Marree sits on the junction of the Oodnadatta Track and the Birdsville Track – a very remote area in South Australia. We stopped there to refuel and have lunch on our flight over Lake Eyre, the Channel Country and Birdsville. It is not a big town, but it was very interesting. Outback Australia is fascinating.
we were too late for the camel races
The town was laid out in 1883 and the railway reached the town in December 1883 and officially opened in early 1884. The town was originally named Hergott Springs and was an important watering place and camp site, marking the parting of ways to the Northern Territory and Queensland. The name was changed to Marree in 1918 as a result of anti German feeling in WWI. Nearly all German names were removed from the map in 1918. There would have been quite a few as there were many German settlers in South Australia. Very few of the old names have been restored.
the Marree Pub
The Marree Pub was built in 1884 in anticipation of the Great Northern Railway. Until 1952 steam trains ran through Marree, when they were replaced with diesel- electric. In 1957 Standard Guage came. Marree was an important railway town and houses were built to accommodate at least 85 workers. The town was effectively killed when in 1980 the narrow guage line was closed, thus ending the running of the old Ghan train. Many railway workers had to leave Marree. Most of the deserted houses were auctioned off and now only one train a week comes to Marree. Today, instead of railway workers, people from all over the world come to the region to see Lake Eyre or travel the iconic routes that opened up inland Australia.
the start of the Oodnadatta Track
old railway sign
one of the old trains
even older
a bit of the old track
the largely deserted railway station
an old bullock wagon
remembering the camels
Camels with their Afgan handlers were an important part of the early days in outback Australia.
not much is left of the town
an open air museum
Tom Kruse's mail truck
Tom Kruse ( not that Tom Cruise) ran the Marree-Birdsville mail run until 1963 and P. Smith until 1975, when a weekly air service took over. These men were known for their ingenuity in keeping the vehicles going in the most trying conditions – the mail must get through.
a splash of colour in Marree
evidence of a wet season
On the way into the town our pilot was kind enough to point out a plane that had crashed nearby. Fortunately the pilot and all passengers survived, but it is not really what you want to hear about when you are flying about in a tiny plane.
it is the white spot in the lower right corner
flying into Marree
The country around Marree would normally be all brown. The splashes of green are a rare occurrance.