Strzelecki Track Explained

Strzelecki Track should not be confused with Strzelecki Highway.

Type:track
Road Name:Strzelecki Track
State:sa
Length:472
Direction A:Northeast
Direction B:Southwest
Coordinates A:-27.7474°N 140.7361°W
Coordinates B:-30.2877°N 138.3494°W
Alternative Location Map:nomap
End A:Cordillo Downs Road
End B:The Outback Highway
Exits:Adventure Way
Region:Far North[1]
Fuel:,

Strzelecki Track is a mostly unsealed outback track in South Australia, linking Innamincka to Lyndhurst.

History

In 1870, the 472km (293miles) track was pioneered by stockman, drover and cattle thief Harry Readford. He stole 1,000 head of cattle from a remote cattle station in Queensland. He drove them down the track, and sold them at Blanchewater Station. He then fled to Adelaide. Pastoralists then used the track as a stock route in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After gas was discovered by Santos in the 1960s, it started carrying more traffic as a route to Moomba. Some sections were sealed.

Description

The track links Innamincka to Lyndhurst through the Strzelecki Desert. It is mostly unsealed, but with a few short sealed sections to facilitate overtaking.[2] It is passable to conventional vehicles during the dry season, although caution is required.[3]

The track is prone to flooding after heavy rains. At other times the surface can be corrugated, with loose stones and dust.

The Strzelecki Track is linked with the Birdsville Track via the Walkers Crossing Track. It is closed in summer and only traversable in dry weather.[4]

A shorter route is available via a public access road between Moomba and Innamincka, making the distance 458km (285miles).[5]

Heritage listings

A number of isolated heritage-listed sites are located nearby to the Strzelecki Track:

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Location SA Map viewer with regional layers . . 16 June 2022.
  2. Australia Road and 4WD Atlas. Hema . Maps. 2007 . Hema Maps. Eight Mile Plains Queensland. 978-1-86500-456-3. 72-73 .
  3. Web site: The Strzelecki Track. Flinders Range Research. 2 January 2014.
  4. Web site: Getting to Innamincka by road. Innamincka Hotel. 12 December 2021.
  5. Australia’s Great Desert Tracks SE Sheet. Hema . Maps. 2006 . Hema Maps. Eight Mile Plains Queensland. 978-1-86500-162-3.
  6. Web site: Tinga Tingana Homestead (Ruin) . Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources . South Australian Heritage Register . 12 February 2016 .
  7. Web site: Tree, possibly marking the burial site of Charles Gray, member of Burke & Wills' 1861 expedition', Lake Massacre, Innamincka Regional Reserve . Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources . South Australian Heritage Register . 12 February 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305180817/http://apps.planning.sa.gov.au/HeritageSearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=57 . 5 March 2016 . dmy-all .
  8. Web site: Well and Whim, Coochilara Waterhole, Merty Merty Station . Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources . South Australian Heritage Register . 12 February 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160312002542/http://apps.planning.sa.gov.au/HeritageSearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=59 . 12 March 2016 . dmy-all .
  9. Web site: Horse Capstan, Pump & Well, Old Mulga Bore, Merty Merty Station . Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources . South Australian Heritage Register . 12 February 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160311183859/http://apps.planning.sa.gov.au/HeritageSearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=34 . 11 March 2016 . dmy-all .

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