Oodnadatta Track & Kids...

[ROnEM]

Interested to know what people's thoughts of the trip are, specifically about taking our two kids (12 & 10 years old).

Reason for asking is my wife has been told by "a friend" that it is flat, not much to see and will be boring for the kids.

I disagree, based on some of the great trip reports, but interested to hear what those who have done the track with kids think.

Cheers,

Rohan

 

[Billrw136]

Do it Rohan - we took our 3 children when they were 11, 9, and 5, I think. Well worth it. We were travelling with other families, so that when we had a rest break a quick kick around with a ball occurred!
We had fun.

I think we travelled 7500km in 16 days - for 4 or 5 of those days we were in Alice Springs.
All in a double cab ute - V6 triton - averaged 17.5 mpg!
20 or so years ago.......

Bill

 

[Bushman]

Never done it, hope to though, but as Bill said just do it, kids will learn more from the "life" experience, than they will having their nose suck in electronic gismo's
And if they start to get bored it's time to pull but and let 'em go feral. Buy them a cheap camera each set a small assignment of telling the trip through their eye's.

 

[ROnEM]

Buy them a cheap camera each set a small assignment of telling the trip through their eye's.

Love the idea :thumb:
They have the cameras already, so assignments start a week before we hit the road for any trip from now on.

 

[dakky68]

No pay = no say

Although we'd probably prefer to go without them sometimes for more selfish reasons, they would be getting dragged along regardless of their thoughts on the trip and/or destination lol

 

[TACA]

Do it!!! Although we didn't do the Oodnadatta, we did drive across similar country to get to the Simpson last year. There were 5 kids all up from 4 to 12. The two older ones (10 and 12 not mine) had cameras (best idea ever). It may be a bit out of your way, but about 250k north of Oodnadatta is Dalhousie springs. Water is 38 degrees all year round. Kids naturally didn't want to get out, come to think of it, neither did the adults. The way I think is if you travel from afar, 250km isn't much.

 

[Holden_man]

I agree, get out there, our two boys were the same age and enjoyed it. we got out of the car and walked around a fair bit, highlights were places like, Farina, Lake eyre, Mound springs, Curdimurka and the Bridge, coward springs (small swimming hole and firing up the hot water donkey plus this was our first Campfire), and William creek. Through these areas the boys were banned from Ipods and Ipads. The track was one of the Family highlights of our Central Aust trip.
....and it is flat, for as far as you can see, but thats what makes it so amazing....

HM

 

[gwadir]

ROnEM

I'll be short and sweet with this, Do it the kids will love it, you all will have such a good time, the life experience will be so worth it for them, ours loved the trip up north last year and want to do more.

Dave

 

[BUSH PALACE]

All i can say is JUST DO IT , weve done it so many times with kids and each trip youll find something different to stop and look at , and you cant beat pulling over somewhere and having a bush camp set up and a ball tearer of a fire with marshmellows and sparklers ..

 

[Heath74]

Your friends are wrong. Farina is a great spot, coward springs is excellent, then plenty of bush spots beyond. I've done the Simpson crossing via the oodnadatta Trk the last two June holidays in a row with my 9 yr old, he loved it.

 

[crackacoldie]

Do it, so much to learn, about the old Ghan railway, all of the places that @Holden_man mentioned. We did the track several times when we lived in Roxby Downs, the kids loved it each time and learnt something new each time.

 

[Stan53]

I am not so sure. How do the kids normally travel? Have you don't long trips before? Ain't nothin worse than a bunch whining kids on a long trip! It grinds. Makes the trip a living hell. Been there done that.
I may be taking mine to Cameron in September. Timothy travels well. Cathy? She can be a tart. But I will be prepared. iPods, DVDs, colouring books. Lots CDs. Lots snacks and water. Frequent short stops.
We have good trips. And then there are those that don't get mentioned in polite company.

 

[Still_dreamin]

My wife and I (before kids) did Birdsville cup then down birdsville track to Maree. Stayed at Maree caravan park (the pilot was caretaker) and did a joy flight over Lake Eyre and the "Maree man". Awesome! The locals at the pub were the friendliest we have ever met in the world, a close second was a pub in Cork Ireland watching a local rugby derby. Also had some old locomotives on a disused siding that we climbed on for a least an hour (yes adults no kids) Left Maree and travelled west to Williams Creek. Just outside William Creek is an interesting art installation - read up side down cars plans buried in desert. Williams Creek has an interesting pub and has a display honouring the rocket range at Woomera. Somewhere west of William Creek on a hillock were a couple of trees. One called pussy Willow (lots of feral cats strung up in dead tree) and fox fir (lots of dead foxes strung up in dead tree on opposite side of road - hint- keep you windows up! The drive to Oonadatta was uneventful but Oonadatta was disappointing. I had read and been told about the pink roadhouse as an aussie icon. Never been so disappointed in my life. Spent 15 mins looking for camp ground(there was only 4 streets nth/sth and 4 streets east/west!). Keep driving past what we thought was a wreckers yard ie 6ft gal tin sheets with razor wire on top and sign that said shut from sundown to sunrise. WTF. That was camp ground. Had lunch near a putt putt course contemplated heading north for Dalhousie springs (i think that is what they were called) but decided to make a dash for cooper pedy. This was 2002

Short and sweet- Oonadatta is a sh#t hole but there is an awful lot of very interesting and historical sights in that part of the world.

 

[ROnEM]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Clearly my wife's "friend" missed most of the beauty of the region!

Kids travel really well - have done some long haul trips from Vic to Qld and we have survived 8 & 10 hours days in the tug & van. Yes, they have iPads, but that is monitored and too much of the "head down" makes them feel a bit "funny in the tummy", so iPads go away.

However, our trip has to be postponed as we have to get a new drive shaft fitted to the car and it won't be done until 1st week of school holidays and we can't go with it as it is, so we will wait for another set of holidays to come around for the trip.

All this great info helps further planning and the stops to make and things to see.

Thanks again...

 

[crackacoldie]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Clearly my wife's "friend" missed most of the beauty of the region!

Kids travel really well - have done some long haul trips from Vic to Qld and we have survived 8 & 10 hours days in the tug & van. Yes, they have iPads, but that is monitored and too much of the "head down" makes them feel a bit "funny in the tummy", so iPads go away.

However, our trip has to be postponed as we have to get a new drive shaft fitted to the car and it won't be done until 1st week of school holidays and we can't go with it as it is, so we will wait for another set of holidays to come around for the trip.

All this great info helps further planning and the stops to make and things to see.

Thanks again...

Bugger, oh well, that might mean you can do. Cameron Corner in the September Holidays on the way back from Oodnadatta

 

[ROnEM]

@crackacoldie,

Yep - would love to do Cameron Corner - sounds like a great trip and a good excuse to catch up with everyone.

 

[TACA]

We did the track several times when we lived in Roxby Downs,

crackacoldie, I lived up there from 2001 - 2004. worked at the mills. Played footy for Andamooka. Cricket for the wanderers. Drank too much at the Tavern. Off chance I might know you, or not. Sorry for highjacking thread, not sure on how to PM someone.

 

[Swerve]

Last went through there in 2011, here's the link from our trip in old Nissan G60's (Mine was Blue Ute)

I agree the kids woudl have a ball, plenty of ruins for kids to explore and just be kids

http://www.60patrol.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1827

 

[Antman]

We did that trip Christmas 2012. Whilst our daughter wasn't that age she was just over 1, she loved it. Every day looking out the window, walking thorugh the areas with us and experiencing it all. We will take her back when she is a bit older so she can actually remember it. I think HM hit the nail on the head with all the locations.
Maybe your wifes friend is a 5 star kind of gal? I know that there are certainly people around that it just would not be appealing to them. But for kids, there is so much history in places like this in our country.

Get out there, see it. If they get bored, so be it - they have seen it and experienced it. And even if they do get bored now, later in life they will appreciate it and take their kids maybe so that they can relive that family trip!

 

[ROnEM]

Drive shaft gets replaced on Thursday 8th, but looking at the latest SA roads report the track is closed as a result of the rains - it's a good thing that we did not (could not) go over these holidays. We would either be stuck somewhere waiting for the road to open, or digging ourselves out of the mud somewhere!