William Creek, South Australia
Encyclopedia
William Creek, Australia
is located halfway on the Oodnadatta Track
, 210 kilometres north of Marree
and 166 kilometres east of Coober Pedy
in South Australia
. The town has a population of 6.
William Creek is in the federal Division of Grey
and the state electorate of Stuart. It is outside of council areas, and administered by the Outback Areas Community Development Trust
.
in the Tirari Desert
. William Creek offers the only petrol station between Marree, Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta on the Oodnadatta Track
and has a campground, two motels and one of the world's most remote pubs. The world's largest cattle station
is located in nearby Anna Creek station
and the Woomera Prohibited Area, former testing ground for atomic weapons
, is also nearby.
William Creek is a good halfway stop along the track, with accommodation and meals at the Hotel as well as a well-maintained, if somewhat dusty campground. In the Memorial Park it is possible to see diverse items such as the first stage of the Black Arrow Rocket, Britain's only successful independent space launch
that was recovered from the surrounding Anna Creek Station. More sobering is the commemorative inscription to a young Austrian woman, who lost her life in 1998 trying to walk back to William Creek from a 4WD
vehicle bogged in the sand beside Lake Eyre.
William Creek is serviced twice weekly by the Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run
. The 4WD mail truck also carries some general freight and passengers.
during his expeditions in the area. William was the second son of John Chambers, a pioneer pastoralist of South Australia and a strong ally of Stuart.
The town was once on The Ghan railway line.
The town has always been small: never larger than a few cottages, a small school and a Hotel-store.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is located halfway on the Oodnadatta Track
Oodnadatta Track
The Oodnadatta Track , Australia is an unsealed 620 kilometre track between Marree and Marla via Oodnadatta in South Australia. It passes the southern lake of the Lake Eyre National Park....
, 210 kilometres north of Marree
Marree, South Australia
Marree is a small town located in the north of South Australia. It lies North of Adelaide at the junction of the Oodnadatta Track and the Birdsville Track, above sea level. The area is the home of the Dieri people. At the 2006 census, Marree had a population of 70.The town was home to Australia's...
and 166 kilometres east of Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 kilometres north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. According to the 2006 census, its population was 1,916 . The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The town has a population of 6.
William Creek is in the federal Division of Grey
Division of Grey
The Division of Grey is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia 1841-45 ....
and the state electorate of Stuart. It is outside of council areas, and administered by the Outback Areas Community Development Trust
Outback Areas Community Development Trust
The Outback Areas Community Development Trust is a trust in South Australia which is operated under the Outback Areas Community Development Trust Act...
.
Location
William Creek is the entry point from Coober Pedy to Lake EyreLake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
in the Tirari Desert
Tirari Desert
The Tirari Desert is a desert in the eastern part of the Far North region of South Australia.-Location and description:The Tirari Desert features salt lakes and large north-south running sand dunes....
. William Creek offers the only petrol station between Marree, Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta on the Oodnadatta Track
Oodnadatta Track
The Oodnadatta Track , Australia is an unsealed 620 kilometre track between Marree and Marla via Oodnadatta in South Australia. It passes the southern lake of the Lake Eyre National Park....
and has a campground, two motels and one of the world's most remote pubs. The world's largest cattle station
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
is located in nearby Anna Creek station
Anna Creek station
Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. It is located in South Australia, Australia. Its area is roughly which is slightly larger than Israel...
and the Woomera Prohibited Area, former testing ground for atomic weapons
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
, is also nearby.
William Creek is a good halfway stop along the track, with accommodation and meals at the Hotel as well as a well-maintained, if somewhat dusty campground. In the Memorial Park it is possible to see diverse items such as the first stage of the Black Arrow Rocket, Britain's only successful independent space launch
Space launch
Space launch is the earliest part of a flight that reaches space. Space launch involves liftoff, when a rocket or other space launch vehicle leaves the ground at the start of a flight...
that was recovered from the surrounding Anna Creek Station. More sobering is the commemorative inscription to a young Austrian woman, who lost her life in 1998 trying to walk back to William Creek from a 4WD
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicle bogged in the sand beside Lake Eyre.
William Creek is serviced twice weekly by the Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run
Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run
The Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run is a 4WD mail service in the outback of South Australia.Twice a week, the OKA bus travels from Coober Pedy to William Creek to Oodnadatta and then back to Coober Pedy, all on unsealed roads. The road between William Creek and Oodnadatta is the famous...
. The 4WD mail truck also carries some general freight and passengers.
History
William Creek was named in November 1859 by explorer John McDouall StuartJohn McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart was one of the most accomplished and famous of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to traverse the Australian mainland from south to north and return, and the first to do so from a starting point in South Australia, achieving this...
during his expeditions in the area. William was the second son of John Chambers, a pioneer pastoralist of South Australia and a strong ally of Stuart.
The town was once on The Ghan railway line.
The town has always been small: never larger than a few cottages, a small school and a Hotel-store.
Near William Creek
Lake Eyre can be seen from several vantage points along the Oodnadatta Track and appears as a large, rather featureless, white saltpan. It is only from the air that its immensity can be appreciated. The curvature of the Earth can be seen on the horizon and beneath it is possible to identify the courses of the ancient rivers that still occasionally flow into the lake. Trevor Wright takes up to five passengers for a 60-minute flight out of William Creek, passing over the spectacular Painted Hills to the west, then along the southern edge of the lake, pointing out the features beneath and explaining the topography. The Painted Hills are brilliantly coloured eroded sandstone ridges. These, and all of the country traversed in the one-hour flight, are part of Anna Creek Station. From the air the Track can be seen, stretching to the horizon in two directions.