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Oodnadatta

For other uses, see Oodnadatta.

Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located 1043 kilometres (648 miles) north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide by road or 873 km (542 mi) direct, at an altitude of 112 metres (367 feet). The unsealed Oodnadatta Track, an outback road popular with tourists, runs through the town.

Oodnadatta
South Australia
The Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta
Oodnadatta is located in South Australia
Oodnadatta
Oodnadatta
Coordinates27°32′53″S 135°26′44″E / 27.54811°S 135.445432°E / -27.54811; 135.445432[1]
Population102 (SAL 2021)[2]
Established30 October 1890 (town)
8 February 2001 (locality)[3][1]
Postcode(s)5734[4]
Elevation121 m (397 ft)(railway station)[5]
Time zoneACST (UTC 9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACST (UTC 10:30)
Location
LGA(s)Pastoral Unincorporated Area[1]
RegionFar North[1]
State electorate(s)Giles[6]
Federal division(s)Grey[7]
Mean max temp[8] Mean min temp[8] Annual rainfall[8]
29.2 °C
85 °F		 14.7 °C
58 °F		 171.8 mm
6.8 in
Localities around Oodnadatta:
Todmorden Todmorden Allandale Station
Todmorden Oodnadatta Allandale Station
Allandale Station Allandale Station Allandale Station
FootnotesLocations[1][4]
Adjoining localities[1]

Town facilities include a hotel, caravan park, post office, general stores, police station, hospital, fuel and minor mechanical repairs. The old railway station now serves as a museum. From the 1880s to the 1930s, Oodnadatta was a base for camel drivers and their animals, which provided cartage when the railway was under construction and along outback tracks before roads were established.[9]

After the railway line was lifted, Oodnadatta's role changed from that of a government service centre and supply depot for surrounding pastoral properties to a residential freehold town for Aboriginal families who, moving from cattle work, bought empty houses as their railway employee occupants left.[9]

Origin of name

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Two meanings of the name are recorded. One derives from the Aboriginal word utnadata, meaning "yellow blossom of the mulga".[10] However, mulga trees do not grow anywhere near the town. The alternative meaning is coodnadatta or kudnadatta, meaning "dead man's poo": the first two syllables encompass "rotten" or "excreta" and the second two refer to "there".[11]: 2  [12]: 154 

History

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See also: Oodnadatta Track

For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal tribes visited the place where Oodnadatta is located as a reliable source of water on their trade route; there was no settlement at Oodnadatta itself.[13] John McDouall Stuart explored the region in 1859. His route was generally followed by the surveyors of the Overland Telegraph Line, completed in 1872. Alfred Giles referred to a place called the Yellow Waterhole, or Angle Pole, later known as Hookey's Waterhole and The Peake, near Oodnadatta.[13] The course chosen for the Central Australian Railway likewise followed the route because a water supply was essential for steam locomotives. From 1891, Oodnadatta was an important station on the railway until the line closed in 1981, to be replaced in 2004 by the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor about 160 km (100 mi) to the west.[14]

Telegraphs, camels and railways

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Angle Pole (27°30′13″S 135°24′57″E / 27.50363071°S 135.41585261°E / -27.50363071; 135.41585261) is the point near Oodnadatta where the direction of the telegraph line changed to a more northerly direction.[15] It is near the Peake cattle station,[16][17] also known as "The Peake", or Freeling Springs.[13] The ruins of Peake telegraph station exist on the station today.[18] Alfred Giles refers to his only meeting with the explorer Ernest Giles (no relation) at "the Peake" in the 1870s.[13]

By the 1880s the telegraph route was being used by camel trains, many led by "Afghan" cameleers (actually from many different places in the Indian subcontinent), or'Ghans, as they became known, who were brought to Australia for the task of hauling goods into Central Australia for pioneer settlers.[19] Many of the cameleers settled in Oodnadatta and Marree, some with families and some marrying, mainly Aboriginal women.[20]

In the 1880s, Angle Pole was identified as the proposed terminus for the extension of the Great Northern Railway. When the railway was built, a town was established here, and in October 1890 was proclaimed a government township and renamed Oodnadatta.[21][22]

In 1889, Angle Pole was also proposed as the south-eastern terminus of a land grant railway from Roebuck Bay in Western Australia. This railway was proposed by a London syndicate and would have been about 1000 miles (1600 km) long, with the wider 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge. However this was never built.[16][23]

The town remained the terminus of the Great Northern Railway until the line was extended to Alice Springs in 1929 and the railway's name was changed to the Central Australia Railway. The railway was built with narrow gauge (1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)) tracks, and train traffic was frequently disrupted by washouts and other damage to the trackbed, leading to a slow and unreliable service. The railway through Oodnadatta was closed and a new standard gauge line was built to the west, bypassing Oodnadatta, and opening in October 1980.[24]

World War II

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Oodnadatta's busiest era was World War II when the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force set up local facilities to service troop trains and aircraft en route to Darwin.[citation needed]

21st century

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Tourist traffic along the Oodnadatta Track and the mining industry keep the village alive. The Aboriginal school is the biggest employer.[9]

In 2018, the federal government announced a major upgrade to the Track, to better serve both the tourists and truck drivers on this major freight and cattle transport route.[25]

In 2023, a reverse osmosis water desalination plant was installed in the town, giving it access to treated drinking tap water for the first time. The town's drinking water supply was previously untreated groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin, which the state government warned residents to avoid as early as the 1980s due to the risk of the rare life-threatening brain infection primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.[26]

Access, facilities, attractions

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Oodnadatta Track sign
 
Canoe hire

Oodnadatta can be reached by an unsealed road from Coober Pedy or via the unsealed Oodnadatta Track from Marree to Marla or from the north via Finke/Aputula, NT (on the "Old Ghan Heritage Trail").[9]

The Pink Roadhouse (so-called because it is painted bright pink) provides petrol, a general store, meals, a variety of accommodation, and post office facilities.[27] The Transcontinental Hotel, built in the 1890s, is on the same side of the road, as is the caravan park.[14][28]

Oodnadatta is serviced twice weekly by the Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run. The OKA mail truck also carries some general freight and passengers.[29]

The 1290 metres (1410 yards) air strip adjacent to the town, originally built during World War II,[30] has a sealed surface.[31]

Historic buildings

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The historic Oodnadatta railway station, now a museum, is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[32]

Oodnadatta Aboriginal School

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The Oodnadatta Aboriginal School, located in Kutaya Terrace, is a school operated by the Government of South Australia offering education from Reception to Year 12. In 2018, the school had a total enrolment of 14 students, of whom 86% were indigenous, and a teaching staff of three.[33][34]

Climate

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Oodnadatta has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh), with very hot summers and mild winters.[35] The town's position in the Outback causes large seasonal variation. Average maxima vary from 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) in January to 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) in July while average minima fluctuate between 23.2 °C (73.8 °F) in January and 5.9 °C (42.6 °F) in July.[36] Mean average annual precipitation is very low: 171.8 mm (6.76 in), spread between 34.4 precipitation days. The town is very sunny, with 182.5 clear days and only 59.1 cloudy days per annum. There is a large sign in Oodnadatta claiming the town is "The driest town, the driest state of the driest Continent".[37]

Extreme temperatures have ranged from −4.0 °C (24.8 °F) on 16 July 1979 to 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) on 20 February 1983; the highest reliably measured maximum temperature in Australia.[38][39][40] This record stood unequalled until 13 January 2022, when a temperature of 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) was measured in Onslow, Western Australia, thus equalling Oodnadatta's record.[41][42][43] A higher temperature was recorded at Cloncurry in 1889; however, this has since been shown to have been recorded in a non-standard enclosure and likely to have been considerably cooler than first believed.[44][45]

Climate data for Oodnadatta (27º39'36"S, 135º27'00"E, 117 m AMSL) (1939-2024 normals and extremes)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 50.7
(123.3) 		46.8
(116.2) 		44.9
(112.8) 		42.1
(107.8) 		35.0
(95.0) 		32.8
(91.0) 		32.2
(90.0) 		39.4
(102.9) 		40.7
(105.3) 		45.4
(113.7) 		47.4
(117.3) 		48.4
(119.1) 		50.7
(123.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 38.0
(100.4) 		36.7
(98.1) 		33.9
(93.0) 		28.6
(83.5) 		23.3
(73.9) 		19.9
(67.8) 		19.8
(67.6) 		22.3
(72.1) 		26.8
(80.2) 		30.5
(86.9) 		33.8
(92.8) 		36.5
(97.7) 		29.2
(84.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.2
(73.8) 		22.4
(72.3) 		19.4
(66.9) 		14.5
(58.1) 		9.8
(49.6) 		6.5
(43.7) 		5.9
(42.6) 		7.5
(45.5) 		11.6
(52.9) 		15.2
(59.4) 		18.7
(65.7) 		21.4
(70.5) 		14.7
(58.4)
Record low °C (°F) 11.7
(53.1) 		12.8
(55.0) 		9.5
(49.1) 		3.8
(38.8) 		0.9
(33.6) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		−0.3
(31.5) 		2.2
(36.0) 		5.1
(41.2) 		9.6
(49.3) 		11.3
(52.3) 		−2.6
(27.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24.1
(0.95) 		29.4
(1.16) 		13.8
(0.54) 		11.1
(0.44) 		11.8
(0.46) 		11.7
(0.46) 		8.9
(0.35) 		8.0
(0.31) 		10.0
(0.39) 		13.4
(0.53) 		12.8
(0.50) 		16.9
(0.67) 		171.8
(6.76)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 3.1 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.6 3.2 2.4 2.4 2.6 3.6 3.7 3.5 34.4
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 20 23 22 25 32 37 34 28 23 19 18 18 25
Average dew point °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6) 		8.2
(46.8) 		6.4
(43.5) 		4.9
(40.8) 		4.3
(39.7) 		3.5
(38.3) 		2.0
(35.6) 		0.9
(33.6) 		1.1
(34.0) 		1.2
(34.2) 		2.9
(37.2) 		4.7
(40.5) 		3.9
(39.1)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 337.9 296.6 313.1 273.0 244.9 231.0 254.2 275.9 291.0 316.2 321.0 341.0 3,495.8
Percent possible sunshine 80 81 83 80 73 74 77 80 81 80 79 79 79
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1939-2024 normals and extremes)[8]

Governance

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Oodnadatta is located within the federal Division of Grey, the state electoral district of Stuart, the Pastoral Unincorporated Area of South Australia and the state's Far North region.[46][7][47][1] In the absence of a local government authority, the community in Oodnadatta receives municipal services from a state government agency, the Outback Communities Authority.[48]

Oodnadatta on Mars

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The name Oodnadatta has been used as a name for a crater on the planet Mars.[49]

See also

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References

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Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Search results for 'Oodnadatta, LOCB' with the following datasets: 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Counties', 'Government Towns', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australian Government. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Oodnadatta (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  3. ^ Bray, J.C. (30 October 1890). "Untitled proclamation (Town of Oodnadatta)" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1068. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Postcode for Oodnadatta, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Search results for 'Oodnadatta Railway Station' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Government Towns' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australian Government. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  6. ^ "District of Giles Background Profile". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Federal electoral division of Grey" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d "Oodnadatta Airport Climate Statistics (1939-2024)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Outback: the Oodnadatta Track". National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA). Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
  10. ^ Manning, Geoffrey H. (2012). "A compendium of the place names of South Australia". The State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  11. ^ Simpson, Horrie (1990). Horrie Simpson's Oodnadatta. Oodnadatta: Oodnadatta Progress Association. ISBN 0731692047.
  12. ^ Wilson, John (2021). Dallwitz, John (ed.). The train to Oodna-Woop-Woop: a social history of the Afghan Express. Banksia Park, South Australia: Sarlines Railway Books. ISBN 9780646842844.
  13. ^ a b c d "Alfred Giles – enjoying life at 80". The Mail. Adelaide. 22 September 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 30 January 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ a b "Oodnadatta". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  15. ^ The Angle Pole Memorial SA
  16. ^ a b "Railway construction in Western Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 14 February 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Search result for "Angle Pole" (Record No. SA0001492)". Department of Planning Transport and infrastructure. 1 July 2004. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Freeling Springs (The Peake)". Friends of Mound Springs. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  19. ^ "The Afghan Camelmen". South Australian History. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Pioneer Memorial". Monuments Australia. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Public works and railways". South Australian Chronicle. Vol. XXXII, no. 1, 637. South Australia. 4 January 1890. p. 9. Retrieved 22 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ Great Northern to Government Gums – A Mineral Railway Callaghan, W.H. Australian Railway History, September;October, 2008 pp283-301;323-336
  23. ^ "Another railway syndicate". South Australian Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  24. ^ Tregaskis, Moana (16 September 1990). "On the 2 pm from Adelaide to Alice". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  25. ^ "Upgrades for critical road links in outback South Australia". Australian Government. Dept of Infrastructure. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  26. ^ Richards, Stephanie (20 August 2023). "Something in the Water". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Are you up for it?". The Pink Roadhouse. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  28. ^ "Oodnadatta". South Australian History. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run". Archived from the original on 3 May 2006.
  30. ^ "Military airfields in Australia and the Western Pacific area during World War 2". Oz at war. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program Round 6 – Approved Projects". Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Museum (former Oodnadatta Railway Complex, including Station/Residence, Goods Shed and Crane)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  33. ^ "Oodnadatta Aboriginal School, Oodnadatta, SA", My School, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), retrieved 11 August 2019
  34. ^ "Contact", Oodnadatta Aboriginal School, Government of South Australia, retrieved 11 August 2019
  35. ^ Peel, M. C. and Finlayson, B. L. and McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1636 & 1642. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ "Oodnadatta Airport Climate (1939-2024)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  37. ^ "Too Hot to Refuel as Town Bakes". Adelaide Now. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  38. ^ Global Measured Extremes of Temperature and Precipitation. Archived 25 May 2012 at archive.today National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  39. ^ "Australian Temperature Extremes" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. 1 April 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  40. ^ "50.5 °C – W.A.'s Highest Ever Temperature". Bureau of Meteorology. 20 February 1998. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  41. ^ "Australia matches its hottest day on record as Western Australia town goes above 50C". The Guardian. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  42. ^ Birch, Laura (13 January 2022). "Onslow in the Pilbara reaches 50.7C, equalling Australia's hottest day on record". ABC News. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  43. ^ "Australia equals hottest day on record at 50.7C". BBC News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  44. ^ "Queensland to bake on Christmas Day". AM. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 December 2003. Archived from the original on 4 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  45. ^ Trewin, Blair (December 1997). "Another look at Australia's record high temperature" (PDF). Australian Meteorological Magazine. 46 (4): 251–256.
  46. ^ "Electoral district profiles - Stuart". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  47. ^ "Far North SA government region" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  48. ^ "Communities (serviced by the Outback Communities Authority)". Outback Communities Authority. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  49. ^ Categories for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, USGS Astrogeology Science Center, NASA

Further reading

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Oodnadatta.
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