Desert Dreaming

Tour Details

Operator

The Adventure Collective

Destinations

Alice Springs, Oodnadatta Track and Coober Pedy

Departs From

Alice Springs

Tour Description

“This is a story of the land, and it goes like this: you white fellas don’t fully understand this land. This is Anangu land, this is where Aboriginal people lived, and they continue to live. Their stories and their dreamtime are tied up with this land. If you listen to the land, it will tell you its story...

“This is the beauty of riding on a bike, moving through the land at a pace where you can feel the land and hear its stories. There are lots of stories, lots of dreaming in this country: kangaroo dreaming and goanna dreaming, stories about everything. You need to listen to this land, and learn from it, because this is Aboriginal land, so listen… listen… listen…”

Join us as we travel through a timeless place, where history and culture are set against a vast backdrop; harsh yet beautiful, alive and vibrant and teeming with life.

Encounter this place and its people as you travel on your bike, and listen to the stories of the land.

From Alice Springs, we ride through the ranges, before turning south onto the Old Andado Track and into the Simpson Desert. Old Andado Station is a trip back in time, and you’ll hear all sorts of traveller’s tales in the Mt Dare pub. Soak your legs and relax in the soothing artesian hot springs at Dalhousie, before we follow the pink signs all the way to Oodnadatta. The Painted Desert is a little-known geological marvel, and our destination, Coober Pedy, is famous for opals and it’s unusual underground housing!

The reward for this challenging ride is the unsurpassed beauty of the country through which we travel.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
>> Amazing bushcamping experience
>> Ride alongside bright red sand dunes of the Simspon Desert
>> Historic Old Andado Station and homestead
>> Have a drink at Mt Dare Hotel
>> Relax in Dalhousie hot springs
>> Oodnadatta’s famous Pink Roadhouse
>> The Painted Desert & underground Coober Pedy

14 days / 13 nights

2009 date: 24 August - 06 September 2009

Days 1-4
After we pick you up from your Alice Springs accommodation (hotel pickups start from 10am), we drive out through town along the Santa Theresa Road before we stop for morning tea. This is where you’ll get on the bike for the afternoon, with around 40km of riding to warm up your legs. The next three days are spent pedalling along the edge of the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges and through the Simpson Desert, along the remote Old Andado Track, and experiencing some fantastic bush camping. Old Andado Station is like travelling back in time, with the preserved homestead giving an interesting look at the tough life in isolated areas. We camp at the station. Day 1 (LD); Days 2-4 (BLD)

Days 5 & 6
From Old Andado, the scenery changes as we head into the Finke River Forest. We camp among the Mallee scrub on Day 5. We’ll cross the NT-SA border on day 6, before arriving at Mt Dare Hotel, where we camp for the night – probably the only ones turning up on bikes! This little place is great for a beer or two and to listen to the yarns of other travellers – everyone has their story to tell! Tonight we’ll be eating our meal in the pub (at own expense). Day 5 (BLD), Day 6 (BL)

Days 7 & 8
Saying goodbye to Mt Dare, we cycle towards Dalhousie Springs. The track can be a bit rough and rocky, but the reward is definitely worth it! Soaking in the luxuriously warm natural thermal pool is a treat for your body, and there’s a whole day to spend relaxing, phoning home on the payphone, reading, walking or just kicking back. We camp here for two nights, with toilet and shower facilities. Day 7 & 8 (BLD)

Days 9-11
After a relaxing day, it’s time to get back onto the bike, and once more the scenery changes. Riding past the Dalhousie Ruins, we reach another set of ruins at Pedirka, an old railway siding from the Ghan. The country becomes more open and undulating, until the long flat stretch of Fogarty’s Claypan on Day 10. You’ll start seeing pink signs becoming more frequent… and you know we’re getting closer to the famous Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta. There’s a memorial to the overland telegraph station just before we get to Oodnadatta, and we’ll be there in time for lunch (lunch and dinner at own expense). You’ll enjoy our stay here, camping behind the Pink Roadhouse. Days 9-10 (BLD), Day 11 (BL)

Days 12-14
From Oodnadatta, we start heading towards Coober Pedy, but before we get there, we take a detour to see the Painted Desert. This amazing landform is spectacular, and you’ll experience it as you ride through. There’s a walking track that takes you to a lookout, and it’s well worth the stop. We camp for the night at Arckaringa, a working station. The next day takes us back onto the Coober Pedy road, and we’ll enjoy our last bush camp alongside a creek bed. The landscape is becoming more and more open, with some interesting landforms along the way, such as ‘Lollipop Lane’ and the ‘Moonplain’. To make sure everyone has the opportunity to experience the unique atmosphere of Coober Pedy, on the last morning, we’ll travel by vehicle from our campsite to around 30km out of town, allowing everyone to enjoy the ride in together. We reach Coober Pedy in time for lunch and to have a look around this quirky underground town, the opal mining capital of the world. It’s a bit of a tradition to celebrate with dinner and drinks in Coober Pedy (at own expense). Days 12-13 (BLD), Day 14 (BL)