Australian outback ruins roadtrip

A few years ago, I attended a stag party in Sydney and The Blue mountains, and Wedding in Adelaide, but before I returned home, I embarked on a 5 day roadtrip into the South Australia outback.
On my own.

I drove from Adelaide to just short of William Creek, which took me into some remote territory, and unsealed roads, through some of the most arid regions of Australia. The highway is littered with ruins from early settlers who’s dreams were destroyed by the harsh environment. The largest Kanyaka was a historic monument.

A few statistics for you; I drove 1400km from Adelaide via Melrose, Quorn, Hawker, Flinders ranges, Parachilna to Lyndhurst, and beyond Marree before turning back. I hired a 4x4 with good ground clearance, and stayed in outback pubs making sure I had a cooked plate of food and a beer at the end of each day. The stars at night were mind blowing.

If I go back, I will push myself further into the interior.





remains of the railway


Kanyaka ruins




Flinders ranges


more ruins










Now, into the remote territory


Who would build a house out here??


(thats my car out the window there)






And finally, with the camera on timer, me in Nowhere



Hope you enjoyed looking

really great pix,s . would love to go there myself!

Looks like quite an adventure!

trainman said:

really great pix,s . would love to go there myself!

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Thanks mate.
Pictures aren't bad for the little compact I had back then. Fortunately I don't shoot in Sepia anymore!

krela said:

Looks like quite an adventure!

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Cheers Krela
It certainly was quite an adventure. It's still up there in my top 3 roadtrips of all time

Mate that's epic....

That road sign sort of puts the scale of the place in to prospective.

Cheers newage

Newage said:

Mate that's epic....

That road sign sort of puts the scale of the place in to prospective.

Cheers newage

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Thanks mate

quite a scarey sign! One had the extra line 'advise friends and relatives of your outback itinerary'
I saw one sign at a turning that was equally sobbering;
'Next services 472km'...

Of course there is plenty to see in Australia but driving week after week in remote parts may be the most boring trip you ever made. I did it in 1975 & wouldn't bother again.

Sounds like an adventure!
Great to see something different , looks beautiful...

nanook said:

Of course there is plenty to see in Australia but driving week after week in remote parts may be the most boring trip you ever made. I did it in 1975 & wouldn't bother again.

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I lived in Australia for 7 months previously, in Sydney and Brisbane. I took some time to do some roadtrips and hiking in National Parks in Victoria and Queensland, and also an excursion from Perth once.
I enjoyed this trip in SA as it was a challenge, and away from the crowds

King Al said:

I really like that old locomotive, interesting finds Mr Wombat, great stuff!

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Cheers Al, yes the loco was an interesting catch

Stealthstar79 said:

Sounds like an adventure!
Great to see something different , looks beautiful...

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Thanks Missy,
though iit might be worth sharing, as something a bit different

Nice report, thanks man

Great report and images and the locos are awesome.

Looks an awesome adventure, cant help think of The Inbetweeners 2 tho....
Fantastic shots. Thanks for sharing

Enjoyed the photos, and kudos for making the trip solo. Is that loco one of the remnants of the "Gan" railway? I seem to remember reading about it years ago and it left a strong impression.

wolfism said:

Enjoyed the photos, and kudos for making the trip solo. Is that loco one of the remnants of the "Gan" railway? I seem to remember reading about it years ago and it left a strong impression.

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Thanks mate, I believe it was the remains of The old Ghan train route, closed in 1980
It was replaced with a new line 100 miles west