirt road, we were back on the bitumen.
At Marla we bought a big, cheap bag of vegetables before realising we’re not supposed to take fresh veggies across the border into the Northern Territory. So, we pulled into a rest stop, pulled out the saucepans and cooked the biggest curry casserole imaginable. We nicknamed the Stuart Highway the Stew Highway.
An extra passenger to Curtin Springs
Our next stop after crossing the border into the Northern Territory was Erldunda Roadhouse for refuelling and some casserole lunch. It was here we met a young guy holding a sign to Yulara. Picking up hitchhikers is not something we do, however he looked harmless. “We’re only going to Curtin Springs”, I said through the open window, “but you’re welcome to a lift ‘til there.”
He was super grateful and jumped in and for the next couple of hours we had an unexpected and rather congenial passenger in our back seat. Felix, a 24-year-old uni student from Benalla, was a breath of fresh air. He had no social media, just a great attitude of genuine care and respect for this planet and for others. We shared our respective stories, and the time passed quickly.
Blake and Miriam with their unexpected hitchhiker Felix (right) on the way to Uluru
We said goodbye at Curtin Springs, as he continued to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and we set up base for the next three nights. This pastoral station has a huge unpowered free camping area, with room for all size rigs. There are showers and toilets, a rustic alfresco restaurant and bar, and a laid-back peaceful atmosphere. Best of all, it’s less than an hour from Uluru, the star attraction and spiritual heart of Australia.
We’d reached the Red Centre, and we loved every red-dirt kilometre travelled to get there. As the classic cliche goes, it’s not so much the destination that matters but all the wild stuff that happens along the way.
The Red Centre lives up to its name
Travel planner
435 Cureton Avenue
Mildura Vic
P: 03 5023 6879
E: holiday@apexriverbeach.com.au
Red Banks Conservation Park is 15km east of Burra. Access the park from Burra via the Burra-Morgan Highway and then the Eastern Road (unsealed). Access is limited after wet weather which may make the tracks in the park impassable.
National Parks and Wildlife Service, Yorke and Mid North Office
P: 08 8207 7700
E: YorkeandMidNorth.NPW@sa.gov.au
No bookings are required.
$20 per car, per night or $10 per person. No bookings required. Barbecues, tables, showers and flushing toilets. Mobile phones work from the top of the hill by the campground and by the new cafe building.
309 Edeowie Road
Flinders Ranges SA
P: 08 8648 4714
E: stay@edeowiestation.com.au
Oodnadatta Track information
To find current track condition information for the Oodnadatta Track visit the Department for Infrastructure and Transport - South Australia website or call 1300 361 033 for a recorded reading of the road condition report.
Check outback weather updates on BOM and Weatherzone.
Lasseter Highway
Curtin Springs, NT
No fees or bookings required for unpowered sites. Powered sites should be booked in advance.
P: 08 8956 2906
E: enquiries@curtinsprings.com
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