Oodnadatta, South Australia

Oodnadatta, South Australia (27°32′ S 135°26′ E) is located in the heart of the desert 112 m above sea level, 1,011 km north of Adelaide. It can be reached by a track from Coober Pedy or via the Oodnadatta Track from Marree to Marla. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word for blossom of the mulga.

John McDouall Stuart explored the region in 1859. The route mapped by Stuart in his journeys of 1857 to 1862 was adopted as part of the Overland Telegraph Line route. Oodnadatta became the end of the railway line from the south in 1890, until the railway was extended to Alice Springs completed in 1928. Since the closure of The Ghan railway line in 1981 (it moved to a new alignment further west), Oodnadatta has become a quiet settlement inhabited mainly by the local Aborigines.

The population was 229 in 1976 and 160 in 1986.

External links

• Tracking History to Oodnadatta by Roderick Eime
• Pink Roadhouse Iconic landmark of Oodnadatta
• Pacific Island Travel