South Australia's smallest town

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William Creek is the smallest town in Outback South Australia with a population of 16.

It is situated on the property of Australia's largest cattle station, Anna Creek Station. The town has basic facilities. There is a pub, of course, a few sheds, a store and two campgrounds.

You don't need a street map, everything is conveniently lined up on the Oodnadatta Track.

William Creek 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 typical Australian Outback 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 Old Ghan railway-line.
A signpost shows the distances to places all over the world.
That meakes you realise that you are far away from everwhere!


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.

If you are interested in aircrafts, missiles, and Australia's role in space exploration, don't miss to visit Woomera on the Stuart Hiwghway.


Would you expect to see a parking meter in the middle of nowhere? There is one in William Creek!
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. Australians are very inventive to raise money for this excellent institution.
The public phone once was the first solar-powered phone box in South Australia.

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 from William Creek

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 North.
This 63km one way route is desolate and very lonely. 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

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