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Simpson Desert - Birdsville Races Odyssey 12 Day Camping Safari

Join us for a 12 day/11 night camping safari. Highlights include the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, Dalhousie Springs, Simpson Desert, Birdsville, the Birdsville Track and the famous Birdsville Races.

Day One - We head out through North Adelaide to Port Wakefield. Then travel through the Clare Valley to Port Augusta, where we visit the Wadlata Outback Centre and have lunch. We meet with other passengers joining us here in Port Augusta, then head through the Flinders Ranges via Pichi Richi Pass to Quorn, Hawker and Parachilna where we stop at the Prairie Hotel. We push on to Old Beltana township on the Old Ghan and Overland Telegraph lines. We camp over night at the historic Beltana Homestead.

Day Two - After a hot breakfast we head for the famous Oodnadatta Track. We visit the Leigh Creek Coalfields and the Lyndhurst Ochre Pits (where Aboriginal people have scoured the cliffs for this precious colouring material for 20,000 years). We head for Marree at the start of the famous Birdsville Track. Here we visit the mud brick Mosque, built by Afghan pioneers, and the Arabunna Cultural Centre (if available). You`re free to wander among the rusting locomotives that once pulled the Old Ghan train to Alice Springs, or the dilapidated Blitz trucks, once used by legendary mailman, Tom Kruse on the Birdsville mail run. After lunch we continue up the Track, stopping at Lake Eyre South, the restored railway siding at Curdimurka, and the Artesian Mound Springs known as Blanche Cup and The Bubbler, before pushing on to our camp in William Creek – a great place to sleep out under the stars and enjoy a drink at the famous old William Creek Hotel, a real outback pub.

Day Three – Today there`s an optional early morning 90 minute scenic flight over Lake Eyre and the Painted Desert. After breakfast we head for Coober Pedy, the opal mining capital of the world. On the way visit Lake Cadibarrawirracanna and cross the famous Dog Fence. Once in Coober Pedy we settle into our underground hostel (dugout) accommodation - affectionately known as Bedrock, and have lunch. In the afternoon there`s a town tour visiting an underground church, a luxury private dugout, and an opal mine. You can see opal being cut and polished - and there is plenty of opal to buy or just admire. Later in the afternoon we head out to the Breakaways, eroded ochre coloured outcrops in the Stuart Range - location of several movies including `Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome`, and `Priscilla Queen of the Desert`. Returning to Coober Pedy, we have dinner at a local restaurant (this comes at no extra charge to you and includes soft drinks, beer and carafe of wine).

Day Four - We head towards Oodnadatta through the arid Moon Plain, a vast expanse of flat gibber (stony) country. We visit the beautiful Painted Desert, and do a short walk into the hills to take in the spectacular views, then on to Oodnadatta. We stop for lunch at the Pink Roadhouse. Then after lunch we leave the Oodnadatta Track and head up through station country (Mount Sarah and Hamilton Stations) to the Hamilton Creek. Crossing the Hamilton Creek bed we head north west to the old ruins of Eringa Homestead by the beautiful Eringa Waterhole - an oasis in the desert surrounded by huge old Red Gums. Following afternoon tea, we head north east towards Bloods Creek Bore, crossing the line of the Old Ghan enroute. From the bore its just 30 kilometres to Mount Dare our overnight stop.

Day Five - Leaving Mount Dare we track slowly down to the famous Dalhousie Thermal Springs about 60 kilometres away, the biggest artesian thermal spring in the world. The water temperature is fairly constant around 40 degrees centigrade - just perfect for swimming. We then head out through floodout and claypan country toward the edge of the Simpson Desert. We stop at Purnie Bore for lunch – with time to walk through the associated wetland. After lunch we`re ready to hit the desert proper - we let down the tyres and head off, east of the bore, towards the Colson Track. We start to enter the typical sand dune country of the Simpson Desert - kilometre after kilometre of red earth sand dunes covered with Spinifex, Cane Grass - and after rain - wild flowers. We`ll make camp, somewhere around the Colson Junction, amongst the dunes - under a billion stars.

Day Six – Today we head down the Colson Track towards the Rig Road travelling over sand dunes, enjoying the flora and fauna of this amazing place. Keep an eye out for dingoes, camels and birdlife, especially Wedge-Tailed Eagles. Stop for lunch near a well known point in the desert - the Lone Gum Tree. We then head east and turn north through some lovely gypsum limestone country with numerous stands of Gidgee Trees, heading towards the Approdinna Attora Knolls where we`ll make camp.

Day Seven - Leaving the Knolls we head north to rejoin the old French Track - then turn east, winding our way along the track towards Poeppel Corner - at the junction of the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia. We`ll stop at Poeppel for photographs, then head north to join the QAA line (an old seismic track which will eventually take us to Birdsville). Heading east, we enter the Simpson Desert National Park and push on towards the old vermin proof fence, stopping along the track for lunch. We then start to enter the floodout country of the Eyre Creek, with numerous Coolabah Trees in the swales between the dunes. We`ll make our camp overnight not far from Eyre Creek.

Day Eight - Leaving Eyre Creek we continue long the QAA Line heading for Big Red or Nappanerica sand dune, the biggest sand dune in the Simpson Desert. Crossing Big Red is a real challenge and lots of fun. We`ll have an early lunch at Big Red and then we reinflate the tyres and head for Birdsville were we set up camp in the camping ground, with excellent facilities - showers and toilets, a laundry and a coffee shop. Then free time to explore Birdsville for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening there will be live music at the pub.

Day Nine - The Birdsville Races are the biggest event on the town`s social calendar. The races themselves start at midday so the morning is spent looking around the town. We`ll have an early lunch and then its off to the races - we will get you to the track in plenty of time to place your bets. After the races we return to camp for dinner. Afterwards we usually go back down town to enjoy the festivities or you can have a quiet night as you wish.

Day 10 - Second day of the Birdsville Races. After breakfast we`ll visit an interesting stand of Acacia Peuce Trees, know as Waddy Trees a few kilometers north of Birdsville. Then its back to camp for an early lunch and more fun of a bush race meeting. After the races we head straight out down the Birdsville Track through Pandie Pandie and Clifton Hills Stations and stop for the night at Mungarannie Station, about four hours from Birdsville.

Day 11 - After breakfast, we push on down the Track towards Mulka and explore the ruins of the old store. We cross the Cooper Creek (using the punt if in flood) and head on south through Dulkaninna and Clayton Stations, past Lake Harry to historic Marree where we stop for lunch. Continuing south, we have afternoon tea in Copley before heading for the beautiful Parachilna Gorge in the Northern Flinders Ranges for our last overnight camp.

Day 12 - After breakfast we break camp and head for Blinman, an old copper mining town and head south through the Flinders Ranges National Park. We stop for lunch enroute, then head through Hawker, Orroroo and Jamestown to the Clare Valley wine growing district where we`ll stop for you to sample some of the local product. From here its a pleasant two hour drive to Adelaide. We should have you at the Adelaide Central Bus Station by around 6pm.

Operates: From and returns to the Adelaide Central Bus Station, 111 Franklin Street, Adelaide on Thursday 23 August 2007 at 7.30am day one to 6pm day 12.

• From AUD $1,860.00
• Tour - All Inclusive

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