Down the guts AKA going home * Kulgera -> Coober Pedy -> Coward Springs*

The pack up at Trephina Bluff campground was done efficiently, but with heavy hearts, and mixed emotions. We were now definitely, unequivocally, undeniably and absolutely on our way home. 

There were still some adventures to be had; I am surprised at how many photos I have been able to upload from this 4 day leg.

The plan was for a 4 day/3 night run from Central Australia (NT) to the Flinders Ranges (SA) with each night being a one night stop. And lots to see along the way.

We headed back through Alice Springs for a quick top up before heading south proper. First stop was Henbury Meteorite Conservation Reserve for a quick look and walk. It was pretty warm, there is no shade or shelter, and the flies! The Henbury Meteor crashed here 4700 years ago, fragmenting on impact and leaving 12 craters in the Central Australian Desert, some of which can still be seen.   

 Kids on the rim of one of the visible craters. 

 The highlight (for me) of this walk was these giant, armoured grasshoppers.

 Back on the Stuart and heading south. Adelaide is on the map! As is Kulgera - our destination this day.

Kulgera (Night 1) sits just inside the Northern Territory border with South Australia. We have stayed here a few times now as it has always been conveniently distanced. In our books it's a one night stop with basic facilities, camping out the back of a roadhouse. It was definitely looking more tired than on our previous visits.

 Derelict pool at Kulgera Roadhouse. 

The washing machines and laundry were flooded. The shower block needed emergency maintenance after I alerted reception to flooding (and more) there as well, putting my much anticipated hot shower was put on the back burner indefinitely.

 Tidy and neat camp set up at Kulgera. We didn't do a full set up as we were just staying overnight and would eat in the pub. Saying that, a partial set up still requires everything off the roof and out of the back of the car!!

 I did manage to get some washing done and dried in the hot, hot wind. 

Folding the washing and stacking it precariously like this seems contrary to the objective. I'm not sure how clean the clothes were getting at this point. I would say they were just getting a freshen up with the highly fragranced washing pods I was using by this stage.

 Silly photo opportunity at the Kulgera Roadhouse

 Father's day at Kulgera

 The most exciting thing happening at Kulgera was the RBT set up by the police. Every vehicle, going both ways, was stopped and tested. There was a very exciting moment when a car approaching from the south saw the roadblock and quickly did a 180 and screamed away the way they came. The police responded with a chase complete with lights and sirens. We do not know the outcome. The downside to all this excitement was the noise. The roadblock was up all night with lights, chatting clearly audible, and the road trains slowing down to stop or starting up again.

 It is just 19km from Kulgera to the SA border.

 Jem is in SA, James is in the NT. Andy is half and half.

 Next stop - Coober Pedy (Night 2)

We have been to Coober Pedy before, and this time it was just a stopover.

 The amazing Sturt's Desert Pea growing in a Coober Pedy garden bed. I adore these stark, hardy flowers and can remember the first time I ever saw one 'in the wild' on our first big trip. We have a photo of that first one up on our wall at home.

 SURPRISE! We surprised the kids with a night in the Coober Pedy Desert Cave Hotel. The rooms are underground! Moving every day with our set up is not ideal, so Andy and I sweetened 4 big driving days with a night in a hotel!

 Little bottles of soaps and shampoos. And our own bathroom!

 The room was basic but perfect for us. I think we arrived about 3pm and did not leave the room until we headed out for dinner later.

 Yep - this will do us nicely. It was so dark in there when all the lights were off. 

 Something not quite right here....

 Coober Pedy town signs. 

We topped up on a few items at the Coober Pedy IGA before hitting the road for another biggish day in the car. We only had 190km to cover but via dirt roads/tracks on the William Creek Road to William Creek and the south eastern end of the Oodnadatta track.

 Air out for the comfort of all passengers. William Creek Road, Coober Pedy.

 Road sign says the road we want is OPEN. Always a good sign. The state, and status, of the roads is always changing and we had been keeping an eye on things so that we could make a good plan for this section of the trip. It turns out we got lucky, beating a big band of rain by just 24 hours which would have turned these dry, dusty roads into muddy quagmires. This rain would catch us up further down the track.

 A classic - the William Creek Hotel. Oh boy were the flies on fire here. Worst of the trip so far. Little did we know, there was worse yet to come. Uggh. Flies make everything so hard. They usually accompany warm to hot weather so everyone is already testy, flies just factor this testiness right up.

 The inside of the William Creek Hotel. We stopped for some lunch and cold drinks. Away from the flies thankfully.

William Creek was fairly buzzing with human activity as well due to the filling of Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre. As this is a rare event it attracts tourists from far and wide to take special sightseeing flights over the lake.

Record rain fell over inland Queensland due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred in late February of this year. At the time we were still planning to travel through inland QLD on this trip but due to widespread flooding and devastation we pivoted to the route we were now on. Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre started to fill in May 2025 and the water was still coming down when we passed through in early September 2025. Hence all the bloody flies!

We did not do flights over the lake but enjoyed being able to see the southern end clearly from the roadside.

 Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre south, from the Oodnadatta Track.

Us with Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre in the background. I think we can  credit the idea with seeing the lake to James who suggested it when we first realised we were going to have to make some changes to the last stage of our trip.

The Oodnadatta track varied in condition. In some parts it was extremely corrugated and in others it was lovely and smooth like a highway. 

Coward Springs (Night 3), Oodnadatta Track.

 Camping at Coward Springs - we had a lovely, shady spot tucked in off the road. The flies were next level. Pretty sure we were the only ding-dongs without fly nets. You can see our screen house aka mozzie dome tent aka MDT set up between the two tents. This becomes our bug haven for eating, playing and resting. 

 James and I took a walk at sunset. Due to the natural springs there are lots of birds around. And heaps of flies. Did I mention the flies?

 The light was beautiful.

Coward Springs is named for the mound spring that bubbles up out of the ground. A plunge pool has been made out of old railway sleepers creating a 'natural spa' to contain the water. While not hot, it is warm water ~29C and welcome on a warm day. No photos of the bath as there were other people in it every time I went, and that would just be weird. Jemma and I had a lovely soak and play. Andy and James didn't get around to it for some reason.

Coward Springs really is an oasis. The campground is lovely and shady, with fantastic facilities including hot showers. There is also a cafe serving ice creams and coffees - somehow I missed out on this! It is a unique mix of heritage and conservation.

It was once a station on the old Ghan railway, constructed in 1888, and abandoned before the line closed in 1980. It was later added to the SA Heritage register. The current owners, along with managing and hosting the campground are restoring the old buildings at the site.

 Evening in our little bower. It was lovely once the sun went down and the flies went to sleep. The mosquitoes did a quick sunset appearance but didn't hang around for too long. 

 Dawn with the moon setting at Coward Springs

 Payniac at Coward Springs - early morning getting ready to pack down before the flies get too bad.

 Jemma in the dirt. 

 Sunrise at Coward Springs

From Coward Springs to Marree at the end of the Oodnadatta Track is just 130km, and took about 2 hours. Our maps (Hema 2017) showed that the bitumen did not start again until Lyndhurst so we were pleasantly surprised to find that it now goes all the way to Marree. Once we realised we pulled over on the side of the road just out of Marree to pump up the tyres again - we get way better fuel economy with correct tyre pressures.

 Airing up again. Note the left headlight is out, and had been at least since Litchfield. It would need to wait to be fixed when we can get the Patrol in for service when we get home.

And there is rain forecast......