William Creek

South Australia's smallest town

William Creek is the smallest town in Outback South Australia with a population of 16, and it is situated on the property of Australia's largest cattle station, Anna Creek Station. The town has basic facilities, a pub and a few sheds and a store opposite the track. Please check the Oodnadatta Track travel tips for more information.

The township is set on a saltbush plain 204 km north-west of Marree and it’s the first place to get fuel and water supplies after you leave Marree. It's quite a sandy place, but hey, they've even got a golf course!

Let's do some sightseeing.

Well, the sightseeing business takes place in the area between the hotel and the store. Some unusual means of transport (a wooden wagon, a steam engine and the first stage of a rocket) are scattered next to the remains of the Ghan line. A signpost shows the distances to places all over the world.

William Creek is adjoining the huge 'Woomera prohibited area' where British rockets were launched in the sixties and tests were conducted to send a satellite into orbit. That’s where the debris of the rocket comes from.

The parking meter seems to be very odd in such a remote place, however, it’s for charity and collects donations for the Royal Flying Doctors. The public phone once was the first solar-powered phone box in South Australia.

Road-sign at William Creek, Oodnadatta Track

The hotel and pub really looks unpretentious, not to say rough, from the outside, with an ancient cladding of corrugated iron to protect the veranda and the house from the searing sun. In these parts sun protection goes before aesthetics. Inside is the typical bar room of a bush pub, decorated with odd things that tourists left here. And of course, you'll find a friendly service.

In front of the hotel is a sign with a mud map giving information about the area around William Creek and the Oodnadatta Track. These maps, drawn by Adam Plate who runs the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta, give useful tips and can be found along the track and it’s by-roads as far as Marla, Coober Pedy and the Simpson Desert.

Alternative routes and detours:

If you want to go back to the Stuart Highway before finishing the Oodnadatta Track you can go from William Creek to Coober Pedy. The 164 km track is a lonely road crossing the huge Anna Creek station.

About 7 km south of the town leads a track to Halligan Bay on the western shore of Lake Eyre. This 63km one way route is desolate and very lonely. Please take plenty of water, and never leave your car when it breaks down. Ask at the pub if they still register tourists who head to Lake Eyre. If not, let a reliable friend or your family know about your plans. Make arrangements when you will be back, and don't forget to check back with them. Otherwise they might ring the alarm bell.

Please ask the locals for road conditions before your start any of these routes.

Want to follow the Oodnadatta Track?

Continue to the William Creek to Oodnadatta page

Custom Search