Maralinga Tour

[dazzman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dazzman]

Hello all,

has anyone on here done the Outback Maralinga Atomic Test site tour. I have booked in for the July school holidays to do it and was wondering if anyone has any ideas of interssting spots to visit whilst out there. Our plan is to head north to Emu Junction and then east on the Ann Beadell Hwy towards Coober Pedy, then across to William Creek and down the Oodnadatta Track to Marree. There will be 3 x 4wds going.

Cheers

[sweetpea Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sweetpea]

Sounds fantastic but a long trip.

How long are you planning for all of that?

(I note that it is two days shorter starting in Adelaide).

Jealous!!

S.

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

Great trip, we did it a couple of years back, Coober pedy to Laverton, actually we did all the Beadell roads, we didn't go through to Maralinga on that section as we weren't allowed in from EMU. We did Maralinga on the way home, Robin, the caretaker really knows a lot about the history of the place, amenities are good and he even supplied fire wood.

You'll need a well setup rig, corrugations are quite horrendous though I believe they have graded the road recently to Emu. On our trip we had one vehicle with a broken rear leaf, and a battery that wouldn't stay, one broken rear window and a couple of cut tyres, put, watch out for the white rock!

Enjoy your trip, if your lucky the wild flowers will be out, we did it in a group like you but will go back and do it by ourselves and take our time next time.

[dazzman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dazzman]

We are planning on leaving Adelaide on the 8th July and stay overnight at Pildappa Rock, before heading to Nundroo and then to Maralinga. The whole trip is penciled in for 1 1/2 weeks (weather permitting)! Yes definitely a long trip but I love travelling the outback and so does the Prado.

[brogers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close brogers]

We want to see some of the same country, but we also wanted to go to Woomera, and have a squiz at the museum, and observatory etc

Just a question please, after we go from Coober Pedy to Woomera, could we drive from Woomera, north up through Roxyby Downs, and then meet up with the Ooodnadata track, and then go East to Maree and then south to the Flinders ranges?

[Guest Close Guest]

Maralinga Tour

Yes you can drive up thru Roxby. Turn right into the borefield road just before the gates to Olympic Dam.
It's a good road and a bit to see.

The observatory at woomera is a bit of a let down unless you can get it opened up.
Check out the space museum and rocket display however.
There's only about 100 people left there on my last trip. It's an Air Force town now.
There's new gates in place blocking access to the detention centre and range entry.

I'm lucky enough to have access to them. Adds some more stuff to see.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

Len Beadell's grave is in the cemetary at Woomera .

[MYT150 Member Find all posts View Profile Close MYT150]

We did the tour last year, well worth doing. Takes the full day for the tour, but it doesn't seem like a long day, as it is very interesting.

We went form Maralinga to Cook beside the train line then down to the Nullabor to see the whales at the head of the bight, which is also worth doing if it is the right time of the year.

A few years ago did the Anne Beadell and it is an interesting trip, but very corrugated on the lead out to Cobber Pedy. Heading west is a lot more interesting and scenic.